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    Home » How To

    Creamy Vegan Cheese Sauce (Nut Free)

    Published: Mar 10, 2016 Updated: Nov 2, 2021 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe
    Vegan Cheese Sauce

    Simple and fabulously cheesy vegan cheese sauce. Ideal for lasagnas, pastas, vegan mac and cheese or anywhere you would usually use a cheese sauce.

    Vegan cheese sauce pouring out over a bowl of pasta.

    Making a vegan cheese sauce really couldn’t be easier.

    You start off with a basic vegan white sauce – also called bechamel sauce and then with just a few added extras, it magically turns into cheese sauce!

    Vegan cheese sauce over a bowl of pasta.

    How To Make Vegan Cheese Sauce

    You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.

    There are just 3 basic ingredients – oil, flour and plant-based milk (I used soy milk) to make your basic white sauce.

    To that you add some salt, black pepper, dijon mustard, great for adding a cheesy flavor don’t even ask me why but really it works, and some nutritional yeast.

    And that might be as far as you need to go to get your perfect cheese sauce flavor! If you want to intensify the flavors a bit more, you can add in some optional onion powder and garlic powder too. 

    Step by step process photo collage of making vegan cheese sauce.

    How To Serve Vegan Cheese Sauce

    This isn’t the kind of cheese sauce you’re going to use on a pizza.

    Have you had a white sauce (bechamel) before? It’s exactly like that, just flavored to be cheesy!

    It’s what you want when you want a cheesy version of a white sauce to use in your lasagna! It’s also great as a pasta sauce or served over vegetables. 

    It also makes a great sauce for a vegan mac and cheese. 

    If you want a cheese sauce to drizzle on your pizza, then you’re looking for a cashew cheese sauce! Or you can even grate up some hard sliceable cashew cheese and melt it on your pizza!

    Vegan cheese sauce on top of pasta in a black bowl.

    Storing and Freezing

    Keep leftovers stored in the fridge and enjoy within 4-5 days. 

    It’s also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge. It may look watery and separated but simply reheat in a saucepan, whisking all the while and it will come back to its full glory.

    Vegan cheese sauce with pasta in a black bowl.

    More Delicious Vegan Sauces

    1. Vegan Mushroom Sauce
    2. Vegan Peppercorn Sauce
    3. Vegan Chipotle Sauce
    4. Vegan Teriyaki Sauce
    5. Vegan Worcestershire Sauce
    6. Vegan Buffalo Sauce
    A forkful of pasta with cheese sauce.

    Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!

    Vegan cheese sauce pouring out of a jug onto pasta.

    Vegan Cheese Sauce

    Creamy and super cheesy vegan cheese sauce recipe. Ideal for lasagnas, pastas, vegan mac and cheese or anywhere you would usually use a cheese sauce. Nut free.
    4.94 from 65 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: How To, Sauce, Savory, Side
    Cuisine: Vegan
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes
    Servings: 4 cups
    Calories: 166kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    • 6 Tbsp Olive Oil
    • 5 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
    • 4 cups Soy Milk (960ml)
    • 1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
    • ½ cup Nutritional Yeast (30g)
    • ½ tsp Salt
    • ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper

    Optional:

    • 1 tsp Onion Powder
    • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
    • Grated Vegan Cheese
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Add the olive oil to a pot on the stove and turn the heat to medium high.
    • When the oil begins to heat up, add the flour, stirring briskly all the time.
    • Fry the flour in the oil for a bit, stirring vigorously, and then add in all the soy milk at once. Stir vigorously. Alternate with a hand whisk and a wooden spoon while it heats up to prevent any lumps from forming.
    • Continue to stir until the sauce begins to thicken.
    • You will usually reach the right thickness a few minutes after the sauce has reached boiling point.
    • When it has reached the desired thickness remove from the heat (bear in mind that it will continue to thicken as it cools).
    • Stir in the mustard, nutritional yeast, salt and ground black pepper.
    • Taste test and see how you like it. If you want to intensify the flavors, add in the onion powder and garlic powder and stir in. Depending on what you want to use the cheese sauce for, you may prefer it plain or you may want to intensify the flavors with the onion and garlic powders.
    • Serve with pasta or use as a sauce in a vegan lasagna. Add some grated vegan cheese to the sauce as well if you like.

    Video

    Notes

    1. My favorite oil to make this with is olive oil, but canola oil or vegetable oil also work. 
    2. You can use different non-dairy milks with slightly different flavor results.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Serve (of 8) | Calories: 166kcal | Carbohydrates: 6.9g | Protein: 5.4g | Fat: 12.3g | Saturated Fat: 1.6g | Sodium: 112mg | Fiber: 1.4g | Sugar: 3g
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
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    32.4K shares

    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Ann says

      December 29, 2022 at 10:06 am

      A very tasty and easy to make sauce. I love it.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 29, 2022 at 10:06 am

        Thanks Ann!

        Reply
    2. Bailey says

      October 30, 2022 at 2:31 pm

      I just have to say: OMG! This cheese sauce is fit as f*ck! :’)

      I have tried SO MANY recipes before this one, yet this is the one that got printed out and added to our DIY kitchen recipe book <3

      I used this in a mac n cheese recipe which we served at a neighborhood BBQ and EVERYBODY was asking for the recipe. When I told them it was vegan their minds were blown.

      I usually add a sprinkle of smoked paprika or all purpose just to give it an extra pop of flavour.

      Alison: Thank you, for all your hard work creating the BEST vegan recipes on the internet. A perfect combination of great taste, using vegan pantry staples & easy to follow instructions.

      This is literally my go to recipe site before I look anywhere else… (Must've made 40+ recipes)5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        November 01, 2022 at 12:57 pm

        Thank you so much Bailey! We really appreciate that! 🙂

        Reply
    3. Natasha says

      August 18, 2022 at 7:09 am

      This is my go to recipe for cheese sauce. Super easy to make and everyone loves the taste.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 18, 2022 at 10:08 am

        Thanks for the awesome review Natasha!

        Reply
    4. Nic says

      July 11, 2022 at 4:18 am

      I’ve used this as a bechamel substitute in lasagne and moussaka and it worked really well. I’ve also made a portion that I froze, then later defrosted, whisked up and reheated, and it still tasted really good. More nutty than cheesy, I would say, but did a great job, thank you!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        July 11, 2022 at 12:50 pm

        Awesome Nic, thanks for sharing!

        Reply
    5. Karen says

      June 29, 2022 at 10:16 pm

      Made this SOOOO many times now. Hands down the BEST vegan cheese sauce! Super simple to make and so delicious and creamy! Plus, no cashews or pureeing required! THANK YOU!!!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        July 03, 2022 at 11:27 am

        Thanks for the awesome review Karen!

        Reply
    6. Nicole says

      May 17, 2022 at 5:22 am

      Has anyone had issues with a vegan cheese sauce separating? I used mine for a cauliflower bake and for some reason it separated and went really runny? I used oat milk and regular flour. It was still a yummy gravy but am wondering what went wrong and why it lost its thick cheese sauce consistency?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 17, 2022 at 1:01 pm

        Hi Nicole, sauces can ‘break’ if they bake too long. We have a recipe for cauliflower cheese and we roast the cauliflower first, so that the baking with the cheese sauce is just the final step (and doesn’t need to ‘cook’ the cauliflower). So maybe check out that recipe for next time. All the best! 🙂

        Reply
    7. Keith Shillington says

      February 03, 2022 at 11:47 pm

      I made a couple substitutions, I use a rice flour blend, and almond/cashew milk. I love using yeast as cheese. Next time I make this I’m adding a dollop of tahini.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        February 04, 2022 at 11:07 am

        So glad you enjoyed it Keith! Thanks so much for sharing your adjustments!

        Reply
    8. Angela says

      January 09, 2022 at 10:17 am

      Thanks super easy & delicious
      I used a thermomix & put everything in at 90 Degrees Celsius for 7 minutes- it was perfect. I served the sauce with broccoli & pasta & cashew cheese on top.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        January 11, 2022 at 11:42 am

        Awesome, thanks so much for sharing Angela!

        Reply
    9. Ann says

      December 28, 2021 at 11:12 am

      An easy to follow recipe that results in a wonderful tasty sauce.5 stars

      Reply
    10. Ann Gallacher says

      October 03, 2021 at 7:50 am

      A lovely sauce that is easy to make and very tasty.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        October 03, 2021 at 11:36 am

        Thanks so much Ann!

        Reply
    11. Heidi says

      July 27, 2021 at 11:28 pm

      Would roasted peppers be good to add into this to turn this into a nacho sauce or would it ruin the recipe?5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        July 28, 2021 at 10:11 am

        I think you could do it! It sounds delicious!

        Reply
        • Heidi says

          July 28, 2021 at 5:38 pm

          Thank you for the quick response!5 stars

          Reply
    12. Casey says

      June 27, 2021 at 9:50 am

      This recipe is amazing! I made lasagne and it was soooo good!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        June 28, 2021 at 9:05 am

        Wonderful! Thanks Casey!

        Reply
    13. Sunny says

      June 05, 2021 at 4:50 pm

      Is there any alternative for the nutritional yeast flakes…it’s quite difficult to find near me.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        June 07, 2021 at 10:37 am

        You can leave it out, though you do lose some of the cheesiness.

        Reply
      • Donna says

        June 18, 2021 at 11:19 pm

        Sunny, you can it order online from Walmart (or several other places).

        Reply
    14. Patricia Smith says

      May 12, 2021 at 9:19 pm

      Would coconut flour or almond flour or tapioca flour work

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 13, 2021 at 10:25 am

        I’m not sure about those, but a gluten-free all purpose blend does work.

        Reply
        • Keith Shillington says

          February 03, 2022 at 11:50 pm

          Rice blend flour worked amazingly well.5 stars

          Reply
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