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Best Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce

Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce is the best you'll ever taste, with no nutritional yeast required. It will remind you of the kind you'd get at a movie theater or sporting event!

Prep Time
5 mins
Total Time
5 mins
Servings: 6
Calories: 125 kcal
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Vegan

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cashews (not roasted or salted)
  • 6 tablespoons water
  • 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon juiced)
  • ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt (I use Real Salt brand)
  • 1 (4-ounce can) diced green chilies (I use Rio Luna organic)
  • 6 jarred jalapeño slices (optional, but recommended)

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. In a high-speed blender, combine the cashews, water, lemon juice, salt, diced chilies (along with their juices), and jalapeno slices. Secure the lid and blend until very smooth.
  2. Serve right away with your favorite tortilla chips for dairy-free nachos, or use it as a topping for tacos, burrito bowls, and more. This nacho cheese sauce will thicken when you store it in the fridge, so add a tablespoon of water to thin it out again, if needed. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze it for up to 3 months.

Notes

  • Nutrition information is for roughly 1/4 cup of cheese sauce, assuming you get 1 1/2 cups of sauce total from this recipe. This information is automatically calculated and is just an estimate, not a guarantee.
  • Soaking Note: If you don't have a high-speed blender, you may want to soak the cashews in a bowl of water for up to 2 hours to help them soften up. Drain the soaking water away before adding them to the blender. Since the cashews may retain some of the water in this case, start with only a 1/4 cup of water for blending. You can add more water, as needed, until the sauce reaches the consistency you like.

Nutrition Information

Calories 125kcal (6%) Carbohydrates 8g (3%) Protein 4g (8%) Fat 9g (14%) Saturated Fat 2g (10%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g Monounsaturated Fat 5g Sodium 357mg (15%) Potassium 146mg (4%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 2g (4%) Vitamin A 0.2IU (0%) Vitamin C 4mg (4%) Calcium 9mg (1%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 125

% Daily Value*

Calories 125kcal 6%
Carbohydrates 8g 3%
Protein 4g 8%
Fat 9g 14%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 5g 25%
Sodium 357mg 15%
Potassium 146mg 3%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 2g 4%
Vitamin A 0.2IU 0%
Vitamin C 4mg 4%
Calcium 9mg 1%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.