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.
I have been advised for health reasons to cut out fat. As a non vegan I was skeptical but I really like this sauce. It gets better overnight too. I had it on crumpets and in jacket potatoes. Thank you so much.
So glad you enjoyed it!
How long can it be stored for please?
This looks awesome. Can I steam the zucchini vs baking? I would pat dry.
I think it might be okay, but I would be really precise on the excess liquid because steaming adds liquid and it will make the cheese more runny!
This is one of my ❣️FAV ❣️quick cheeses, nut free, and definitely tasty! Perfect for just having on hand. Thank you!!! And luv recipes with weights, SEW much easier to prepare!
Question I dont own a microwave. How can I cook the potato without it becoming waterlogged? Should I omit the zucchinni if it is waterlogged? Thanx for your help & recipe.
No, definitely don’t omit the zucchini! You can bake it!
I don’t have a microwave either, so I boiled the cubed potatoes and drained them, then reduced the amount of water to 1/2 C. The consistency turned out great for me.
How long will this keep in the fridge?
3-5 days.
We love this cheese sauce and keep some in the refrigerator at all times since trying it for the first time a few weeks ago. I steam the potatoes and use the water in the cheese sauce. I add a small amount of jalapeno and use fresh garlic instead of powder.
I absolutely LOVE this recipe! It comes out great every time!
Love hearing that Joy!!
OM! ❤️❤️Another excellent cheese sauce recipe! This is definitely a keeper, thank you. I used it in a Mexican beans zucchini casserole, it was perfect!❤️❤️❤️❤️
I SEW Appreciate recipes with weights. Much easier to work with, and I’m in the United States!
I’ve been plant-based for 7 years and this is the BEST cheese sauce I have tried!!! I’m going to keep this stocked in my fridge all the time.
Woohoo, that is awesome, thank you Liliana!
We’re seriously going nuts over this no-nut, no-oil sauce! And zucchini- who’d have thought? Currently on a month-long starch mini, and we couldn’t believe we could eat something so good for only around 35 calories for about ¼ cup of it! Love it, thank you!
So wonderful to hear that!!
That is so amazing to hear!
Yummy, common ingredients, simple to make and healthy! What more could you ask for?
Appreciate your specific instructions. Thanks for sharing.
So wonderful to hear!
Could you replace the zucchini with carrots?
I’m not sure, I’ve never tried it!
I made this and loved it! I used it on baked quesadillas and also as a dip sprinkled with red pepper flakes (I love hot) for raw broccoli florets—yummy!
That is amazing Connie, thank you!
Of all the non fat vegan cheese sauces I have tried, this is the best! Thanks!
Hi there! I LOVE this recipe – I eat it once per week and make it for everyone!!! I have one question – WHEN do I weigh the potato? Do I weigh the potato before cooking and mashing, or do I weight the cooked mashed potato? I have kind of been winging it but I weigh everything else and want to make sure I am doing it right! Thanks for your reply – love your recipes!
Hi Katie! So glad to hear you love this recipe! You will weigh it already cooked/peeled/mashed. I will always differentiate the wording depending on how things need to be weighed. For example, if it was before it being cooked, it would say “2 cups chopped/peeled potatoes” and then would list in the directions how to cook them. But since this is listed as “cooked/mashed” in the ingredients, that is how you will weigh it. Hope that helps!
This is amazing! I am on a potato diet as well as fasting for six weeks for the Eastern Orthodox Christmas season (vegan basically), and this sauce is amazing! I actually made it without the zucchini) as I didn’t have any at home and I absolutely love it (I probably added little more water because of no zucchini. Thanks so much for sharing it!
I have tried different cheese recipes for years with little success. I don’t have to look any further. This is without a doubt the best of the best..It absolutely amazed me with the texture and taste. My family and friends have fun making fun of me with my “weird” cooking combos. But they are going to be really surprised with this one. Thanks a zillion!!!!
We just harvested a lot of green cherry tomatoes from the garden. Go any ideas for using them/
Wow, that’s amazing to hear, thank you so much Jim! Hmmm, not sure, I don’t use those really, but maybe for part of this salsa recipe? https://thevegan8.com/easy-homemade-salsa-recipe/
Another delicious cheese sauce. Your flavors are exceptional. I use this on my sandwiches , nachos and in casseroles. If you haven’t tried, you should.
Hi Brandi… this looks delish and I look forward to making it!! I’m just wondering if you have suggestions for replacing the nutritional yeast as I’m not supposed to have that but I want to find a mac and cheese recipe my non vegan family will enjoy while also meeting my requirements if possible, lol. I know nutritional yeast is a trick ingredient to replace/omit in vegan cooking so I’d love to hear your thoughts. Thank you SO much for you amazing recipes!! I’m ordering your cookbook too. 🙂
Hi Francene! Thank you for the kind words! That is really tough because for this particular recipe, it will not work right without the nutritional yeast. I have this cheese sauce instead that you could make, it has no nutritional yeast. It is a queso though, so just leave out the tomatoes and green chiles in the end and also use a low mild heat salsa so it’s not spicy and maybe try that? https://thevegan8.com/best-vegan-queso/
Do you peel the potatoes before mashing?
Yes!
This cheese sauce is amazing!! We’ve used it for nachos, a dipping sauce for homemade steak fries, mac and cheese and tonight we made a broccoli rice casserole with it – the kind we all grew up eating. It was delicious – my husband didn’t even know it was vegan and he devoured it! This is a must try recipe!
That is so wonderful to hear Michaela, thank you so much for the lovely review!!
This recipe is FANTASTIC! Thank you so much for developing and sharing a vegan cheese recipe that doesn’t use nuts or oil! I’d never been interested in making vegan cheese substitutes before seeing this. What a home run recipe! For what it’s worth, I did use my food processor and while my result might’ve been a bit less silky than the photos in the post, the texture didn’t bother me at all! I love smoked paprika but wound up going with a heaping 1/2 tsp the second time I made it to keep the flavours in check. I also used tamari because it’s what I had on hand. Just a terrific recipe, Brandi. Thank you so much for your hard work creating meals for all kinds of eaters. It is so appreciated! 🙂
Sending lots of love from (still quite chilly) Toronto!
Terra
Thank you so much Terra for this amazing review!!
Sooooo good!!!!
This was outstanding. I ate it over angel hair pasta with oven roasted/blackened broccoli. I couldn’t stop eating it. Just delicious – thank you!
Oh yay Susan, really thrilled to hear you loved it so much!!
This is my go-to fat free vegan cheese sauce (and I have experimented with a bunch of them). A must try. It’s delicious on anything!!!
So happy to hear that, thank you Marie!