Vegan nacho cheese sauce made without cashews! Yes, it’s true! You can have a perfectly creamy, smooth cheese dip without any soaked cashews! This queso is delicious! It’s spiced and seasoned perfectly. You need it for all your chip dip needs. It’s super simple and is made in 15 minutes tops. Better yet, the secret ingredient is good for you!

Every good party (or Saturday night in) needs a good chip. And every good chip needs a good dip. This crowd pleasing dip is perfect for:

• Birthday parties
• Football games and game nights
• A tasty side dish for Steak Fajitas
• Those looking to sneak in a few extra veggies without anyone noticing
• A yummy snack after the kids go to bed
• Vegans
• Those with both dairy allergies and nut allergies

I was so frustrated back in the day. My son had several food allergies – including allergies to both cashews and dairy. So many dairy-free recipes contained cashews! I’d scroll throw Google and Pinterest looking for the perfect dairy-free cheesy recipe only to discover almost all of them contained soaked cashews!

I needed a dairy-free nut-free cheese sauce.

I needed a solution.

Vegan Cheese Sauce Secret Ingredient

Enter my secret ingredient. This secret ingredient makes the cheesiest vegan cheese. It’s creamy, delicious, contains no nuts, and is super healthy. You ready? Butternut squash!

I saw mac and cheese made with butternut squash, I had even tried it and was not impressed. Pureeing it into a roux sauce and adding the right seasonings makes all the difference. It’s super tasty and no one will ever know this cheesy cheese sauce is full of healthy veggies!

Chicken Broccoli Casserole and Creamy Mac and Cheese are both made using this yummy secret ingredient cheese sauce!

This recipe for vegan queso is made the same way. It’s just seasoned differently! It starts off with a simple roux sauce and then gets blended with pureed butternut squash. Lastly, the cheese is seasoned with everything it needs to go from a simple cheese sauce to delicious nacho cheese!

This vegan nacho cheese sauce is:

• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Nut free and cashew free
• Soy free
• Top 10 allergen free

What You Need for Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce

Equipment

• Sauce pan: A small to medium sized pot will do perfectly.
• Microwave: You’ll steam a frozen bag of butternut squash. I use a microwaveable bag because I need quick and simple. Alternatively you can heat up a pot of water and insert a steamer basket inside and steam the butternut squash that way.
• Blender: To puree the steamed butternut squash. You could also use a food processor if you prefer. My blender is more accessible so I always use it unless I really need my food processor – like for this Holiday Cranberry Orange Relish. You might also be able to use an immersion blender but I haven’t tried it. If you try it please let me know in the comment section below!

Ingredients

• Vegan butter: I like the ones made from avocado oil and olive oil because they’re top 8 allergen free. If tree nuts aren’t a concern to you then feel free to use the almond oil version if you prefer.
• Gluten-free flour: You can also use regular all purpose flour.
• Plant milk: Almond, flax, or soy would be my recommendation. I would avoid anything too sweet or flavorful like oat or coconut.
• Frozen butternut squash: The kind in the microwaveable steamer bag.
• Diced green chilies: The fire roasted kind is so good!
• Spices: Garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, salt, and black pepper.

How to Make Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce

1. Begin by making your roux. A roux is a simple sauce made from cooking butter and flour together on the stove, like in Scalloped Potatoes and Ham. When the butter and flour have thickened it’s time to add the plant milk!
2. Prepare the butternut squash. Steam the butternut squash either in the microwave or in a steamer basket over the stove. I opt for the microwave because I need quick and easy! My kids are little monsters when they’re waiting on food. After steaming the squash, carefully add it to a blender and puree until smooth. It should have enough liquid from steaming to blend right up. If not, then you can add a tiny bit of water or plant milk to make blending easier.
3. Thicken the sauce. Remove the pot from the stove when it’s nice and thick. Add the pureed butternut squash, spices, and green chilies to the roux. Stir it all together and serve immediately.

This guacamole makes a DELICIOUS addition to your nachos!

(Best) Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce – Without Cashews!

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Smooth and creamy vegan nacho cheese sauce made without cashews! The perfect nacho cheese dip when you need a delicious dairy-free recipe!

• Author: Hannah
• Prep Time: 3 minutes
• Cook Time: 12 minutes
• Total Time: 15 minutes
• Yield: 6 1x
• Category: Appetizer
• Method: Stove Top
• Cuisine: Tex-Mex
• Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1/4 cup plant butter
• 1/4 cup gluten-free flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 1/2 cups plant milk
• 10 oz frozen butternut squash (in the steamable bag)
• 4 oz diced green chilies
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/8 tsp chili powder

Instructions

1. Melt plant butter in a medium-sized pot over the stove. Whisk in gluten-free flour, salt, and pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes or until it thickens and bubbles.
2. Slowly whisk in plant milk. Continue to cook for about 5-8 minutes or until it becomes thick.
3. Steam butternut squash. Carefully add it to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. 
4. When milk mixture has thickened remove it from the stove. Whisk in pureed butternut squash, diced green chilies, garlic powder, cumin, and chili powder. Serve immediately.

Notes

Store unused portion in a closed container in the refrigerator. To reheat, add contents to a small sauce pot. Cook, while stirring, over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until heated through.

Nutrition

• Calories: 128 calories
• Fat: 8 grams
• Carbohydrates: 13 grams
• Protein: 1.5 grams

Keywords: vegan nacho cheese sauce, vegan queso dip, vegan cheese dip, vegan rotel dip

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