Learn how to make this Easy Vegan Mexican Cheese Sauce with ONLY 6 ingredients and 10 minutes! Goes amazing on tacos, burritos or just as a dip. Dairy-free, oil-free and so delicious! RAVE REVIEWS by every reader!
Ok, I’m obsessed with Mexican flavors. I borderline want to carry around cumin and chili powder and salsa around with me, everywhere I go. But I’m not that crazy. This recipe was totally not what I was planning to post today, as I specifically created it as a quick cheese sauce to go with another recipe that a reader specifically requested, which is this Big Time Vegan Mexican Bowl. However, after whipping this up and tasting it, both my hubby and I agreed, it needed it’s own post. I didn’t want it to not get it’s fair share of attention, haha. Plus, can you believe this is my first time ever posting a cashew cheese?
NUT-FREE VEGAN MEXICAN CHEESE SAUCE
If you are allergic to cashews, don’t worry, I tested a nut-free version made with tahini for you too! I would say though, if you hate tahini, it may not be for you. We loved it, not as much as the cashew version, but it does have a slight tahini flavor, so keep that in mind. If you are avoiding fat or allergic to nuts, then be sure to try my super popular Nut-free Vegan Cheese Sauce. I get tagged basically daily on Instagram from you guys making it, so check it out. You could always add some cumin, chili powder, etc. to give it a Mexican flavor.
YOU ONLY NEED 6 TOTAL INGREDIENTS
As you will see, this vegan cheese is incredibly easy, as all my recipes are, but this one is like 10 minutes! Just 6 ingredients, total, including salt & water! I wanted this cheese to have a strong Mexican flavor, so a good dose of cumin and salsa is added to a base of cashews, water, nutritional yeast and salt.
The combo of the nutritional yeast and the acidity and spices from the salsa give an amazing cheese flavor and spiciness. Some people like nutritional yeast, most do, but there are a few that don’t. I personally love it. In fact, I don’t think things taste very cheesy without it, so it’s a must for me in cheese sauces. I think it’s even more important for a Mexican flavor, like with this Easy Vegan Mexican Cheese Sauce.
It’s truly shocking how darn delicious this is, considering how simple it is. It’s creamy, smooth and the perfect dip consistency. I had a couple of non-vegan friends try it and it won over big time! Give it a try. It will be great on tacos, burritos, as a dip, etc.
MORE VEGAN CHEESE RECIPES
- Best Vegan Queso
- Pimento Cheese
- Strawberry Cream Cheese
- Baked Smoky Cashew Cheese
- Baked Herbed Cashew Cheese
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
Easy Vegan Mexican Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (108g) raw cashews (SEE NOTES)
- 3/4 cup (180g) salsa (I used Trader Joes medium heat, this makes it spicy, if you don't want it too spicy, use a mild salsa)
- 3/4 cup (180g) water
- 6 tablespoons (36g) nutritional yeast (I highly recommend this Sari brand, it is non-fortified with much better taste.)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon + 1/16 teaspoon salt
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- First, you will need to soak your cashews if you don't have a high-powered blender like a Vitamix. Soak the cashews in a bowl filled with water overnight or 8 hours, drain and rinse and proceed.
- Add everything to your blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Taste and add any more salt if desired. I found the amount to be just perfect, based on the acidity that came from my salsa, but you may need to adjust.
- Add the sauce to a small pot and turn the heat to low. Cook for about 5 minutes, just until it's thickened up some. You will notice it thickening. Whisk occasionally along the sides, so it doesn't stick too much. Don't really walk away while cooking it, as it cooks quickly. Don't worry if it sticks a little, you can always smooth it back out. It's important to cook it on low heat because if it's too high, the cheese will get too thick and turn crusty. About 5 minutes should do it.
- The tahini version will take a bit longer to thicken up. The color will darken some after cooking, to a more true cheesy color. Pour in a serving bowl and give it a good stir to smooth out. Pour extra salsa on top if using as a dip, if desired. Mine was spicy, so if yours is mild, it's a great idea to add a little extra salsa on top and it not be too hot. Serve immediately with chips, over tacos, burritos, etc.
- Store in the fridge. It will thicken as it sits in the fridge, so give it a good stir and thin out a little with water if desired (mine didn't need it), but it stays really creamy and smooth. Reheat on low.
I am going to make this cheese sauce again as just a cheese dip with the oil free corn chips. So for the tahini version do you recommend I both cook it a little longer and use more tahini? Or will it be ok with the 41/2 tablespoons only as long as it’s cooked longer?
Hi Christina! I’m so sorry, I hope I’m not too late…I’ve been crazy busy today. Yes, I would do 6-8 tbsp, it’s not as thick/creamy as cashews, so a little more is better. The consistency will vary when cooking, but it will thicken up. I tested my first version with tahini. The longer you cook it, it should thicken up. I use a toasted sesame tahini from Krogers.
Wow! Brandi, this was delicious! Even my 7 year old picky eater loved this! Thank you for all of your amazing recipes. I have been following you for the past few months and we are slowly turning into a vegan family, one recipe at a time!!
Woohoo! So happy to hear that Lacey! Thank you so much for the amazing feedback, it really made my day!
Thank you so much for all your great recipes!!I tried this one today and loved it!!! can’t wait to share it with my family tonight 🙂 Making some crispy cauliflower tacos with your cheese sauce 🙂 Yummy!
I’m so happy to hear that Marie, thank you so much for the feedback! Oh, that sounds like a fantastic idea, wow!!
Ah-mazing! My husband SWOONED when I made this today! We put it on top of our version of a Chipotle restaurant vegan bowl…YUM!
THANK YOU!!!!
Yay!! So so happy to hear that Samantha!! Thank you so much for the feedback!
This cheese sauce is sooooo delicious! Giving up cheese has been the hardest thing for me. This really is yummy. I think I could bathe in it 🙂 I don’t have a vitamix, so I soaked the cashews like the recipe says, and put it in my Ninja (which is dislike tremendously. Keeping my fingers crossed that a new blender comes my way for my upcoming B-day). I couldn’t get the smooth texture I wanted out of the Ninja, but the flavor was outstanding! This will no doubt be something I make on a regular basis. Cheese sauce, fresh veggies, and wine – now we’re talking!!
Haha, such awesome feedback Karen, thank you so much! So darn funny, because you are the 2nd person to mention bathing in it, hahaha! So glad you loved it, thank you so much for the feedback!
The cheese sauce looks delicious. I’m eager to make it and I have cashew butter in my refrigerator I bought at Mother’s Market and it was freshly ground there. Can I just replace the cashews and water in the recipe with cashew butter?
Hi Katherine! Yes, cashew butter is fine. I would use 6-8 tablespoons, but you still need the water so it’s smooth and creamy and not too much of a nut butter taste. Even if it seems a bit runny, you are cooking it, which will further thicken it. Let me know how it turns out with the cashew butter, as I haven’t tried it yet!
We have just started our vegan journey and a friend shared your blog with me. This recipe is AWESOME! My husband said if all vegan stuff taste this good he is on board. Thanks Brandi for sharing your great recipes!
Wow, thank you so much Vicky for the amazing feedback, that is so wonderful to hear!
Could we replace the cashews with white beans Brandi? 3/4 cup of cashews has a lot of fat, but the recipe sounds good
Hi Jess, you can if you want, but be prepared that it will have a completely different texture and result. It’s not going to have that cheesy, rich creamy taste. I personally do not like how white beans taste at all in sauces, but if you want to try and reduce the fat some, I would at least only do partial, like maybe just use 1/2 cup cashews and then some beans. You could try that, I just can’t vouch for the results other than the cashew version and tahini version I shared above.
Hi~
I made the cheesy sauce last night and was really happy with it. We’re waiting out the blizzard, so it was chips, cheesy sauce and a bottle of wine in front of the fire last night.
Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Wonderful Laura! I’m so happy to hear you loved the cheese, thank you so much for the feedback and stay warm!!
Sounds delicious! I love adding salsa, hot sauce, etc. to my cheese sauce. SO tasty and definitely gives it that queso type feel. I think my family could actually survive on chips, salsa and cheese sauce. I swear. LOL
Yep, I do it all the time as well to my fat-free cheese! This tastes entirely different though than that version. The spicy salsa and big dose of cumin really reminded me of questo I grew up on. So damn good!
I am always so intrigued when I see VEGAN cheese – there are so many variations and… They all seem to satisfy those cheeseyyyyy cravings! 😛
Thank you Gigi! Yes, no shortage of them, that’s for sure. This is my favorite thus far now, especially since it takes 5 minutes and totally reminds me of queso I used to eat 🙂
Tried this recipe last night and added to our amazing nachos recipe (see the Plantpower Way, Rich Roll & Julie Piatt).
Ok- it was so good and so easy! Best Mexican cashew cheese we have tried yet. Great on our nachos & amazing as a stand alone dip! Thank you!
So happy to hear that Sandy! Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback! So glad to hear it was such a a hit!
Wowwwwwwwww this cheese sauce sounds soooo good! Mexican flavours + cheese flavours = food heaven. I can so easily see myself becoming addicted to this, it looks incredible Brandi!
Thank you so much Harriet! So darn delicious!
I literally laughed out loud at the beginning of this post!! Cumin is the best!!! Easily one of our most used spices. This looks SO amazing!!! And loving how simple it is – I’m with you on the nutritional yeast…the other day we tried a new “cheese”‘sauce and something was missing, I added a little nutritional yeast and it tasted so much better! We’re on a very similar wavelength and I’ll freak out if your Thursday post is in line with what I’ve been working on…it has to do with a Mexican cheese sauce, too! Anyways, can’t wait to try this!!!
Haha, thank you so much Mandy! I can’t wait to see what you’ve been cooking up over there! Yay for cheese!!
I just tried this tonight with some vegan tacos and nachos! I have a Vitamix, so it was super easy! Literally tossed the ingredients in, turned it on high for 5 minutes, then out came this delicious sauce! It really tastes like it took a lot of effort. Soooooooooo good! Thanks for the recipe!
Yay! So darn happy to hear it Michele! Crazy that it tastes like you stood in the kitchen whipping this up forever, huh, haha! Sometimes, I just don’t want to mess with chopping veggies and don’t have the time, so this takes care of that. So happy you loved it, thank you for making it and leaving feedback!
Is it possible to replace the cashews and water in the recipe with freshly ground cashew butter? If so, how much?
Yes, I think 1/4 cup should work perfectly 🙂 Just blend it all up so it gets really smooth and cohesive. Let me know what you think!
Thank you. I can’t wait to try it tonight! ?
I’ve been eating grilled cheese sandwiches and serving them to my husband for several days now. It is the best.I even bought a grill in order to make Panini grilled cheese sandwiches. I tried the cheese in nachos also. The nachos were good, but my favorite is definitely the sandwich. The cheese has such great depth and interesting flavors. It’s hard to believe there is no dairy in it at all. Thank you for sharing your creativity.
Wow, that is an AMAZING IDEA! I totally am going to try that, thank you so much for the wonderful feedback and letting me know. So happy it was such a hit!
Love this! Too funny, I just finished working on a Mexican dish that is going on the blog on Thursday, and I made my cashew cheese for the recipe. I love it as a dip too. Your pictures are making me hungry!
Haha, so funny! Same wavelength!
Oh and are those chips homemade? They look amazing and they look oil free. And seriously cumin is like my favorite spice. I know this is an amazing recipe.
Yes, homemade! And oil-free! I just buy Food for Life frozen corn organic tortillas from the freezer section and cut them into 4ths and bake them until golden brown. I will have that on Thursday’s recipe, as it is part of that recipe too 🙂
Oh my word when I saw this I fainted! I just regained consciousness now. Haha Wow seriously incredible. Your recipes make me want to try cashews so bad and see if I can handle them now but I am thankful for the tahini option. I have tried eating soy again because of your fat-free cheese sauce recipe that I love but I still react the same was as in the past. I get lethargic and get a really bad headache and pain in my lower back. Weird right? But I deal with it cause yum but maybe I should give soy a rest for awhile and experiment with cashews. My reactions to cashews is more of a traditional allergic reaction so this one is scarier to try but I am tempted. I so want to try your 20 min Alfredo
Oh, just try the tahini version then! It really is delicious. We liked it, I just would say that it’s not AS good as the cashew version, but certainly still stuff-your-face worthy, lol! It does have a slight tahini flavor though, so that’s why I mentioned if people hate tahini, don’t bother 🙂 So sorry to hear about your soy allergy. I have a friend who is really sensitive to it as well and has to avoid it. I hope you love this! I don’t want you to have a horrible reaction to the cashews and I was thinking of you and my other readers who can’t have them, so that’s the reason for the tahini version, so just make that one 🙂
I used to be obsessed with queso. I have been meaning to turn my butternut mac sauce into a queso for quite some time now. Well, now I don’t even have to…I’ll just use yours! 🙂 Looks so good!
That sounds like a great idea!! Thanks Jenn!
Thank you! Thank you! Can’t wait to try this and the associated recipe next week. Keep the Mexican recipes coming!
You are so welcome Billie, thank you SO much for the recipe request, and your patience on it! Excited to share the whole thing on Thursday 🙂
I was just thinking of adding salsa to a vegan cheese sauce and recreating the Queso dip that I used to love so much, and BOOM! Brandi is two steps ahead of me haha 😀 I love this! I think I could go through an entire bag of tortilla chips on this. Mmmm looks dangerously good <3
Haha! It wasn’t planned, but due to the recipe reader request for Thursday, this cheese sauce is the other part of it and it is so darn delicious, it needs it’s own limelight, lol! It’s my new favorite cheese sauce now, I just love Mexican and spicy! I’ve added salsa before to my fat-free cheese sauce, but this is just to-die-for with the cashews and a power dose of cumin! Thanks girl!
Wow, Brandi! Honestly, I need both versions in my life! I love anything with tahini and cashews! I bet both versions are just delicious you can’t never go wrong with cashews and tahini, given two versions are just genius! For those are allergic to cashews, so everyone can enjoy this! Happy, I’m not allergic to any nuts, but I love tahini, too so I can say I need both, not only one! Your pictures are so inviting and beautiful, with the tortilla chips and the different colors in the dip.
Thank you so much Florian, you are the sweetest! They both were delicious, definitely! But I would say if somebody hates tahini, they would likely taste it, but my hubby didn’t know it was in there in the first trial. I wanted to create 2 versions so readers wouldn’t have to go without 🙂 But we agreed the cashew one was more amazing and would please a crowd! Thank you so much!
I feel like if you’re not obsessed with Mexican flavors…there is something wrong 😉 Too good!
Lol, right?!
Best cheese sauce I’ve ever made, hands down. Will be making several times in the future if for no other reason than to bathe in…
wow, thank you so much Travis for this amazing feedback! I’m so happy it was such a hit! Thank you for making it!
Oh and bathing in it sounds like a great idea, lol!
I’ve tried other vegan cheese sauces, but this one beats them all! I love that it requires no advanced prep. The raw cashews lend a richness, but it doesn’t taste nutty. Well done! Thank you.