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.
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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 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.
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:
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
- 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.
Casey
This is the best “cheese” sauce I’ve ever had!! My daughter is vegan so I have made a lot of different recipes and this takes the cake, hands down!! I am currently transitioning to a plant based diet and have became obsessed with you guys channel and website!! I have been on a channel binge for days lol… thank you both for all that you do 💗
LarishaBernard
So glad that you are enjoying both the recipes and the videos! Best of luck on your new journey
Wendy H
The best and truly quickest vegan chz sauce I have made in the last 4 years!! I left the butter out completely and the sauce still had amazing and creamy taste and texture. Thanks for sharing! Just started watching you and your husband, can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
LarishaBernard
So glad that you enjoyed the recipe so much, that makes us so happy!
Laura
Delicious! Very, very happy with this recipe. Thank you
LarishaBernard
So happy you enjoyed it!
Mae
Absolutely amazing, even my dad liked it! I’m not vegan but I have a lot of food allergies. This was perfectly paired with a Taco Bell Copycat and more jalapenos on top. Thank you so much for this. In the moment, these nachos truly made me feel like I was dietarily normal again.
LarishaBernard
We love hearing that Mae! And so glad that everyone enjoyed it
Adri
So good! Just made this today Bc I was looking for a quicker nacho cheese version and I’m never disappointed by y’all!
I forgot the flour but it was still amazing
LarishaBernard
So happy to hear you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking time to leave a review
AL
I never leave reviews on blogs, but I had to for this nacho ‘cheese’. It’s SO good. We have tried making cashew cheese sauces and they never cut it. This is amazing! Tastes even better the second day… if the batch lasts that long!
Larisha Bernard
We’re honored that you took time out of your day to leave this review. So happy you’re enjoying it!
Melody
Looks amazing can I omit the butter I use no oils of any kind what are your thoughts?!
LarishaBernard
We haven’t tried but others have and said it’s still good. May need to add a bit more liquid
Angel Celeste
I made this using canned coconut milk because it was the only unsweetened milk I had on hand. I was concerned it would taste too much like coconut, but the beans really help to mellow out the flavor. I also used tapioca starch in place of oat flour and nixed the jalapeños. Still the best vegan cheese sauce I have had or made in 9 years of being vegan! My husband and I enjoyed it for days and it stayed just as delicious as the first day. I’ll definitely try it as written to compare. I don’t think one can go wrong as white beans are the real MVP here!
LarishaBernard
Love ittttt!! So happy to hear even with your changes it worked out!
Rebecca
This recipe is great! My husband declared it was his favorite cheese sauce that we have made so far! He can’t have cashews so we have been searching. Super easy to make and does not require any uncommon ingredients . You guys did it again! Thanks for all your hard work creating new goodies for us!
Kristen Ward
I was searching for T. Bell style cheese and I found it. This is it! I’m so grateful for this delicious recipe. Typing this as I eat a homemade black bean crunch wrap
LarishaBernard
love it! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
Ashley
THE.BEST.CHEESE.DIP.EVER! Let me restate that: It makes manna from the gods look under rated. Not only does it mimic that creamy texture but also that “cheesy” taste. I’ve been dairy free (not voluntarily) for almost 8 years and this was the recipe I’ve been searching for everywhere. Sweet Jesus, I almost cried tasting this, plus it’s only 44 calories a serving so I can pound down all twelve and not feel guilty that was “dinner.” Thanks for the tit rockin recipe,
LarishaBernard
We are so so happy to hear it was such a success! Thank you for taking time to leave a review and enjoy all the nacho cheese !
Susan
Absolutely delicious !! I have been telling everyone about this recipe! Thanks!
LarishaBernard
Sweet! Thanks for sharing the love and leaving a review
Sammy Scot
This recipe was amazing, kept us filled last night! Don’t be afraid to try this recipe, you won’t regret it!
LarishaBernard
We’re so happy to hear that! Thank you for leaving a review!
kaitlyn
so delicious
LarishaBernard
Thrilled to hear that! Thanks for taking time to leave a review, we appreciate it so much
Tiffany
This is the second recipe that I made from you all and it was soo good as promised. It’s great actually. The flavor is incredible and just like the nacho cheese I’m used to. Mine also didn’t thicken but it’s because I didn’t drain the beans so that’s my own fault. I had to tweak it to thicken it. I ended up using probably a full cup of oat flour and about a 1/4 cup of corn starch then let is simmer on the stove after blending it all. I plan to make this again and follow the exact recipe. I even got a little cast iron serving dish to pour it in. 🙂 Thanks y’all!
LarishaBernard
Love it! Glad you got it to work out and know where you changed. Thanks for leaving a review
Faye
The BEST nacho cheese sauce I ever had! So easy to make and to me it tastes even better than than the dairy nacho cheese sauces.
LarishaBernard
We’re so happy to hear that you enjoyed it! Thanks for leaving a review!