Vegan Cheez Whiz
An amazing Vegan Cheez Whiz that requires just 5 minutes to throw together. No cooking or standing over the stove. This goes great with chips, burritos or even on broccoli!
Ingredients
- 1/2-3/4 cup water (as needed depending on how much nutritional yeast you use)
- 3-4 tablespoons raw runny tahini (I used 4 or I highly recommend cashew butter for the cheesiest flavor if not allergic to nuts!)
- 2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons dark red wine balsamic vinegar
- 1/4-1/2 cup nutritional yeast (this will depend on how strong you like the flavor to be, start out with a 1/4 cup)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
Note
- It is crucial to use a raw tahini here that is smooth, so the tahini isn't too thick or overpowering. The brand I use has a neutral flavor backdrop and is pour-able and very smooth. Too thick of tahini can make the flavor too strong. I highly recommend Rawguru brand because of these reasons. Otherwise you may need to decrease the amount of tahini used. If you don't like tahini, just sub with cashew butter!
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a blender (I used my Vitamix) or food processor and process until smooth and thick. 30 seconds should do it. If you don't have a blender or food processor, you can still make this, it just may not be 100% as smooth. Just add the ingredients to a bowl and whisk it really, really well until completely smooth and thick. Tomato paste is hard to mix, so a blender is best. Adjust seasonings if desired, although I didn't alter it one bit. This does not need to be heated up or is recommended, as it would probably get too thick or form skins. If you store yours in the fridge, it will thicken some and you just need to stir it through and let it come back to room temperature. Add in any extras you like such as jalapenos or chili powder to make it spicy or for a more nacho cheese flavor!
Notes
*nut-free, oil-free, dairy-free, soy-free, flour-free, gluten-free
*Nutrition per hefty 1/2 cup serving: 197.7 calories, 8.6 g fat, 14.6 g protein, 16.4 carbs
Tried this recipe?Tag @thevegan8brandi on Instagram and use tag #thevegan8!
This is my go-to cheese sauce for all the things! I love it and always recommend it!
Due to a mistake in measuring, I just made a double batch…do you think it would freeze ok?
Absolutely divine! I’ve made many vegan cheese sauces over the years and try to stick with the low fat versions but this one is worth the extra healthy fat! 🙂 It tastes delicious and is a life-saver when you’re tight on time and need to whip up a sauce quickly. Great for dipping or adding to tacos, enchiladas, potatoes, etc. THANK YOU!!!
This sauce is nothing short of AMAZING!! Super fast to put together and just perfect in a meatless crumble borito with black beans, avocado and green onion. This is for sure a staple in my house now!! Thank you so much! I’ve been looking for a while for the perfect cheese sauce. Search happily over!!! 😋
Yay! Thank you so much Brenda for this amazing review! So happy you enjoyed it so much!
WOW!! This is so delicious!! I used cashew butter and it is seriously phenomenal 😋💜 thank you so much for such an easy and yummy recipe. I can’t wait to try your Mexican cheese sauce too! I’ll take a pretty picture and tag you on IG soon, thanks again!!
Thank you so much Stephanie!! So very happy you loved it so much!!
Hi Brandi! I’m so excited to make this and while I feel a little silly asking as no one else did before me.. where it says ‘dark red wine balsamic vinegar’ you left out ‘or’ correct? Which do you recommend over the other as I have both, they seem to have such different flavors to me. Thanks so much!!! 💙
Hi Stephanie! No, that just means that it is a dark balsamic vinegar made from red wine. Sorry for the confusion! Just use a good dark balsamic vinegar. It works much better than apple cider, for example. Also, this is a super old recipe, and while I like it. I don’t like it as much a my newer cheese sauces. This one is better and much easier too. Obviously, you can make both but I thought I’d just mention it!
https://thevegan8.com/easy-vegan-mexican-cheese-sauce/
Holy moly, this was awesome! I served it over vegan nachos, even my husband did a double-take when he tasted it! I used sherry vinegar as that was all I had on hand and it was still good, also added a pinch of turmeric powder for color. Thank you for this recipe!
Yay! That makes me so happy to hear Linda, thank you for the review!
I couldn’t find dark red wine balsamic vinegar anywhere 😪
Use this recipe instead, it is my most popular and all I use now. No balsamic vinegar needed. https://thevegan8.com/easy-vegan-mexican-cheese-sauce/
Hi. This looks really good! I am a bit concerned about using tahini because every recipe I have used it in wasn’t good and turned out really bitter. If I can’t find the brand you recommend is there any other brand you would suggest? I hate to buy a bottle and waste it. Thanks!
Hi Cari! I would just use cashew butter then! That will work out even better! You can have cashews, correct?
Thank you very much for the inspiration! We haven’t any tahini because we are doing Esselstyn’s process, so I used 2 tbs PB2 plus more generous with water, 2 tbs of balsamic to counter peanut taste, much more garlic -a dessert spoon, a cup of nutritional yeast (we eat a lot of it) a teaspoon of Mrs Dash and 1/2 tsp of Nosalt. (Same amounts of tom paste and onion powder as your recipe). We had some lavash wraps that I cut into strips and baked in the oven…it was all delicious. I haven’t tried making a dip quite like this so it will definitely be repeated! My husband says we could work on the flavors a little, definitely successful.
Oh wow, pb2 and a whole cup of nutritional yeast, haha! That is unexpected and must taste a lot different than my version but glad you made it work!
Oh. My. Lord.
Just made, eating now.
I’m still extricating myself from cheese dependence, and honestly…this will help, no question. Better than Cheez Whiz…and I used to love Cheez Whiz.
I added 4 drops of liquid smoke, just for fun. Delicious.
Only one vexing issue: after tasting, I was ready to cry over what was left naturally in the blender. Did the best I could with my finger at the very end…too precious to see even a tiny smear wasted. 🙂
I just found your blog and I love it. You make going vegan MUCH less intimidating.
Yay! I’m so happy to hear you loved this so much! Thank you so much for such wonderful feedback and your kind words!
Excellent!
So glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
Hi, I was just telling someone the other night that I miss cheese whiz. so for someone who is new to being vegan I’m very excited to try this. I have never had nutritional yeast before. I just looked online and it looks like it comes in flakes, is this the appropriate packaging I want? Thank you
Hi Debra! This is a little different of course than the traditional cheez whiz, but it certainly fits the bill for a yummy cheesy dip. It’s great on nachos and tacos, etc. Yes, I’d use the flakes and if you’ve never had it before, the taste can be a little different at first. So, I would just start out with the 1/4 cup and add as much as you like!
Made this and it was amazing ! I`m obsessed with smoked paprika so i bet it will put it over the moon. I will drizzle it over broccoli, rice and bean bowls, nachos, pretzels, in wraps and over every bite that passes my lips ! Tofu scramble tacos, crispy vegan tacos, ……if i drop some on my cat, i may even eat her too ! No wait, I`m vegan. Thank you times a million , this is heaven. 🙂
Omg, I laughed sooo hard at this feedback!! Haha! So glad you loved it so much and thank you very much for leaving your feedback, I just loved it!
I stumbled across this through Pinterest! I have never in my life used nutritional yeast (always wanted to, never did, though!), so thought this would be a nice first recipe since I have been missing cheese dip.. So delicious! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Wonderful Nicole! I’m so happy to hear you loved this cheese so much! Thank you so much for making it and leaving me feedback!
I just made this to make “mac n cheese”. Holy crap this was delicious! Definitely going to make again and it was so easy 🙂
Yay!! Thank you so much for letting me know!! So happy to hear this worked as mac ‘n’ cheese too! Thank you for the feedback!
So glad i came across this. I am definitely going to try it! I have a question, could this be used as a sauce for macaroni and cheese?? I tried a recipe that called for cashews, not realizing that cashews are tree nuts (i dont normally eat them) I had a horrible allergic reaction to it. It was actually a pretty good recipe though, but my family is new to vegan life. I’m always looking for inspiration from others, but I do plan to give your recipe a try though..
Hi Krystal! I think it would be okay for a mac -n- cheese, but you will definitely need to thin it out some with some plant milk, as it is fairly thick and a strong taste, since it’s supposed to resemble a dip. I would recommend maybe adding some plant milk and some lemon juice and taste it and then pour it over some pasta and I think that would be delicious! Let me know how it turns out!!
Stumbled across this website this afternoon while at work. I cannot wait to go home in a hour and give this a try. We became vegan 4 months ago and my youngest is missing queso in a big way. I have tried several other versions using cashews, soy milk, etc and all have been gross. I’ll come back after it’s made and let you know what we think….good or bad….
Oh no you have me nervous, hahaha! Well, the recipe has been a huge hit with readers, so I hope you enjoy it as well! Fingers crossed!
Didn’t mean to make you nervous, I was just super excited to find this. So …. Yes I made it. I will be honest and say I didn’t care for it BUT I think it was my tahini. It’s a jar I bought at a Mediterranean grocery story and I use it in hummus. I think it was too strong for this recipe. I will try again with a raw tahini and use less. I don’t care for tahini by itself so that plays a factor, but in recipes I don’t mind. Unfortunately the dip tasted like cheesy nut butter…not a flavor that is appetizing. When I try again I’ll come back and reply again.
Haha! I was just kidding about that 🙂 Sorry to hear that! Yes, I would definitely suggest trying a different tahini as it TOTALLY makes a difference. I only use raw tahini that I order from Rawguru.com. It has a VERY mild taste, where I have found most tahinis are so strong and overpowering. However, I think if you just decreased the amount of tahini to probably just 2 tablespoons, that would make it less strong tasting for you. Let me know if you try that, because all other readers have had great success and I want you to, as well. Thanks for trying it! 🙂
Thank you thank you thank you, Brandi!!!
I just made this to put on my lentil tacos and I was totally wowed!
I can envision putting this on just about anything… I love it so much I may bathe in it! Ha!
But seriously, I’ve tried a lot of the vegan “cheese” sauce recipes & have always wound up a bit disappointed…
So, thank you again… this is a game changer!
Yay!! Thank you Kristin! I’m so happy to hear you loved it so much!! We love it too and the fact that it’s no cook and takes 5 mins makes it even better!
Where can I find tahini? I looked all over Wal-Mart (I know, not the best place but I wanted this in the middle of the night!) But it was nowhere to be found. I don’t even know what aisle it would possibly be in let alone what store to find it…plus Wal-Mart didn’t have nutritional yeast. The workers had never even heard of it :/
Hi Felicia! Unfortunately, Walmart doesn’t carry certain ingredients and I know for a fact, they are one of the only grocery stores that doesn’t carry nutritional yeast. I’m not sure where you are located, but any Kroger’s, HEB or Whole Foods carries nutritional yeast. They are typically carried in the bulk section or in the health food section. Lastly, you can always order nutritional yeast online through amazon. As far as tahini, same thing, you can find raw tahini at Whole Foods and several local grocery stores these days. Just look down the isles where nut butters/condiments usually are…. they all carry versions. Hope that helps!
This was a hit at my BBQ. Everyone enjoyed, even the kiddos! Great work Vegan 8!
Thank you so much for the feedback, I’m so glad to hear that! 🙂