The Best Vegan Cheese Sauce
No carrots involved in this cheeze sauce! Creamy, cheesy and healthy cheese sauce that's perfect for nachos, fries and pasta!
Ingredients
- 1 pound peeled and chopped butternut squash (FROZEN WORKS GREAT for a shortcut!)
- 2 medium potatoes, russet or white peeled and chopped
- ⅓ cup raw cashews
- ½ medium onion roughly chopped
- 4 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1 cup vegetable broth (if using frozen squash reduce to ¾ cup)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ⅓-½ cup nutritional yeast adjust to taste
- 2-4 shakes Tabasco style hot sauce optional
Optional Queso Version
- ¼-⅓ cup your favorite salsa
Instructions
Stove Top
- Add prepared squash, potatoes, cashews, onion, garlic and vegetable broth to stockpot. Mix well, cover and cook over medium heat for 12-18 minutes until vegetables are fork tender. (Time may vary depending on size of chopped vegetables OR if using frozen squash. I recommend checking every 5-10 minutes for doneness.)
- Allow to cool enough to be safely blended. To high power blender, add contents of stockpot, apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast and Tabasco. Blend on high until very creamy. Adjust salt to taste and thin to desired texture if needed with additional broth, water OR unsweetened soy milk.
Instant Pot
- Add prepared squash, potatoes, cashews, onion, garlic and ¾ cup vegetable broth to instant pot. Pressure cook for 7 minutes. Natural release for 8 minutes and then carefully release remaining pressure.
- When cool enough to safely blend, add all ingredients from instant pot (including broth) to blender with apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast and Tabasco. Blend till very smooth and creamy! Adjust salt to taste and thin to desired texture if needed with additional broth, water OR unsweetened soy milk.
Queso Version
- To make your cheese sauce Queso-y, simply stir in your favorite salsa after blended!
Notes
Storage- Will keep stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Freezes well for up to 6 months. Fully thaw and give it a fresh blend in the blender to bring it back to it's original creamy goodness.