The most amazing Vegan Cheese Sauce that is Nut-free and Oil-free, as well as fat-free! It has no nuts and no cashews! It is also is the perfect sauce to make vegan Mac ‘N’ Cheese. This cheese sauce is healthy, creamy and made from potatoes and zucchini.
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NUT-FREE VEGAN CHEESE SAUCE
Are you ready for this? Are you ready for a to-die-for creamy vegan cheese sauce that tastes rich, thick and silky smooth? This is so darn delicious over mac ‘n’ cheese too. There is no nuts, no oil and totally healthy, as it’s made from vegetables like potatoes and zucchini.
In case you are wondering, this one is totally guilt-free. It is even coconut-free and gluten-free. When I’m not stuffing my face with this Vegan Cheesy Mexican Tortilla Bake, I like to enjoy this lighter, lower calorie version.
The majority of vegan cheese recipes are made with nuts/cashews or tofu, etc. Since so many of you readers cannot have nuts, I wanted to create a nut-free and fat-free cheese sauce that we could all enjoy with absolutely zero guilt. It’s totally kid-approved too, my daughter gobbles it up.
CHEESE SAUCE MADE WITH VEGETABLES
To create a whole foods cheese sauce made with vegetables, I took inspiration from 2 of the recipes on my blog that were creamy sauces without containing any nuts. My Low-Fat Nut-Free Creamy Parsley Sauce which is made from potatoes and my Spicy Zucchini Pepper Soup which is made from zucchini! Both are incredibly creamy, so I combined the two for a magic cheese sauce.
Lastly, another key ingredient that really drives home the cheesy flavor is soy sauce. It gives a depth of flavor that salt alone doesn’t give. I tried just lemon juice, apple cider vinegar and salt and none of them gave that cheesy flavor as great as soy sauce. I mean seriously, this entire recipe is basic ingredients that I just got at my local grocery store. So easy.
HOW TO MAKE A NUT-FREE VEGAN CHEESE SAUCE
First, you will need to gather these 8 ingredients (+salt and water):
- zucchini
- yukon gold potatoes
- nutritional yeast
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- smoked paprika
- soy sauce or liquid aminos
- lemon juice
Prepare the zucchini by preheating an oven to 415°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Peel all the green skin off the zucchini and slice into 1/4 inch slices and salt and pepper well. Bake for 15 minutes.
Next, cook your potatoes either by roasting, steaming or in the microwave. Mash them with a fork and measure out 1 cup.
Add the cooked zucchini and potato, along with all of the remaining ingredients (start with 3/4 cup water and add as needed, stopping at 1 cup) to your blender and blend until smooth. You will need to stop and scrape a couple of times from the bottom during. Do not be too eager to add extra water until you’ve really blended it up a couple of minutes on high to get it completely smooth. It will seem too thick at first, but it will start to turn very smooth from all the water from the zucchini.
Whether you use it as a dip or a vegan mac ‘n’ cheese, it’s delicious!
OTHER VEGAN CHEESE SAUCE RECIPES TO TRY:
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave feedback below and share your pic on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @thevegan8 #thevegan8!
Vegan Cheese Sauce (Nut-free and Oil-free)
Ingredients
- 1 small zucchini, peeled and sliced, THEN weigh 130g
- 1 lightly filled cup (220g) cooked/mashed yukon gold
- 3/4 cup -1 cup water (as needed to reach desired thickness (I ALWAYS use 1 cup, so keep that in mind in regards to other ingredients)
- 1/4 cup (20g) nutritional yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2-3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika or regular if you don't like smoked
- 2 teaspoons liquid aminos (or low-sodium soy sauce or tamari, do not omit, this is what gives the cheesy flavor, do not use coconut aminos, it will not yield the correct flavor!)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
NOTE
- It's important to weigh the zucchini and potato, so the flavor turns out correct, too much zucchini and it could have an off taste.
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 415°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Peel all the green skin off the zucchini and slice into 1/4 inch slices and salt and pepper well. It's imperative to peel the zucchini, otherwise your sauce will be an ugly green. Bake about 15 minutes until tender.
- I cooked the potato in the microwave for about 5 minutes until very soft. Do not boil them as they will get water logged and make the sauce more runny.
- Mash the potatoes with a fork and measure out 1 cup. If you followed the correct weight measurement, you should get just about 1 lightly filled cup of mashed potatoes. Update: Using a food processor will make this too gooey, make sure to use just a blender.
- Add the zucchini, potato and remaining ingredients (start with 3/4 cup water and add as needed, stopping at 1 cup) to the blender and blend until smooth. Stop and scrape a couple of times from the bottom during. Do not be too eager to add extra water until you've really blended it up a couple of minutes. It will seem too thick at first, but it will start to turn very smooth from all the water from the zucchini. If after blending it's too thick for you, add just a TINY amount just to blend it. If it's a bit thinner than you like, heat on the stove to thicken.
- Taste and add any extra lemon juice and/or salt/spices if necessary. Add any desired toppings such as red pepper flakes, chopped tomatoes, sliced jalapenos. I like a kick of heat to my cheese so I added red pepper flakes.
- To make it as a mac 'n' cheese, add cheese sauce to cooked pasta. You can either warm the cheese by running it awhile in the blender or gently warming over the stove. It gives such an incredible cheesy, thick and stick-to-pasta result.
Would it work to bake the mac and cheese off in the oven or will the sauce fall apart or dry out? Although I do like the idea of just stirring it together with the pasta and being able to serve. Trying this tonight.
Hi Debra! I have never tried baking it before, I just mix the sauce in with cooked pasta and heat it a bit to thicken it and that’s it.
Do you know if it’s freezable?
Hi Jane! I have never tried freezing it because we got through it so fast, but I would assume it would be fine. Just reheat it over the stove on low heat.
I bookmarked this as “Best Cheese Sauce”. So creamy & delicious. You nailed it. Thank you for sharing!
Yay yay yay!! So happy to hear it! Thanks for the feedback!
I just made this recipe tonight & had to come write a review as soon as I got done eating! This recipe was DELICIOUS Brandi! 🙂 I’m definitely going to be making this more and more down the line. I couldn’t even tell it wasn’t cheese (this is coming from a previous cheese fanatic). Thank you again Brandi for all of the hardwork you put into these recipes. 🙂
Yay! I’m thrilled to hear that Kenya, so happy you loved this so much! Thank you so much for leaving feedback!
I just made this, and it is excellent. I’m glad I found your blog!! I love great food made with real ingredients. Thank you!!
I’m so very happy to hear that Cat, thank you so much for the feedback! So glad you found me!
Love this! Does it melt? Thinking of making a vegan lasagne x
Hi Katie! It’s already in sauce form so it would work fine with a lasagna. I’ve seen readers make lasagna with it. It’s not a firm cheese that melts, it’s a sauce. Hope that helps!
I tried this with yam instead of potatoes and it was delicious! Thanks for the recipe ^_^
Oh wonderful, so glad to hear you loved it Chelsea, thank you so much for the feedback!
As you know Brandi I absolutely love this recipe and I make it all the time. However the soy in it makes me not feel the best so sometimes I actually do make it with coconut aminos cause I don’t want to deal with the reaction. I know you say coconut aminos is a no no but I think it is still good with it. Not exactly the same but still good. But anyway I was wondering do you think dill pickle juice will work in this recipe in place of the tamari? I thought of it from your broccoli cheese soup recipe and it worked so well in that I thought maybe it would here too. But I don’t know cause I don’t have a good understanding of how different ingredients go together. But it would be cool to find an alternative to the soy that gives the same results as you originally wrote it. Although I still do enjoy it with the coconut aminos. Anyway, if you think the pickle juice would work would I keep it at 2 tsps?
Hi Christina! So funny you mention that because I’ve been testing another cheese sauce already with pickle juice since it works so well in my cream cheese! And even funnier, because I have totally added pickle juice to this sauce as well, so it will definitely work. I don’t remember how much I added, but since it’s not as salty as soy sauce, then you may need up to 1 tbsp or more. I’d start with 2 teaspoons and just keep adding until you like the flavor! 🙂
Tried this recipe for the first time today. It is delicious. I have tried a lot of vegan cheese sauces – But, I’m in love with this cheese recipe. Quick and simple. Soy free and fat free. I’m not avoiding soy. But if I can have my soy in yogurt, or YoFranks all the better.
Since this recipe has no squash, sweet potatoes or carrots, it doesn’t have that undesirable, slightly sweet taste that some recipes have.
This is a winner and my new staple. You have to add your own heat because there is no heat in the basic recipe. I just dropped in some toasted chilis that I had on hand. It added a little kick and a little smoke flavor.
Try it out, I think you will love it.
I’m so happy to hear you loved it so much Billie, thank you so much for such a thoughtful and kind feedback! I’m really so grateful. I loved reading it, thank you so much for making it!! Great idea for the toasted chilis, yum!!
I can’t remember if I commented on this before or not, but since I’ve made the recipe like 500 times, I figure it deserved another comment (and 5 stars!). I LOVE THIS RECIPE!!! I’ve used it mainly for mac-n-cheese, but have also made it for queso dip. Delicious, smooth, creamy, cheesy, and healthy! I ain’t gonna lie, sometimes I put some Earth Balance in it, but I try to stick to your healthy version! (by the way, I don’t know why this old photo of me, with hot pink hair, is still showing as my profile pic, I can’t locate where it’s coming from!)
500 times, haha awesome!! Thank you so much Liz! I’m ecstatic you love this recipe so much, your comment made my day! P.S. I love your hot pink hair!
How long can this keep when refrigerated? Or can/do frezze it?
It should last about a week in the fridge. I have never froze it, but since it’s just veggies, I’m sure it would be just fine frozen and then reheated on low over the stove.
Finally got a chance to try this tonight. At first I could not figure out why anyone thought this was such a wonderful creamy sauce and how it could possibly work so excitingly on pasta. The mouth feel was purely potato as much as I could grind it up in the food processor as much water and processing I could put it through it’s still just wasn’t quite right. Then I read through the rest of the comments again. And I realized that maybe it wasn’t the food processor that needed to be used but my blender. I’m One of those many people who can’t afford a Vitamix. Often when I see a recipe that uses it and I MoveOn. Most of the time a food processor will do the trick sometimes I use my blender it will depend on the recipe because of the potatoes and the zucchini I really thought the processor would be the best way to do it, and perhaps for me with my equipment that is the best way to start. I have to say that even with the texture, I still ate it with some chips, as the flavoring is quite tasty. I took what I had put in the fridge for later, scoop it all out into my BLENDER, added just a touch more water, and let it go on liquefy. NOW I understand why everybody was commenting on the wonderful texture! So, a small note, perhaps the few negative comments that you did receive four regarding texture because of proper processing in the proper so, a small note, perhaps the few negative comments that you did receive four regarding texture because equipment. THANK-YOU for a lovely recipe! Yummmmmmmmy!
I’m so happy you loved this Andrea! Thanks for the feedback and I agree, that it’s all about using the right amount of water and blender, which is what I have noted in the recipe. I have never made this sauce in the food processor. Out of 70+ reviews there have only been a couple negative as of this week which I found odd, haha! But both appear to be exactly because of not using enough water, as called for in the recipe.
Anyways, glad you were able to make it correctly and love it, thanks so much!
And, this afternoon my vegetarian son (he’s 17, has been since age 6) was here and I made it on pasta for him. His main reason for not being vegan is CHEESE (whipped cream & eggs). He enjoyed it! Not sure he’d give up chees for it, but he gave it s big thumbs up! 🙂
Oh, that is wonderful! So happy your son loved this! People who eat and still love cheese are tough critics, so that is awesome to hear, thank you!
I was extremely happy when I heard that this Fat-Free Vegan “Cheese” Sauce and Mac-N-Cheese was rated as the most rated savoury sauces amongst the others!
I’ve made both kinds, the zucchini first and roasted bell pepper second and both were proudly shared on my IG. As for my latest red bell pepper cheese sauce, I bumped it up by adding Artisana organic raw tahini and sriracha sauce. I usually make a big batch, packed them in containers and froze them. Even my son Ryza @theveganmumnson , uses this sauce on several of his dishes that he shared on IG and he said that this cheese sauce recipe is definitely a keeper.
Thank you SO much Brandi for creating this awesome fat-free, nut-free, oil-free, bean-free, creamy, smooth, guilt-free cheese sauce. You have made me fall in love with Mac-n-Cheese! I’d rate this 10/10!
Thank you so much Nora for such wonderful feedback and sharing your pics on Instagram!! I love seeing them all the time! I love that you love this cheese sauce (and the red bell pepper sauce) so much, thank you so much for letting me know!
When I saw this I was so excited to try it. I made it exactly as your recipe instructed, but sorry to say, something did not work right. The color was a little redder/darker than your photos (maybe cut back on the smoked paprika), but that is not a problem. The problem was that it had an almost chemical smell to it and hardly had a cheese taste.
I measured very carefully, but wonder if it is the liquid aminos or the nutritional yeast caused the problem. Could this come from too much paprika – I used 3/4 tsp.
It blended up very smoothly in my Vitamix and had the consistency of queso dip – but definitely not the taste.
Any idea where I might have gone wrong? I want to try again and get the results you are talking about.
Hi Jim, it definitely sounds like the smoked paprika or nutritional yeast was too strong for your water amount used, which would also explain why yours was more red, how much water did you use? I always use a full cup of water each time I make the cheese sauce, so that much liquid balances out the smoked paprika. I just noted that I use a full cup. Have you ever tried nutritional yeast before? Some people hate it and some people love it, so I would definitely suggest you use the full cup of water next time, because each time I serve this to others and dozens of reviews that have come in on this have been fantastic. You can then reheat it over the stove with some pasta and it will thicken back up if you think 1 cup water is too thin for your taste. Or you could always just use less paprika and nutritional yeast and just add to taste if you want to use less water. Let me know!
It was the water then. I only used 1/4 cup and it never seemed like it needed more. I’ll try it again with a little less paprika and definitely more water.
I have used NY before without any problem.
Oh wow, ok that totally makes sense then! 1/4 cup water isn’t nearly enough in balance with the other listed ingredients, so I can definitely see why the smoked paprika would ruin the taste 🙂 I would definitely add at least 3/4 cup of water and blend and then try it. It is not supposed to be as thick as queso exactly, but still dip-able, but works amazing as a mac-n-cheese, which is what the majority of my readers use it for. If you want it thicker (after adding the 3/4 cup water) then just add it to the stove and heat it up a bit until it thickens. Let me know how it works out the next time, thanks Jim! 🙂
OK, I tried it again, this time with a full cup and the funky smell, though less this time was still there. Then I added some more water. Still smells strange, but the taste is kind of like cheese sauce.
The only thing I can think of is perhaps the paprika that I am using McCormick Gourmet Collector Smoked Paprika is too strong.
I am willing to give this one more shot, perhaps subbing in white paprika for the smoked variety.
What is the paprika supposed to add to the mix and is there anything else I might try subbing in?
Hi Jim. It sounds to me that you just simply do not like the flavor that smoked paprika gives, so honestly, I would just leave it out. I actually know of a few people who absolutely cannot stand it, so that certainly sounds like why it tastes too strong to you. Smoked paprika is VERY strong, and leaves a noticeable taste AND smell, which you’ve now seen. Just leave it out and use plain old regular paprika, much more mild. The smoked paprika I use simply because I love the smoky flavor it adds, but again, that is a personal taste. Just leave it out.
I tried the recipe for the third time and I am getting closer, but still not there. This time I used regular paprika (not smoked) and cut the amount in half. Used about 3/4 cup of water and the resulting dip was not super thick, but not soupy either (it would stick to a cracker when I dipped it). A little of the smell remains, but this batch is definitely useable as an add-on to pasta, potatoes, etc.
I wanted to ask one question though before trying again. I notice in your recipe, you indicate to blend in a vitamix for 2 minutes on high. When I have done this, using a vitamix, after a few seconds on high, the mixture is well blended and liquid-y – definitely not thick – so I turned it off after running only about 15-20 seconds. I wonder if leaving the blender on high for a full 2 minutes will have a different impact on the outcome. In other words, is there a ‘cooking’ effect that makes a difference in the recipe when it is left in the blender at high for the full time.
Thanks and looking forward to getting this recipe perfected.
Jim
Hi Jim! Sounds like you just may have an aversion to nutritional yeast, I don’t really know what to say. This is such a favorite recipe among all my readers and I’ve never once heard about this chemical taste, but some nutritional yeast is not pleasant to people, so that is likely it. Also, if you prefer the texture by blending it less time, than definitely do it that way. It’s up to you and how you like it. Some like it thinner (myself) and some like it thicker, so it just boils down to preference 🙂
I love your posts, but this did not turn out well for me. There’s a reason potatoes are meant to be hand-mashed, not placed in a blender. Wallpaper paste is not appetizing. I will stick with cauli-power cheez sauce.
Wallpaper paste?? Are you sure you added enough water? Otherwise, it will be too thick. What type of potato did you use? Different potatoes can yield a different result, but it’s likely because you didn’t add enough water. I always use a full cup. You also need to make sure to use the exact weight amount of potatoes, because if you use too much, then you can definitely get too much starch in the sauce. I’ve had over 70 reviews on this cheese sauce and they have all been positive (as you can see above), so I’m not sure what went wrong on your end, but the sauce should be smooth and creamy, nothing like “wallpaper paste”. Many recipes (including mine) use potatoes for soups and sauces and they all turn out amazing. Sorry yours didn’t work out.
I can’t even count how many times I’ve made and enjoyed this. Just now getting around to leaving feedback. This is the perfect mac and cheese if you don’t want to feel gross and sluggish afterwards! I made it for my dairy-loving parents and they loved it too. Going to use the cheese to top roasted potatoes tonight!
Thanks for making the perfect dairy-free cheese sauce!
Oh wow Megan, I’m SO happy to hear that!! Even better that your dairy-loving parents love it! Thanks so much for the feedback! Sounds so yummy on potatoes too…total comfort food!
I am seriously in love with this recipe. I made this for myself and several other non vegans and it was a huge hit. People commented that they liked it better than traditional mac n cheese and everyone said they felt good after eating heaps of this stuff, unlike the way they feel when they eat heaps of traditional mac n cheese. They loved how they didn’t feel gross after eating this. And everybody said they want me to cook for them again. 🙂 Which made me really happy. It is crazy that this has no fat yet it had such an amazing creamy and dreamy texture. I don’t miss cheese or remember what it taste like but I still loved this recipe. So I think this recipe is good for everyone, people who miss cheese, people who eat cheese and people who don’t like cheese. The smoked paprika for me was the perfect touch. Yumm this is so good. I can’t stop thinking about it since I had it. It is definitely going to be a repeat recipe in my house. 🙂
Thank you so so much Christina for such amazing feedback! I’m beyond thrilled that you and your family members all loved it so much!! You are such a lovely host for all of them. Thank you so much again for making it and leaving such kind feedback and sharing it on Instagram! 🙂
Hey one more quick question about this recipe. If you are making this recipe for several people and you are cooking an entire 340g box of pasta will this be enough sauce for all of that or should I double the recipe?
Hi Christina! Yes, I think this should be plenty. I looked at my pasta packages and one of them is 397 g and this cheese sauce is plenty for that, so I think you should be good. It makes about 2 cups of cheese sauce I think. Can’t wait to hear!!
Trying this tonight, can’t wait!
Wonderful, I hope you enjoy it!
A holiday should be named after you for inventing this. You’re a national hero! After trying it on chips and macaroni and cheese, I decided to try it on chicken/broccoli/rice and it was fantastic. I’ve tried nut-based cheese and thought they were okay, but nothing to tell everyone about. This one… I’ve told everyone about it. Even posted it on my Facebook page. I added a few jalapenos to give it some kick and spicy flavor and I couldn’t be happier with the result. Thank you SOOOOO much for sharing!
WOW Jim! You made my day! Thank you so much for such wonderful feedback on this cheese sauce! I’m so happy to hear you are loving it on so many different recipes, that is awesome. Oh and I love it with jalapenos too, thank you so much!
Hi this looks amazing however I am allergic to Zucchini…would there be something else I could sub for this?
Hi Dawn! I have not tried subbing it with anything else, but the closest vegetable is eggplant, but I have not tried it, so unsure of the taste it would leave. Make sure you peel all skins if you do try it. Let me know!