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Vegan Cheesy Sauce (Plus 5 Ways to Use It)

With the look, taste, and texture of a creamy cheese sauce, this vegan cheesy sauce recipe is pure genius. Nutritional yeast and miso paste give the potato-cauliflower base a distinctly cheesy flavor, while mustard and vinegar add tang and ground turmeric lends an appetizing golden color. Use the sauce in any dish that calls for cheese: nachos, mac and cheese, baked potatoes. It’s even great on its own as a dip. It will keep up to a week in the fridge, though it doesn’t freeze well, as cold temperatures will make the potatoes in the base gummy.

5 Ways to Use Vegan Cheesy Sauce
1. Pour it over steamed broccoli and baked potatoes for stuffed potatoes
2. Pour it over tortilla chips and top with sliced jalapeños for plant-powered nachos
3. Add it to pasta and peas for easy stove-top mac and no-cheese
4. Use it as a topping on veggie burgers
5. Serve as a dip with crudités

Ingredients

  • 1 pound trimmed cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets (about 5 cups)
  • 1 medium Yukon gold potato, cut into ½-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
  • 2 small garlic cloves
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • ½ cup nutritional yeast
  • 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon dried marjoram, crushed
  • ½ teaspoon white miso paste
  • ¼ teaspoon yellow mustard
  • ½ cup unsweetened plant milk, such as almond, soy, or rice
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground black or white pepper

Instructions

  • In a large saucepan, combine the cauliflower florets, potatoes, garlic, turmeric, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer for 10 minutes or until vegetables are very tender. Cool slightly.
  • Transfer the vegetable mixture to a blender. Add nutritional yeast, vinegar, marjoram, miso, and mustard. Cover and blend until smooth and creamy, adding enough of the milk to reach the desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.
Nutritional Information:

Per serving (¼ cup): 38 calories, 6.3 g carbohydrates, 3.2 g protein, 0.6 g total fat, 0.1 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 64 mg sodium, 2.2 g fiber, 0.8 g sugar

Note: Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only.

Comments (10)

(5 from 3 votes)

Recipe Rating

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Anne

Answering my own question, I hope, helping others too: found several sources stating 1 cup diced potatoes weighs about 4.5 oz. So here we need 9 oz.

Anne

None of my usual yukons would be 2 cups once chopped. It's the only ingredient without more detailed measurements - could you give a weight, please? I don't want the balance to be off. Thanks in advance.

Marie

When you add the cooked vegetable mix to the blender, are you including the water?

Courtney Davison

Hi Marie, The vegetables will likely have absorbed most of the water in Step 1. But if there is any water still in the pot, no need to drain it off before transferring it to the blender; it can go into the blender with the veggies and other ingredients. Thank you, Courtney, Editor Forks Over Knives

Carianne

Nice.

Kendra

Such a great, healthy alternative!! I added smoked paprika and onion powder for added flavor. This can be used with so many dishes! Love it!!

Susan

Thank you so much for these wonderful sauce recipes. These recipes are just what I was looking for to brighten up my meals!

Gail

I love these ideas but I am intrigued to find out if many of these can be canned? Since I read that some do not freeze well. It would be awesome if ways of preserving these sauces or provided

Kelly

Can you use frozen cauliflower "rice" in place of fresh cauliflower, and if so, how many cups? Thank you so much for this great healthy substitutions article with recipes and links! Thank you!

Celeste

Yes, I've used the cauliflower "rice" before. Since the recipe calls for 1 pound cauliflower, I substitute the same weight of the "rice" or something approximate. For example, if your "rice" comes in a 14 or 15 oz package, that's still close enough to 1 pound.

About the Author

Headshot of Darshana Thacker

About the Author

Darshana Thacker Wendel

Darshana Thacker Wendel is a whole-food, plant-based chef and former culinary projects manager for Forks Over Knives. A graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute, she is the author of Forks Over Knives: Flavor! She created the recipes for Forks Over Knives Family and was a lead recipe contributor to the New York Times bestseller The Forks Over Knives Plan. Her recipes have been published in The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook, Forks Over Knives—The Cookbook, Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health, and LA Yoga magazine online. Visit DarshanasKitchen.com and follow her on Instagram for more.
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