This is the all-time best cheesy vegan sauce that you can use for everything! It whips up in 5 minutes and you can pour it on nachos, fries, broccoli, baked potatoes, pasta, or tacos. It’s rich and creamy, silky smooth, and tastes amazing!

A bowl of vegan cheese sauce with someone dipping a corn chip into it.

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Why make this recipe

Want your kids to eat their veggies? Just whip up a batch of this easy vegan cheese sauce and watch them disappear! Plus it’s gluten-free, dairy-free, and does not have any cashews, so nearly everyone can enjoy it.

I share a ton of cheese recipes on my blog and have even written a vegan cheese cookbook where I share recipes for veggie cheese sauce, vegan cheddar, vegan mozzarella, vegan halloumi, vegan feta, and more, but if you just want a simple universal cheese sauce that works with everything, this 5-minute vegan cheese sauce is it!

Made this last week at a friends house. We had it over cauliflower. There was about 1 cup left over which we enjoyed with nachos for the next couple of days. We loved it and will make again, so easy and tasty. My friend is not Vegan and was blown away with how “Cheesy” it was. This was a big hit.

—Irene

Ingredients and substitutions

  • Coconut Milk – a 13.5 oz can of full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream will make your cheese sauce rich and creamy plus 1/2 cup of water. (You can use soy milk, almond milk, oat milk, or any other plant-based milk if you choose, but full-fat canned coconut milk will give you the richest and creamiest vegan cheese sauce.)
  • Nutritional Yeast Flakes – This is a yellow flaky powder that has a cheese flavor. This is a key ingredient to give your sauce the flavor, but if you need to use an alternative, you can find a substitute for nutritional yeast in this article.  
  • Tapioca Starch – For a stretch to your cheese sauce. This is also referred to as tapioca flour. If you don’t have this, you can swap it out for cornstarch, potato starch, or arrowroot, but it won’t have a stretchy texture.
  • Salt – To give it flavor.
  • Lemon Juice –  For a little tang to your cheese.
  • Paprika – For flavor and color. (The red paprika mixed with the yellow turmeric gives it a beautiful orange color!) You can also use smoked paprika for a delicious smokey flavor.
  • Garlic Powder – For flavor.
  • Turmeric – For color. (optional)
  • Spicy Brown Mustard – optional for more flavor.
  • Optional for more flavor – cumin, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, hot sauce, or chipotle pepper.

Note about canned coconut milk – Did you know that not all brands of coconut milk use ethical treatment of animals and therefore not truly vegan? Read more about it and see which brands of coconut milk are vegan.

Helpful tools

You don’t need anything special to make this sauce, just a saucepan and a whisk. No need for a bender or any special equipment.

How to make vegan cheese sauce

A full printable version of this recipe with ingredient measurements is available at the bottom of this post.

Step 1 – Add a can of coconut milk, water, nutritional yeast, tapioca starch, salt, lemon juice, mustard, paprika, garlic powder, and turmeric, then give it a stir with a whisk until all of the starch is dissolved. (Don’t turn on the heat until the starch is fully dissolved.)

All of the ingredients for vegan cheese sauce mixed with a whisk in a sauce pan.
Add all the ingredients to the pan and stir well.
Easy vegan cheese sauce mixed and cooked in a sauce pan being stirred with a whisk.
Heat the cheese sauce until bubbly.

Step 2 – Turn the stove to medium heat and stir frequently until your cheese sauce thickens and starts to boil. Then turn down the heat to low and stir constantly for about 30 more seconds before taking off the heat.

A saucepan full of cheesy vegan sauce with a wooden spoon in it.

Pro Tips

  • Use full-fat coconut milk for the creamiest cheese sauce, but you can use light coconut milk for a lower-fat option.
  • Add the tapioca starch to cold coconut milk. If you try to add this after you start heating the sauce, it will clump and not dissolve.
  • Tapioca starch will give you the best results for a cheesy texture that won’t become gloppy when it starts to cool down.

How to use this cheese sauce

Use this vegan cheese sauce to make loaded vegan nachos, vegan baked potatoes, or vegan cheese fries. It’s also delicious drizzled on top of veggies like broccoli or roasted cauliflower or on tempeh tacos, TVP tacos, cauliflower tacos, shredded tofu tacos, or jackfruit tacos.

You can even dip bread in it and use it as a vegan cheese fondue sauce!

Vegan cheese sauce poured over French fries.
Vegan cheese fries

Storage and reheating

Refrigerate: This cheesy vegan sauce will keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

Freeze:  You can freeze leftover cheese sauce in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

Reheating: Reheat the vegan cheese sauce in the microwave for about 2- 3 minutes or reheat it in a saucepan on the stovetop.

A bowl of vegan cheese sauce with a wooden spoon over it covered in the sauce.

More homemade vegan cheeses

If you are interested in learning how to make more easy homemade vegan cheeses, check out all of my vegan cheese recipes on the blog or my vegan cheese cookbook, “The Ultimate Guide to Easy Vegan Cheese Making.”

Vegan cheese sauce recipe

A bowl of vegan cheese sauce with parsley on top and a wooden spoon in it.
Diet
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5 from 6 rating

Cheesy Vegan Sauce

Yield: 8
Prep: 2 minutes
Cook: 3 minutes
Total: 5 minutes
Author: Monica Davis
A quick and easy 5-minute dairy-free cheese sauce made from a can of coconut milk and spices.
Print Leave a Review Pin Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 13.5 oz can coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup cold water
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 2 1/2 tablespoon tapioca starch , (aka tapioca flour) use cornstarch if you don't have tapioca starch
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard, or yellow mustard (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika, or smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon turmeric

Equipment

Instructions
 

  • Add a can of coconut milk, water, nutritional yeast, tapioca starch, salt, lemon juice, mustard, paprika, garlic powder, and turmeric, then give it a stir with a whisk until all of the starch is dissolved. (Don't turn on the heat until the starch is fully dissolved.)
  • Turn the stove to medium heat and stir frequently until your cheese sauce thickens and starts to boil. Then turn down the heat to low and stir constantly for about 30 more seconds before taking off the heat.

Notes

  • Use full-fat coconut milk for the creamiest cheese sauce, but you can use light coconut milk for a lower-fat option.
  • Add the tapioca starch to cold coconut milk. If you try to add this after you start heating the sauce, it will clump and not dissolve.
  • Tapioca starch will give you the best results for a cheesy texture that won’t become gloppy when it starts to cool down.
Serving: 0.25cup, Calories: 85kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g, Sodium: 369mg, Potassium: 129mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 0.04g, Vitamin A: 62IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 7mg, Iron: 1mg
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