Instant Pot Vegan Cheese Sauce
User Reviews
5
Instant Pot Vegan Cheese Sauce
Description
The sauce begins with soaking and cooking nuts and vegetables in the Instant Pot with miso, mustard, and water to infuse flavor and soften ingredients. After an 11-minute pressure cook, the mixture is blended smooth with added oil, onion powder, and flour or starch for thickness. Nutritional yeast lends umami and cheesy notes without dairy. Variations allow substitutions for nut allergies or dietary preferences, and additional seasonings can modify taste and color.
The sauce works well poured over roasted vegetables or stirred into pasta for vegan mac and cheese. It can be refrigerated for up to four days or frozen for a month, reheating and thickening as needed. Chilling before serving helps flavors meld.
Homemade adaptations include adding turmeric for color or smoked paprika for smoky flavor. Substituting mustards or misos adjusts the depth of taste. Careful blending balances thickness and creaminess.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cashew nuts see note for Nutfree, raw
- 1.5 cups Yukon Gold potatoes peeled, cubed
- 1/4 cup carrot peeled chopped
- 1/3 cup cauliflower or peeled chopped zucchini, chopped florets
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp lemon juice
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp mustard stone ground
- 1-2 tsp yellow miso use chickpea miso for Soyfree, or white miso
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp pickle juice or 1/2 tsp vinegar
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1.5 cups water
To add later:
- 1 tbsp neutral cooking oil generic cooking oil
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp all-purpose flour or tapioca starch for gluten-free
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients, except the oil and onion powder to the instant pot with 1.5 cups of water. (Add miso mustard and water first and mix well so miso doesn’t clump up, then add the rest). Mix really well, close the lid, and pressure cook for 11 minutes.
- Let the pressure release naturally, then open the lid. Let the mixture cool for a few minutes then transfer the mixture to a blender with the oil and onion powder and flour/starch. Blend until smooth.
- You can store this mixture to use in dishes like vegan mac & cheese or other. or if you want to serve it over roasted veggies simply add it back to the instant pot or a saucepan and simmer for a few minutes to thicken. Taste and adjust salt and flavor. This sauce benefits from chilling for a bit for the flavors to meld more.
- Refrigerate for upto 4 days. Freeze for upto a month. Reheat to bring to a boil to thicken(freezing will have caused a bit of separation which will get smooth again on reheating)
- Saucepan: To make the cheese sauce on stovetop, add all the ingredients and 2.5 cups water instead of 1.5 cups, partially cover and cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender. Then cool and blend with oil, onion powder and flour or starch.
Notes
- For nut-free versions, substitute pumpkin or hemp seeds and add extra starch for thickening.
- Can be used to make vegan mac and cheese by cooking pasta in the Instant Pot then mixing with the cheese sauce and sautéing until thickened.
- Add turmeric for deeper orange color or smoked paprika for smoky notes.
- Store sauce refrigerated up to 4 days or freeze for up to a month; reheat gently to restore smooth texture.
- Nutritional yeast can be substituted with extra miso to maintain umami flavor.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 6Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 139 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 139kcal | 7% |
| Carbohydrates | 15g | 5% |
| Protein | 4g | 8% |
| Fat | 7g | 11% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Sodium | 346mg | 14% |
| Potassium | 376mg | 8% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugar | 2g | 4% |
| Vitamin A | 908IU | 18% |
| Vitamin C | 13mg | 14% |
| Calcium | 18mg | 2% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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