Creamy, rich nutritional yeast cheese sauce comes together in just 10 minutes on the stovetop. It's great for dipping tortilla chips, drizzling on veggies, and even using in place of dairy cheese for recipes like nachos or mac and cheese.
Table of Contents
This nooch cheese sauce is super simple to make in one pan on the stovetop, and it's so versatile!
💖 Reader feedback
Tastes good and cheesy. Exactly what i expected when i was looking for a vegan cheese sauce recipe.
- Christine
Use it over chips for instant nachos, slather it on broccoli or cauliflower, pour it over chili or grain bowls. Anywhere you want a nacho cheesy punch, this sauce is there for you!
So much vegan cheese out there uses coconut milk or coconut oil. This can give the cheese a mild (or sometimes not-so-mild) coconut flavor. As I enter my mid-40s, I've been trying to eat less coconut oil, since too much of it is not great for your heart.
This nutritional yeast cheese sauce is coconut-free and nut-free. You can make it gluten-free by using chickpea flour in place of the all-purpose flour. It can also be soy-free, if you choose a soy-free vegan butter.
If you love the flavor of nutritional yeast, don't miss my recipes for nutritional yeast popcorn and nutritional yeast tofu!
Ingredients and substitutions
- vegan butter - Use your favorite!
- flour - Use all-purpose, white wheat, or chickpea flour. If you do use chickpea flour, make sure you roast it in the pan, stirring constantly, until it doesn't smell strong anymore. Uncooked chickpea flour can have a beany taste, but it will mostly cook off if you're patient, and all of the nutritional yeast and spices in this cheese sauce will mask the flavor, if it's mild.
- salt - Cheese is salty!
- smoked paprika - Adds color and umami flavor.
- garlic powder - For even more great umami flavor!
- onion powder - Look, cheese is all about the umami.
- chickpea miso - Gives it that slightly fermented flavor of cheese. You can also use mellow white miso, if you can't find chickpea.
- water - For moisture.
How to make nutritional yeast cheese sauce
Melt the vegan butter in a pan over low heat, then add the flour, salt, and spices and whisk until it's combined. Things are going to get crumbly. It's ok!
Whisk in the nutritional yeast. At this point, you'll have a even more crumbly mixture, but don't panic. It's going great!
Slowly add the miso-water mixture while whisking constantly until you have a smooth mixture. You can add more water , if needed.
If the sauce is seeming thick and/or gummy, don't panic! Just add more water, stirring when you add, until it's smooth and creamy. How much you'll end up needing depends on your pot, your stove, and how you measured the flour and nutritional yeast.
Helpful tips
- When you add the flour and then nutritional yeast, the cheese sauce will get crumbly, but don't worry! It will smooth out as you whisk in the water.
- Whisk that water in slowly, until the sauce gets nice and smooth and creamy.
- Don't be shy about adding more water, if needed! If the sauce gets too thin, you can always cook it down to your desired thickness.
Storage directions
Leftover nutritional yeast cheese sauce will keep for up to a week in the fridge. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop, whisking in a little bit of water, if needed, to get it smooth.
Frequently asked questions
Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast related to the yeast that we use to make things like bread. It is a vegan condiment or seasoning that has a cheesy flavor.
I love adding nutritional yeast to sauces! It thickens them up and adds an amazing, cheesy, umami flavor.
Use it anywhere that you'd use nacho cheese sauce! I love it over corn chips with other nachos toppings. It's also a great way to amp up steamed veggies, like broccoli or cauliflower. Or stir it into cooked pasta for an easy vegan mac and cheese!
More vegan cheese recipes
📖 Recipe
Nutritional Yeast Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ cup vegan butter
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ⅔ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon chickpea miso dissolved in 1 cup of warm water. You can use mellow white miso instead, if you prefer.
Instructions
- Melt the vegan butter in a pan over low heat, then add the flour, salt, and spices and whisk until it's combined. Things are going to get crumbly. It's ok!
- Whisk in the nutritional yeast. At this point, you'll have a even more crumbly mixture, but don't panic. It's going great!
- Slowly add the miso-water mixture while whisking constantly until you have a smooth mixture. You can add more water , if needed. If the sauce is seeming thick and/or gummy, don't panic! Just add more water, stirring when you add, until it's smooth and creamy. How much you'll end up needing depends on your pot, your stove, and how you measured the flour and nutritional yeast.
Christine
Tastes good and cheesy. Exactly what i expected when i was looking for a vegan cheese sauce recipe.
Becky Striepe
So glad that you enjoyed it, Christine!
Elsie
This looks delicious. Would an oil other than coconut work? Thanks.
Becky Striepe
You can try, but I haven't made this with any other oil.
VeggieT8r
I avoid all overt fats/oils for health issues, so I just dry-toasted the (chickpea) flour in the pan until it smelled toasty, before whisking in the rest of the ingredients. It was still great, but I'd imagine olive or any other oil would work fine if you feel you need it.
Becky Striepe
Ooh thank you for sharing your oil-free experience!
Heidi
Would whole wheat flour or a gluten free flour work with this recipe? It looks delicious and thanks for sharing!!
Becky Striepe
I have not tested it with either, but I believe that whole wheat would work. You may need to up the liquid a bit, since whole wheat flour is thirstier than white.
Jernika
Soooo good and easy af to make. Thanks for sharing!
Becky Striepe
Thank you, Jernika! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Ashley
This actually looks a ton like normal nacho sauce, so intriguing! The curry powder sounds unsettling, but there's so many positive comments about it, I just have to give it a shot. Has anyone tried it with any gluten-free flours? Do you know if I would need to make any adjustments?
Becky Striepe
I hear ya - I wasn't sure about the curry at first either, but it's delightful. I haven't tried with gluten-free flour, but Serious Eats says that you can make a roux with rice flour, so that might work!
VeggieT8r
I see all these comments about curry powder but don't see it in the recipe? What am I missing???
Becky Striepe
The original recipe contained curry powder, but I omitted it in this updated version.
Tash
I loved this ! The curry made me think twice but definitely worth it ! Also I added some Goya Adobo con pimenta to give it more depth to
Becky Striepe
Right? I was hesitant about the curry, too, but it works so well!
Jaime woodruff
So good!! At first I didn't think the curry was going to work, but I was wrong!! Best vegan cheese sauce recipe I have ever tried!!
Becky Striepe
I went through that exact experience! Curry in cheese sauce seemed odd, but it is shockingly good!
jenna
This stuff is so good! I admit I had doubts... I was expecting it to just be gravy, but it is seriously cheesy! The curry powder really kicks it off! Loving it!
Becky Striepe
Yes I was so intrigued by the curry powder and am so glad I chose this recipe to share. It’s a delight!
Bianca / Elephantastic Vegan
Thank you so much for the amazing review, Becky!
I'm so glad you enjoyed the vegan cheese sauce! It's really good on pizza and lasagna too :)
Becky Striepe
You are so welcome!
Katie
This was very easy to make and was great on tacos. Thank you for posting! Very very good!
Becky Striepe
Awesome! Glad that you enjoyed it.
Sarah
I need to check out this book. And that cheese sauce looks incredible!
Becky Striepe
You’ll love it!
Sarah De la Cruz
Love a simple queso sauce!!!
Becky Striepe
Me too!
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day
This is such a fun cookbook! I'll definitely need to try this sauce!
Becky Striepe
You will love it!
Dianne
I love this book! I haven't made this recipe yet, but now I want to. I want to drizzle this cheesy sauce all over everything!
Becky Striepe
When it’s cold, it’s even spreadable! I used it on toast.
Mary Ellen | VNutrition
I love trying all new cheesy sauces! This one looks gooood! Totally going to check out The Veginner’s Cookbook!
Becky Striepe
It’s a great book!