Vegan Cheese Sauce

🧀 Why We Love This Recipe

• One pot, easy recipe: This easy vegan cheese sauce comes together in one pot with just 5 ingredients. Doesn't get much easier than that!
• Versatile: We specifically developed this recipe to use on homemade vegan nachos since regular vegan cheese doesn't melt very well. After testing it, we realized it's also great for soft pretzels, mac and cheese, burgers and more!
• Perfect for picky kids: If your kid has a dairy allergy and tends to be picky when it comes to eating vegetables, try serving up some of this vegan cheese sauce alongside roasted broccoli, carrot or cauliflower.

🥘 Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this easy vegan cheese sauce:

📋 Ingredient Notes

• Cheese: Vegan cheddar-style cheese is our favorite in this cheese sauce, but you could also use colby jack or another similar type. You can also use a mix of a few different cheeses. We have tried this recipe with several different brands of vegan cheese and have found that they each behave a bit differently when it comes to melting. If you're finding the sauce to be too thick, simply whisk in a bit more milk.
  • A few of our favorite brands for vegan shredded cheese: Miyoko's, VioLife and Follow Your Heart.
• Milk: We prefer oat milk for its neutral flavor and super creamy texture. However, you can use just about any nondairy milk, including almond, cashew and soy.
• Chili powder and cayenne: Completely optional, but a great addition especially if you're using this vegan cheese sauce on nachos.

🔪 Step-by-step Instructions

(1) Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, and then whisk in the milk until smooth.

(2) Once the mixture is warm, stir in shredded cheddar cheese. Stir frequently until the cheese is completely melted – this may take several minutes depending on the brand of vegan cheese. Add salt and chili powder, and the optional cayenne and whisk well.

💭 Expert Tips and FAQs

• Each brand of vegan cheese is slightly different: Note that some brands take longer to melt than others. We have tried this recipe with several brands and it always works, but some take up to 15 minutes for the cheese shreds to fully melt and incorporate into the sauce. Additionally, some cheeses end up making this sauce thicker, and some thinner. If the sauce is too thin, add in more cheese. If it's too thick, whisk in more milk.
• Stir often over low heat: For best results, keep it low and slow to prevent burning.
• Uses for vegan cheese sauce:
  • Nachos! This is our favorite use for this vegan cheese sauce. It gets bubbly and delicious when baked.
  • Dipping sauce for soft pretzels. This vegan recipe looks amazing!
  • Mac and cheese: We use a very similar recipe for our super easy vegan mac and cheese!
  • Dipping sauce for fries. Yup, it's amazing!
  • Dipping sauce for roasted vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, brussels sprouts, etc.
  • Burgers: It's extra delicious on a vegan cheeseburger, and it actually gets melty!
  • On top of baked potatoes
• Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week.
• Reheating: The sauce will thicken significantly in the refrigerator, so you'll need to reheat in a saucepan over low heat. Whisk in another tablespoon or two of milk to loosen up the sauce if needed.

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