Description
This creamy, flavorful vegan nacho cheese sauce is a perfect dairy-free queso alternative made from cashews, potatoes, and carrots, blended with pickled jalapenos and nutritional yeast to create a rich, cheesy taste. It’s easy to prepare, naturally gluten-free, and ideal for topping tortilla chips or your favorite nacho fixings.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 small potato, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
- 6 pickled jalapeno slices
- 3 tablespoons pickled jalapeno brine
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups water
Optional Ingredient
- 3 tablespoons salsa (to be added after blending)
Instructions
- Boil the vegetables and cashews: Peel and roughly chop the potato and carrot. Place the carrots, potatoes, and raw cashews into a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a simmer and cook until the potatoes and carrots are tender, about 8–10 minutes.
- Blend the ingredients: Drain the water from the saucepan. Add the cooked potatoes, carrots, and cashews to a blender along with the pickled jalapeno slices, pickled jalapeno brine, lemon juice, garlic powder, onion powder, nutritional yeast, salt, and 2 cups of water. Blend on high until smooth and well combined. Add a splash of water if the sauce is too thick.
- Warm up the cheese sauce: Transfer the blended sauce to a saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens slightly. Stir in salsa if using. Taste and adjust salt if needed.
- Serve: Pour the warm vegan nacho cheese sauce over tortilla chips and top with your favorite nacho toppings.
Notes
- This sauce keeps well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week.
- It can be frozen in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months; thaw in the fridge before using.
- When reheating, add a few splashes of water to loosen the sauce as it thickens after storing.
