This is the BEST Vegan Nacho Cheese that you’ve ever tried. Ready in just 10 minutes. Completely plant based, nut free and contains no carrots or potatoes.
Before going vegan, chips and salsa and chips and nacho cheese were my go-tos for parties, late night snacks, and more. Obviously chips and salsa is still a go, but man oh man I missed nacho cheese. Thus, vegan nacho cheese was a must make creation.
However, I had tried making with potatoes and carrots. I had tried making with raw cashews. And no matter what variations of those I tried, it was just meh.
Someone recommended that I tried Wayfare’s nacho cheese and instantly I was taken back to that perfect nacho cheese and chips combo. It was absolutely delicious.
I took a peek at the ingredients and the main ingredients were butter beans. Intrigued, I had to try to recreate something amazing.
The result….the best vegan nacho cheese if I do say so myself.
Now you can make it at home, easily, whenever you want and know exactly what the ingredients are that goes into the recipe.
This is so easy to make! Just 10 minutes total time. And can be completely Top 8 Allergen Free.
Never miss another recipe! Get our recipes straight to your inbox when you sign up for our weekly newsletter today! Our Top 15 posts automatically sent to you! Plus, enjoy behind the scenes, giveaways, and other exclusive content!
Sign up for our newsletter HERE!!
What are the ingredients needed for dairy free nacho cheese?
This isn’t a small list of ingredients; however, most of them are spices, so don’t freak out!
- Butter beans
- Nutritional yeast
- Diced Jalapeños
- Lemon juice
- Vegan butter
- Oat flour
- Dairy Free milk
- Salt
- Cayenne Pepper
- Chili Powder
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Smoked Paprika
- Cumin
- Turmeric
How to you make vegan nacho cheese?
We recommended making your vegan nacho cheese in a high powered blender. You literally pour all the ingredients into your blender and then blend for 5 minutes. The result is a creamy vegan nacho cheese that is already warmed.
Can I use all-purpose flour for this vegan nacho cheese?
We have tested this recipe with oat flour and almond flour. You could use other gluten free flours like chickpea also.
However, if you use all-purpose flour, we recommend that you make in a skillet instead of in a blender or food processor so that the flour actually gets cooked and you eliminate the risk of salmonella.
Do I have to use a blender?
While we think a blender is the easiest and fastest way to make this dairy free nacho cheese recipe, it isn’t the only way to make it.
You could also use a food processor by adding all the ingredients together and blending until smooth and thickened.
Another alternative would be to make on the stovetop using a skillet. In order to do this, you would first need to melt the butter over medium heat and then add your flour. If you are use all-purpose flour, this is the method you want to use.
Whisk together the flour and butter. Then, pour in your milk and stir together. Finally add the remaining ingredients and let cook over medium low until thickened and well combined.
What type of beans are best?
We love butter beans for this vegan nacho cheese recipe. However, any type of white bean would work – such as Great Northern or cannellini beans.
Can I make this Top 8 Allergy Friendly Nacho Cheese?
Make sure that you are using a soy free dairy free butter like Earth Balance soy free in the red tub. In addition, make sure that you are using a Top 8 Free milk like oat, flax, or hemp. To be honest, we prefer using oat.
Can I prep this ahead?
Yes! You can prep this recipe ahead of time. It heats back up well in the microwave by warming at 30 second intervals.
Alternative preparation method with Rotel – canned diced tomatoes and chilis:
One other note is that you could skip the diced jalapeños alone and do a can of drained Rotel or generic canned diced tomatoes and chilis instead. You are only swapping that so proceed with the rest of the ingredients.
What are ways that I can use dairy free nacho cheese?
Obviously you can just spoon it into your mouth, but you also could use tortilla chips. Some other ideas for how to use this vegan nacho cheese are:
- Instant Pot Vegan Tex Mex Rice
- On top of your Dairy Free Nachos
- Vegan Taco Casserole instead of the shredded cheese
- As a sauce on the best vegan black bean burger
- Vegan Chorizo Burrito Bowls
- Make tacos with our Walnut Taco Meat or Sweet Potato and Black Bean tacos
- Mix in or on top over our Jackfruit and Black Bean Enchiladas
- Make Cheese Dogs with our Homemade Vegan Hot Dog Recipe
- Perfectly on top of our Mexican Stuffed Peppers
Pin this vegan nacho cheese for later:
Are you following us on social media? Be the first to see what we’re doing and finding, behind the scenes, and other get recipes are resources we’ve finding by following along.
FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM PINTEREST TWITTER YOUTUBE
Vegan Nacho Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 15oz can Butter Beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 4oz can diced jalapenos (see notes for spice level)
- 1 cup unsweetened dairy free milk
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/4 cup vegan butter
- 2 tbsp oat flour
- 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/8 tsp onion powder
Instructions
- Pour all ingredients into a high powered blender. *See notes if you do not have a blender.
- Blend for 5 minutes or until a thickened, creamy, well-combined sauce.
- Serve warm.
- Top with diced tomatoes and/or jalapenos to serve
- Store leftovers in an air tight container for up to 7 days.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Share a photo of our recipe you made! Tag us @makeitdairyfree and use #MakeItDairyFree on Social so we can feature you!
Your version of Vegan Nacho Cheese looks divine! I so look forward to trying this recipe. I really appreciate the fact that it is not made with cashews, or carrots and potatoes!!! I’m allergic to nuts, and I did not like any of the many carrot and potato recipes at all…so thank you for this recipe!! Also, thank you for including other beans that can be used. Lastly, I LOVE your YT channel and I’m a subscriber. One thing I know for sure is that I will always get great quality videos, and fabulous recipes from Make It Dairy Free, so thank you in advance!
OMG You’re too kind! I’m glad you are loving our channel and I hope you love this recipe!
This was so good! It’ll definitely be my go to everytime I get a craving for nacho cheese in the future. It took 5 minutes to make at the most and was inexpensive. I’m a huge fan of this recipe and recommend anyone who is pondering trying it just go for it. My non-vegan family liked it as much as I did, my mom even commented she liked it better than traditional dairy nacho cheese.
Wow that’s fantastic, thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review. We appreciate you so much
This is THE best nacho cheese recipe!!! I have tried several that were just not very good. I love how simple it is. My son is dairy free and I am constantly looking for recipes with replacement ingredients and/or variations of his favorites that he used to have. I also love that it does NOT contain nuts as he also has a nut allergy.
Thank you so much for your sweet words and we are so happy you found something that worked for your kiddo! Have a great week!
We made this and though my two teens were wary , they loved it! They loved it so much we had it again along side jackfruit burritos tonight. The ingredients are easy to find and yes, most of the time they are in pantry. We have enough for leftovers which heat up easily and taste just as great the next day. Just awesome. Thank you!
I’m so excited to hear they loved it and that you had it again! Thank you so much for taking time to leave a review! Have a great day!
delicious and SO easy!! i might’ve added a little too much nooch as it was a tad overpowering, but hey i love me some b12. i added some mustard & a splash of olive brine for a little more bite- amazing! looking forward to seeing how well it freezes. id imagine itll be great. thanks for a great pantry recipe
Thanks so much for leaving a review!
Do you have a vegan butter recipe pls?
we don’t at this time.
This is absolutely incredible!!!! My boyfriend who is new to being vegan really missed nachos and this totally hits the spot for him. I’ve made it 5 times now and everyone I give it to enjoys it so much. So much easier than soaking cashews. I don’t ever have oat flour so I use all purpose and it still turns out fabulous. Thanks for the awesome recipe, it is now a staple in my home 🙂
We’re so excited to hear that! And congrats to him on his new vegan journey! Thanks for taking the time to leave a rating, we appreciate that so much.
Flavor profile amazing
Min didn’t thicken
Thoughts
I used almond milk – maybe that’s it??
Thanks for inspiration
Transitioning and loving how i feel!
We’ve never heard of it not thickening. Any type of plant based milk works, we’ve made it with a few. You added the oat flour? What type of blender?
Do I need to blend the beans first if I’m following stovetop directions? Or do I just add it into the pot?
Hi! Sorry for any confusion. Yes, they would be blended first
So quick to make! I like that I didn’t have to boil any cashews – everything just went straight into the blender. So easy. BIG PLUS, It tastes just like the nacho cheese (if not better) from my favorite vegan restaurant in town.
So happy to hear you liked it, we appreciate you taking time out of your day to leave a review!