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    Home » Vegan Cheese » Vegan Nacho Cheese (Ultra Cheesy!)

    Vegan Nacho Cheese (Ultra Cheesy!)

    Published: Sep 27, 2018 Updated: Jun 28, 2021 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    Ultra cheesy vegan nacho cheese. Creamy, rich and super simple to make, this is ideal as a dip for your tortilla chips or poured over nachos! It’s also gluten-free. 

    Vegan nacho cheese poured over nachos.

    This vegan nacho cheese is seriously tasty.

    My mother’s non-vegan partner went nuts for this stuff when he happened to be visiting at the same time as we were testing this recipe.

    So for anyone thinking this vegan cheese thing is only for vegans, think again. It’s for everyone you guys! 

    Vegan nacho cheese in a glass bowl surrounded by tortilla chips. Vegan nacho cheese in a glass bowl with a freshly dipped tortilla chip above it.

    Whether you want to serve it as part of a fully loaded vegan nachos deal or just the super simple way with some tortilla chips is up to you. Either way is divine and we tried it both ways to make sure it was just perfect.

    Now we have already made a vegan queso that was made very differently to this one.

    I think both recipes are great options, and of course either one can be used for nachos, but if anything this version is even easier than our vegan queso, so there’s that.

    Vegan nacho cheese in a saucepan with a wooden spoon.

    And after making this one I think it’s a better option for fully loaded vegan nachos.

    I’ll have to do a recipe for fully loaded vegan nachos sometime too because I have all sorts of ideas for a vegan taco meat that can go on top (update: vegan taco meat recipe is here, and so is vegan nachos!), and our black bean mix is too divine.

    But let’s stick to the topic at hand which is this truly divine vegan nacho cheese.

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

    So how do you make vegan nacho cheese?

    The recipe is crazy simple and is really a case of throwing everything into the blender, blending until smooth and then transferring to the stovetop to heat up.

    Heating it up on the stove thickens it up quite a lot but while it’s hot it’s still pourable if you want to pour it over your nachos. If you want to serve it as a dip, then just transfer to a dish and serve!

    You can also just play it by ear and if you think it’s a little on the thick side, then add a little water while heating and whisk it in.

    It’s definitely preferable to have it a little too thick, which is easily fixed, rather than too thin, which is not.

    If it cools then it thickens more, so if it has cooled down and then you want to pour it over nachos, you will need to reheat it and add a little water and whisk it up so that it is the right consistency.

    If you’re serving a fully loaded nacho plate, then some black beans, salsa, guacamole and cilantro are great additions to your vegan nacho cheese for a super delicious dish.

    Vegan nacho cheese poured over fully loaded nachos with black beans, salsa and guacamole.

    Just in case you’re not convinced that this nacho cheese is a must to try, here are 6 reasons you will love it! It is:

    • Ultra cheesy
    • Simple
    • Creamy
    • Rich
    • Perfect as a dip or poured over fully loaded nachos!
    • Gluten-Free

    Keep leftovers in the fridge and enjoy over the next few days. It will thicken when cold so reheat on the stove if you want it to be pourable, whisking in some water as needed to get to the right consistency.

    Vegan nacho cheese on top of fully loaded nachos. Vegan nacho cheese on top of fully loaded nachos with black beans, salsa and guacamole.

    More vegan Mexican recipes!

    1. Veggie Fajitas
    2. Vegan Enchiladas
    3. Vegan Quesadillas
    4. Vegan Burrito
    5. Pico De Gallo
    6. Vegan Taco Meat
    7. Vegan Nachos
    8. Vegan Tacos

    Sign up to our email list for a delicious vegan dinner recipes ebook containing 10 awesome recipes (completely free) and you’ll also be the first to know when new recipes are posted to the blog.

    Vegan nacho cheese poured over fully loaded nachos with black beans, salsa and guacamole.

     

    Vegan nacho cheese drizzled over tortilla chips

    Vegan Nacho Cheese

    Ultra cheesy vegan nacho cheese. Creamy, rich and super simple to make, this is ideal as a dip for your tortilla chips or poured over fully loaded nachos! Gluten-Free.
    5 from 15 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dip, Gluten-Free, Savory
    Cuisine: Mexican, Vegan
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 5 minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes
    Servings: 3 cups
    Calories: 112kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    • 1 and ½ cups Raw Cashews (225g)
    • 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice freshly squeezed
    • ¼ cup Nutritional Yeast (15g)
    • 1 tsp Onion Powder
    • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
    • 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
    • ½ tsp Smoked Paprika
    • ¼ tsp Turmeric
    • 1 Tbsp Jalapeño Slices
    • 2 cups Vegetable Stock (480ml)
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Add all the ingredients to your blender jug and blend.
    • Transfer to a saucepan and heat, whisking regularly until hot (don't let it boil). It will thicken while it heats. If you think it's getting too thick, add in a little water (be careful as if it gets too thin that is harder to fix than if it's too thick) and whisk it in until it's the right consistency.
    • Serve as a dip for tortilla chips or pour over a plate of fully loaded nachos.
    • Store leftovers in the fridge. It will thicken when cooled, so when you reheat add in more water as needed to reach the desired consistency.

    Video

    Notes

    1. I did not soak my cashews first and it's not necessary for this recipe.
    2. The turmeric is just for color, so if you don't like it you can omit it.
    3. My vegetable stock is quite salty, so extra salt wasn't needed but if you use a low sodium vegetable stock you might need to add salt to taste.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Serve (¼ cup) | Calories: 112kcal | Carbohydrates: 7.1g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 8.2g | Saturated Fat: 1.4g | Sodium: 95mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1.7g
    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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    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. Gloria says

      March 12, 2022 at 7:38 am

      This was great!! I love how quick it was to make. Our family is Mexican so I added 4 whole jalapenos (canned) with some of the juice too. I also added a dash of nutmeg to make it extra cheesy. Thanks so much for another great recipe!

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        March 12, 2022 at 1:42 pm

        So happy you enjoyed it Gloria!

        Reply
    2. Lynn says

      August 28, 2021 at 5:50 pm

      Can canned white beans be used in place of the nuts?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 30, 2021 at 10:15 am

        Hi Lynn, I’m not sure, I haven’t tried it that way.

        Reply
    3. Harshita says

      November 25, 2020 at 8:05 am

      hello, for how long can we store this in the fridge

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        November 25, 2020 at 11:19 am

        Around 5 days in the fridge. 🙂

        Reply
    4. Jake says

      October 19, 2020 at 1:31 pm

      I am not normally a blog commenter but this stuff is amazing. I also made your seitan steaks and made cheesesteak sandwiches with them today. wow. Could not recommend a website more5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        October 21, 2020 at 9:45 am

        Thanks so much Jake!

        Reply
    5. Sarah says

      September 12, 2020 at 4:34 pm

      FINALLY I HAVE FOUND MY HOLY GRAIL VEGAN NACHO CHEESE!!! I’m sorry for yelling but I am just so excited. I have tried so many vegan cheese sauce recipes and all of them have been… nice. But none of them were ever good enough for me to use the recipe again. But this one… ooooh boy it’s amazing. I get really turned off and anxious when I see a recipe with LOADS of different ingredients, but this ingredients list I found was very basic, I had everything in the cupboard, and hardly any prep time. I ended up adding salt and extra nutritional yeast but that was just my preference. THANK YOU! And best thing is you don’t have to soak the cashews!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        September 14, 2020 at 10:01 am

        Thank you so much Sarah! So awesome to read your comment. 🙂

        Reply
    6. Jalessa says

      August 25, 2020 at 10:58 am

      It was soooooooo good!!!! I didn’t add the mustard because I didn’t have any. I substituted the jalapeño peppers for banana peppers because that’s what I had. It was amazing! I definitely will be making this again!!!!!

      Thank you for sharing!!
      Now I’m interested in your other recipes….lol you’ve earned some trust points with me 🙂5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 25, 2020 at 12:40 pm

        Awesome! Thanks Jalessa!

        Reply
    7. Alison Hyde says

      August 16, 2020 at 1:03 pm

      Oh my goodness unbelievably delicious!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        August 17, 2020 at 9:47 am

        Awesome! Thanks Alison!

        Reply
    8. CarCar says

      July 21, 2020 at 10:47 pm

      Question: For those of us who are spicy foods sensitive, are the jalapenos necessary? Do they make the cheese spicy?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        July 22, 2020 at 9:18 am

        Hi there, yes they do add a small spicy kick, it’s very mild, but you can also leave them out if you prefer. 🙂

        Reply
    9. Tara says

      July 12, 2020 at 6:33 pm

      Question for you: were you able to avoid soaking the cashews because you were using a Vitamix? Asking for a Vitamix-less friend, lol.

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        July 13, 2020 at 10:25 am

        Hi Tara, no it’s because there is a lot of liquid included in this recipe, so it’s not hard to blend, even in a ‘regular’ blender. 🙂

        Reply
    10. Nicole says

      June 27, 2020 at 2:05 pm

      Can Almonds be subbed for the cashews?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        June 29, 2020 at 11:39 am

        You could try slivered almonds but the texture will be different.

        Reply
    11. Beck says

      May 26, 2020 at 6:05 pm

      This was delicious and super simple to make. I followed the recipe to make the loaded nachos and it was better than my favourite restaurant vegan nachos that I never dreamed about being able to emulate let alone surpass!
      Thank you for sharing!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 27, 2020 at 11:15 am

        Awesome! So happy to hear that, thank you! 🙂

        Reply
    12. Kathy says

      May 02, 2020 at 8:57 pm

      Another home run! This is dangerous.I can easily sit and eat this alone. I used real garlic, not the powder but followed the rest of the recipe exactly as you stated. I didn’t add the Peppers. I dont like hot/spicy. This was wonderful. Every recipe is tasty! Thank you so much. Yes, I follow you on Twitter. Thanks for responding today!

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 03, 2020 at 9:33 am

        Hi Kathy! So glad to hear it worked out well! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂

        Reply
    13. Kat says

      May 01, 2020 at 3:26 am

      what if I used real onions & garlic instead of the powder?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 01, 2020 at 1:18 pm

        You can certainly experiment!

        Reply
    14. Sue says

      April 07, 2020 at 9:13 am

      What can I substitute the nutritional yeast for?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        April 07, 2020 at 10:42 am

        There isn’t a sub, but you can leave it out.

        Reply
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    Hi I’m Alison Andrews! I love making delicious vegan food and creating delicious vegan versions of all your old favorite dishes, so you can have your vegan cake and eat it too!

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