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.
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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 it with potatoes and carrots. I had tried making it with raw cashews.
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.
Vegan Cheese Dip Ingredients
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 Make Vegan Nacho Cheese without Cashews
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.
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 prep this Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce ahead of time?
Yes! You can prep this recipe ahead of time. It heats back up well in the microwave by warming at 30 second intervals.
Vegan Nacho Cheese Recipe Variations
While this recipe itself is amazing, there’s a few ways to switch it up! To the blender with the other ingredients:
- Spice it up! Add in pickled or fresh jalapeños to taste. Start with 2 tablespoons. Want to really spice it up? Swap some or all the vegan cheddar cheese with vegan pepper jack!
- Beer cheese – Add ½ to ¾ cup of a lager or ale to make a beer cheese. Want an official beer cheese? Try our vegan beer cheese recipe.
- Garlicky – If you love a garlic cheese, add 3-5 cloves of roasted garlic (more or less to desired taste). You can also do 1 teaspoon or more garlic powder but it won’t give it as much of an impact as the fresh roasted.
- Caramelized Onion – Add ½ cup of caramelized onions and ½ teaspoon of balsamic vinegar. Not necessary but to make it a bit different, swap ½ or all of the cheddar of a vegan Gouda.
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 blend or mash the beans in some way to make as smooth as possible. Then, 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.
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.
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:
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Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce
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
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- ¼ cup vegan butter
- 2 tablespoon oat flour
- ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon 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.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
This is the first and most like the LADT recipe I will try! My family and I recently transitioned to a vegan lifestyle. My almost (wanna be picky) almost 4 year old and husband are OBSESSED with this sauce! The smell, consistency (I’m big on texture, lol),and taste are ON POINT!!! So good Bernard Family 😋😋😋
We appreciate you so much for taking the time to leave a review and so happy to hear that you’re enjoying the recipe.
Amazing! Both kid friendly and carnivore approved, as everyone in my household is not vegan. This recipe will now be my go to cheese sauce.Thank you so much for sharing!
We appreciate you so much for taking the time to leave a review and so happy to hear that you’re enjoying the recipe.
I’m going to make this today
We hope you love it
Would cassava flour work as a substitute?
Yes, just may need a tad more liquid
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!
This wasn’t bad but definitely not something I’d make again. The flavor just wasn’t my favorite and I have other recipes I like more. =) For those that can’t have nuts I think it’s an okay option.
Sorry to hear that
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
Stovetop directions? Didn’t see any cooking involved in the recipe or the video for this one. 🙂
If using a blender, there’s no need. This person was following the stovetop directions in the post for not having a blender, that’s all
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?
Mine also didn’t thicken but still tasty nonetheless. I personally used a Hamilton Beach blender.
Did you let it go for 5 mins?
Yep, set a timer and everything.
Does it work without the vegan butter? Or can something healthy be subbed in? I’m oil free. Thank you.
We haven’t tried but someone commented somewhere else and said they ddi and still loved it
Hey, i had the same problem. But i just added an extra can of beans. And it was PERFECT! And some extra protein. My son loved it!