New vegans often struggle saying goodbye to cheese. I felt the same way initially. But it turns out, I don’t miss it at all now, thanks to the many varieties of vegan cheeses out there. The best kind? One you can make at home in just a few minutes, like this amazing Vegan Cheese Sauce. My recipe doesn’t use any fake cheeses that some people find off-putting. Instead, creamy cashews, nutritional yeast and spices are combined to create a delicious dip that doubles as a sauce.
Vegan Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
2 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight
1 cup nutritional yeast
¼ cup onion, diced
1 tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. smoked paprika
½ tsp. pink Himalayan salt
½ tsp. ground turmeric
¼ tsp. chili powder
black pepper, to taste
crushed red pepper, optional
1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or raw, homemade milk or water)
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Directions
- Soak cashews overnight.
- Sauté onion in olive oil over medium heat for 8-10 minutes.
- Add all ingredients (including sautéed onion) into a high-speed blender and pulse till smooth. (Sauce will thicken when refrigerated, so add additional almond milk if mixture is too thick.)
- Keeps for up to two weeks in an airtight container.