Vegan Cheese Sauce

Pour this over nachos and no one will guess there’s no cheese in it. This vegan cheese sauce gets its creamy body from an unexpected place, cooked potato, blended smooth with water until silky.

Nutritional yeast is the flavor secret. Those golden flakes bring a savory, nutty, distinctly cheesy taste that does the heavy work where real cheese would be. Pimentos lend the warm orange color we expect from a cheese sauce, and a squeeze of lemon adds the tang.

Cornstarch is what turns it from a thin puree into a glossy, clingy sauce. Cook it for those 7 to 8 minutes, stirring, until the starch activates and the sauce thickens; it keeps thickening as it cooks.

Best of all, it’s nut-free, unlike most vegan cheese sauces that lean on cashews. It sets when cool and reheats well, so make extra for the week.

Kitchen Tips

• Blend until completely smooth before heating so there are no potato lumps in the finished sauce.
• Cook and stir the full 7 to 8 minutes so the cornstarch thickens it to a glossy, pourable sauce.
• It firms up as it cools, so loosen reheated sauce with a splash of water.
• Adjust the lemon and salt at the end to dial in that cheesy tang.

Variations

• Add a pinch of smoked paprika, garlic powder, or a dash of hot sauce for more depth.
• Stir in a spoonful of mustard for a sharper, cheddar-like bite.
• Use it for vegan mac and cheese, nachos, or poured over steamed broccoli.