This easy veggie cheese sauce is a healthy alternative to traditional cheese, made with simple plant-based ingredients and pureed into a delicious vegan cheese sauce that will even get even the pickiest eaters to eat their vegetables!  Made with squash, carrots, and your choice of cashews, beans, or potatoes, this cheese sauce is packed with nutrients and flavor!

A vegan cheese sauce made from vegetables in a white bowl with a chip being dipped into it.

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If you want to sneak more vegetables into your kids, or you want to eat mac and cheese or nachos without guilt, this recipe is for you! It’s a thick, creamy, and cheesy sauce packed with plant-based nutrients and 129% of your daily recommended intake of vitamin A.

By far the best cheese sauce and mac and cheese I’ve made and eaten. I love my local vegan mac and cheese food truck but love this sauce even more. I’ve even made my picky (non vegan) partner a believer! I used cashews and added some bottled hot sauce for a subtle kick and the vinegar in the sauce helped cut the sweetness. It has the best texture and reheats really well! I’ve been searching and experimenting for a long time and have finally found my go-to, staple recipe! Thank you!

—Wendy

Why you’ll love this recipe

  • It’s quick and easy to make with simple ingredients.
  • The sauce is full of healthy vegetables.
  • It’s plant-based, gluten-free, soy-free, and can be easily made nut-free or oil-free as well.

Ingredients and substitutions

  • Squash – any squash will work.  I usually use yellow squash or butternut squash, but you can use any squash. You will need 2 cups of any variety that you choose.
  • Carrots – for flavor and color. You will need about 2 medium or 10 baby carrots.
  • Oil – just a little olive oil, vegan butter, or other neutral-flavored oil to warm the garlic, bringing out its flavor.  You can omit the oil to make it oil-free.
  • Garlic – for flavor.
  • Vegetable Broth – to add more flavor to the cheese sauce.  You can also use water.
  • Nutritional Yeast – to give it a cheesier flavor.  You can leave it out if you want; it will still have a nice flavor. Check out this link for more about nutritional yeast.
  • Onion Powder – for flavor.
  • Paprika – for flavor.  Smoked paprika gives a great smoky flavor if you want that.
  • Turmeric – for color and nutrition. (optional)
  • Lemon Juice – for flavor and to add a slight acidity to the cheese.
  • Cashews, Potatoes, or White Beans – to make the sauce thick and creamy.  For this, you can choose from 1 cup of cashews, 1 1/4 cups of diced potatoes, or 1 can of white beans, drained and rinsed.  I like to use cashews to add a rich and creamy texture to the sauce.  (No need to soak the cashews beforehand; they will soften when cooked with the squash.)  Potatoes and beans also work great, but they will not be as smooth and creamy as cashews.
  • Salt – for flavor.

Helpful tools

Immersion Blender – or a traditional blender. I prefer to use a metal stick blender, also known as an immersion blender, so I don’t have to transfer hot liquid and avoid the hot sauce coming into contact with plastic.

A spoon full of veggie cheese sauce dripping back into the saucepan.

How to make veggie cheese sauce

Step 1 – Add oil to a saucepan and then add minced garlic.  Turn the heat to the lowest setting and let the garlic warm in the oil while you prepare the other ingredients.

Step 2 – Peel and cut the squash and carrots into bite-sized pieces, then toss them in with the oil and garlic.

Step 3 – Add your choice of cashews, white beans, or potatoes.

Cubed butternut squash added to a saucepan.
Add the squash to the saucepan.
Veggie broth, cashews, and squash in a sauce pan to make veggies cheese sauce.
Add veggie broth, spices, and cashews.

Step 4 – Add 2 cups of vegetable broth, onion powder, paprika, turmeric, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast.  Turn the heat up to medium and allow the mixture to simmer slowly for about 10 minutes, until all the vegetables are soft enough to break apart when pierced with a fork.

Step 5 – Blend with an immersion blender for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture is very smooth and creamy. (or transfer to a blender to blend)

Squash, cashews, and broth after it has simmered to make veggie cheese sauce.
The veggie cheese sauce after it has simmered.
An immersion blender mixing the veggie cheese sauce in a saucepan.
Blending the cheese sauce with an immersion blender.

Step 6 – Use as you would any cheese sauce.  Pour it over pasta, use it as a cheese dip, or make loaded vegan nachos with it.

How to use the sauce

Use this plant-based cheese sauce poured over vegan nachos, TVP tacos, tempeh tacos, fajitas, baked potatoes, steamed broccoli, or cauliflower. You can also use it to make healthy vegan mac and cheese.

How to store vegetable cheese sauce

Leftovers will keep well in the fridge for 3 – 5 days in a sealed container. You can also freeze this cheese sauce. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

Pro Tips

  • Omit the oil for an oil-free cheese.
  • Add 1 tsp of miso paste just before blending for a more cheddar cheese flavor. (Omit the salt if you do this, since miso is salty.)

How to reheat cheese sauce

Reheat the leftover sauce in a saucepan on the stovetop until warm. You may need to add a tablespoon or two of water to thin out the sauce if it is too thick.

You will find many types of vegan cheeses and cheese sauces on my site.  Just as there are many types of cheese, there are many types of vegan cheese as well.  This sauce doesn’t exactly taste like cheese, but it has a great, cheesy flavor that will satisfy your cravings.  If you want a cheese sauce that tastes more like real cheese, check out my vegan nacho cheese sauce.

Dipping a chip in veggie cheese sauce made with squash and cashews.

More vegan cheeses

If you are interested in learning how to make more easy homemade vegan cheeses, check out my cookbook, “The Ultimate Guide to Easy Vegan Cheese Making.”

Veggie cheese sauce recipe

A vegan cheese sauce made from vegetables in a white bowl with a chip being dipped into it.
Diet
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4.91 from 11 rating

Veggie Cheese Sauce

Yield: 8
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 15 minutes
Author: Monica Davis
A rich and creamy vegan cheese sauce made from vegetables.
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Ingredients

  • 2 cups butternut squash (or summer squash), cut, peeled and cubed
  • 2 medium carrots, or about 10 baby carrots
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cups vegetable broth, or water
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspooon paprika, or smoked paprika
  • 1/8 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 cup raw cashews, or 1 1/4 cup potatoes peeled and cubed, or 1 can of white beans drained and rinsed.
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste (The amount needed will depend on sodium in your broth and personal preference.)

Equipment

Instructions
 

  • Add oil to a saucepan and then add minced garlic.  Turn on the heat to the lowest setting and let the garlic warm in the oil while you are preparing the other ingredients.
  • Peel and cut the squash and carrots into bite-sized pieces, then toss them in with the oil and garlic.
  • Add your choice of cashews, white beans, or potatoes.
  • Add 2 cups of vegetable broth, onion powder, paprika, turmeric, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast.  Turn the heat up to medium and allow the mixture to simmer for about 10 minutes, until all the vegetables are soft enough to break apart when pierced with a fork.
  • Blend with an immersion blender for about 2-3 minutes until very smooth and creamy (or transfer to a blender to blend).
  • Use as you would any cheese sauce.  Pour over pasta or use it as a cheese dip, or make loaded vegan nachos with it. 

Notes

*Nutrition facts are calculated using butternut squash and cashews.
  • Omit the oil for an oil-free cheese.
  • Add 1 tsp of miso paste just before blending for a more cheddar cheese flavor. (Omit the salt if you do this, since miso is salty.)
Serving: 0.5cup, Calories: 137kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 395mg, Potassium: 306mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 6455IU, Vitamin C: 9mg, Calcium: 29mg, Iron: 1mg
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