This insanely tasty vegan cheese sauce is the perfect addition to countless dishes, including pastas, pizzas, tacos and even mac ’n’ cheese. It can also be used as a dip, served warm or cool. This dish is incredibly easy to make and stores in the fridge for up to a week.
Start by gathering your ingredients:
- 2 cups warm boiled potatoes, diced – To boil the potatoes, simply bring a pot of water to a boil and add the potatoes. Cook for 15-25 minutes depending on the potato. You’ll know they’re ready when you can easily pierce them with a fork. It’s up to you which kind of potatoes you prefer. Baby red potatoes are good for those looking to add a little color to their sauce. Russets also work.
- 1 cup warm boiled carrots, diced – Boil the carrots with the potatoes to ensure they’re soft enough to blend later. The carrots balance the potatoes well with their sweeter and more vibrant flavor. You can add more or less to taste as you get more familiar with the recipe.
- 1/2 cup water or coconut milk – If you want the sauce to be as creamy as possible, then use fresh, unsweetened coconut milk. Otherwise you can use unsweetened almond milk or simply water.
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil – This will also help with the creaminess of the sauce as well as to keep the sauce more congealed, as it is a healthy source of fat. Extra-virgin olive oil provides the body with many benefits and it contains numerous antioxidants.
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast – This is where the majority of the “cheese” flavor will come from. If you’re unfamiliar with nutritional yeast, just ask at your local health food market and you will surely be able to find some.
- 2 teaspoons salt – This will help to enhance all of the flavors.
If you want to add a little more flavor to your sauce consider adding the following:
- 1/4 onion, diced – This will add another great flavor to go along with your cheese sauce. Adding onions are great if you’re intending to use the sauce in a soup or nacho-type style of food.
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced – Garlic makes everything better, and it makes a great addition to this yummy sauce.
- 1/2 jalapeno/habanero pepper, diced – If you like spicy food and want to take your sauce up a notch, add a small amount of your favorite hot pepper.
After your ingredients are all gathered, throw them into your blender and blend on high power until the sauce runs smooth. Serve immediately or transfer it into an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to a week. As it cools it will congeal slightly, but will easily melt again if you warm it over the stove or if you prefer, a microwave.
