Author: Ok friends, this is it. After all of the love for my Melty Stretchy Gooey Vegan Mozzarella, it's time for a follow-up act: Melty Stretchy Gooey Vegan Nacho Cheese. (I know, I am just so incredibly original with the new name).
With the help of reader Amanda (hi Amanda!), I toyed around with different spices and flavours to achieve a cheddar-like cheese recipe. No small task, especially when you don't eat cow's milk cheddar to compare. With a little zing and zang, salty and sweet, ooey and gooey, I managed to achieve... are you ready for it?...nacho heaven. Big plate of nachos featuring Vegan Nacho Cheese! Hello again, Nachos. Oh, how I missed you. Now I will devour you!
This recipe is good for more than just nachos. You can load up a baked potato, make a grilled cheese, layer on a veggie patty for a melty cheeseburger, or stir into noodles for quick mac and cheese. Anywhere that you would use melted cheddar cheese, you can now use this recipe.
Do you want more good news? Of course you do. It's oil, gluten, and dairy free, only 150 calories per serving, omnivores love it, over 10 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber, and only 15 minutes to make. Vegan high fives all around!
Can we see another shot of this ooey, gooey, melty-ness. Ahhh.... there we go.
Notes about this cheese:
- You have to use tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour). Corn starch, potato starch or any other starch won't have the same stretchy quality. If you can't find tapioca starch in your grocery store, you can always order it online here. If you have tapioca pearls, you can use a coffee grinder or a high powered blender to grind them into a homemade batch of tapioca starch.
- You can store the leftover cheese in an airtight container in the fridge and it should last for several days. This cheese will never turn into a solid block. It will always remain in a melty state. If you want to return the cold nacho cheese back to dipping consistency, reheat over medium heat while stirring constantly so it doesn't burn. Once it is hot and bubbling it might have thickened up too much. You can thin it out by adding a tablespoon of water at a time, stirring it in until desired consistency is reached.
- Please beware, once you make a batch, you will probably eat the whole thing in one sitting. Don't say I didn't warn you!
To make this nacho cheese, first start by soaking the cashews for four hours or overnight. OR if you need to eat this immediately (and I always do), you can skip the soaking, and instead boil the cashews for 10 minutes until soft and tender, then drain before using. Sneaky deaky cashew softening trick.
Toss all the ingredients into a blender and blend until completely smooth. It will be very watery, don't worry, it will get cheesy!
If you don't have a high powered blender, you may want to pour the liquid through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth into the pot to remove any cashew bits that didn't grind up. This will ensure a smooth cheese texture.
Put the pan over medium-high heat. Stir to keep anything from burning. You will start to see clumps forming.
Ooo clumpy. Keep stirring!
Then all of a sudden, magic! Everything comes together and makes this cheesy, melty, deliciousness. Keep stirring and cooking for another minute or two, to make sure it's finished firming up. It should take about 5 minutes to cook total. That's it! Done. So easy.
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Melty Stretchy Gooey Vegan Nacho Cheese
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Ingredients
- ½ cup raw cashews, (see notes)
- 1 cup water
- 3 tablespoons tapioca starch, (also called tapioca flour)
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt, (or to taste)
- 1 ½ teaspoons white miso paste
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or agave
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- To soften the cashews: Boil them for 10 minutes until soft. OR soak the cashews for four hours or overnight. Drain before using.
- To make the nacho vegan nacho cheese: Add the softened cashews, water, and all the remaining ingredients to a blender, and blend until smooth. It will be very watery.
- Pour into a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat, while stirring. If you don't have a high-powered blender, you may want to pour the liquid through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth into the pot, to remove any cashew bits that didn't grind up. This will ensure a smooth cheese texture. As you stir it will start forming clumps, and then all of a sudden it will become a cheesy gooey mass of yumminess. This takes about 5 minutes. Continue to cook and stir for an additional minute or two to make sure it has firmed up completely.
Notes
Nutrition
⭐ Did You Make This Recipe?
I’d love if you left a rating and comment, it helps others find the recipe and makes my day! 💕Bon appetegan!
Sam.
Counselorchick says
Love this stuff! You omitted the miso paste and it makes no difference. I guess the miso paste was never necessary. Still turned out great. Thanks Sam!
Sam Turnbull says
The miso adds an umami flavour, but of course if you prefer it without, that's perfect! So happy you enjoyed it! 🙂
Counselorchick says
Sorry Sam, I meant to say that the miso paste was omitted from the cookbook and the recipe Is still great. I hope the cookbook is selling like hot cakes... vegan hot cakes.
Sam Turnbull says
Ah yes there are some small tweaks and additions in the cookbook 🙂
Julie says
Thank you so much for this recipe! I used to love nacho cheese, and this really hits the spot! I adjusted the recipe to use half the amount of tapioca flour called for, and it ends up just the perfect level of gooeyness.
Sam Turnbull says
Perfect, so happy you enjoyed it, Julie 🙂
Samantha says
Sam, this is really the best nacho cheese out there. I try other recipes to just kinda see how they taste in comparison. This is by far the very best.
I love adding some wine and spinach to it with pasta., it’s so creamy and tasty.
I’ve used it for nachos also. With your tofu crumbles. Yum!
I’m so excited in getting your cookbook. You really make being vegan so easy, so tasty and so earth friendly.
Thank you, our animals love you, the earth loves you and so does my family !
Sam Turnbull says
Oh geeze, you made me blush! Thanks Samantha (great name by the way 😉 ) I'm so thrilled you are loving what I'm doing. It's truely a joy to share my recipes with the world!
Erica says
This is perfect with a dash of cayenne. I've made it twice in two days. The real test was when the hubby likes it and I didnt tell him it was vegan.
Sam Turnbull says
Hahaha! Love it! 🙂
Becca Boo says
WOW! I have made a bunch of different vegan "cheese" sauce recipes over time. A TON. And I usually like them, but the kids aren't swayed. I made this to serve as nachos for a party tonight and when I sampled the finished product I said WOW! WOW! WOW! right out loud to myself. Haha. Super tasty! The stretch in the texture is unmatched in other vegan recipes. Almost reminded me why I stopped eating dairy (that whole coats-your-mouth-with-goo feeling isn't always amazing)... but this is the closest I've had to the real deal since switching to a vegan diet. Love it! Thanks for the recipe. <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
(( Can you tell how happy I am? ))
Sam Turnbull says
Hahahaha! WOW! I'm happy to, Becca 🙂
Marlene says
I made this tonight. I used raw cashew butter. (A tip for those without high powered blenders). I also added a little cumin to the cheese. This turned out DIVINE! I do have an awesome Ninja Blender, but it does sometimes leave little grit when blending cashews, and I had the butter on hand, so I used it. It was just great. I can't say enough about it. It was AMAZING!!
Sam Turnbull says
Woohoo! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much, Marlene 😀
Katy Mitchell says
@Marlene how mucb cashew butter did you use?
Kimberly Walls says
Marlene I too have a ninja blender and the 1st time I made this it was gritty but I learned a trick. Just put 1/2 cup of water in with all the other ingredients and blend until very smooth. Then add the other 1/2 cup to blend all together. It comes out perfectly smooth that way!
clulu says
i love this recipe its awesome and i tried a few vegan cheeses and this is my fav. i have to say though that i didnt particularly like the texture way too much, a liiiitle too jiggly, and the texture reminds me of something( (i wont say so i wont gross anybody out lol) so what i did was cut the tapioca in half and i loved the texture, it was creamy like velveeta! i did macaroni and cheese and omg i loved it! i did add a little mustard powder (like a pinch probably to it and then like 2-3 tbsp. of plant milk and like half tsp. (i think i dont really measure when i cook) of coconut oil to make it buttery...oh wow! a revelation, the texture was exactly like velveeta and even tasted like it too , i was shocked!
and a tip for anyone who like didnt have miso paste and didnt wanna buy either, i had tahini thankfully, just substitute it w/ that and maybe a pinch of salt (or not cuz my cheese i think came out a tiny bit salty cuz i added that extra salt w/ the tahini)
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed the recipe, clulu and that you were able to adapt it to your own taste 🙂 Thanks for the lovely review!
Renee says
This was delicious. My omnivore husband even ate it.... like, a LOT of it. I loaded it up with layers of nachos, cheese and veggies, but left the top layer without the cheese. Covered it and popped it in the oven for 15 minutes. While it was baking, I added some pickled jalapeno juice into the remaining mixture and then poured it over the top with additional veggies. I will be making this again, for sure! The only thing I felt guilty over was the tortilla chips. Next time I think I'll make my own and skip the unnecessary fat.
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So happy to hear it was so well enjoyed by all 🙂
Meg says
Can you freeze it? If you could freeze it solid you could grate it onto chips and such for an oven baked nacho experiance
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Meg, yes you can freeze and grate it. Just note that it thaws rather rapidly which makes it difficult to grate as it gets ooeey and gooey. I prefer just spooning it over, such as in my Loaded Vegan Nachos. Enjoy!
Danielle says
My husband is vegan and I am not quite ready to take the leap because of my adoration of cheese. I want to make this to see if I can live without cow cheese, but I know nothing of miso. Once it is opened, does it need refrigerated? How long is it good for? I am debating whether I should spend the $10 to buy it if it will go bad quickly. Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Danielle,
Miso keeps for a very long time. Once opened I would say at least a year in the fridge. I used to be addicted to cheese, but broke the addiction by cutting it out of my diet, and now the smell is so gross to me! Amazing how your tastes can change. You might be interested in this video about cheese addiction. I hope you enjoy my recipe 🙂
Patti says
Wow, Sam!! This recipe hit the nachos out of the ballpark! The flavor,the consistency- oooey, gooey deliciousness!! (Super easy, to boot!) I have tried many "cheese sauce" recipes before, but the tapioca starch adding the body to this one is the bomb!! Def the key to this ultimate comfort food!. Thank you for this!! X0!
Sam Turnbull says
Woohoo! Thrilled you loved it so much, Patti! You're right, the tapioca is key. 🙂
Taylor says
What can I substitute for white miso paste?? I can't find it! Thanks in advance.
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Taylor, it adds an umami flavour. Just skip it, but you may need to up other seasonings to taste. Enjoy!
Taylor says
Thank you! It was soooo good. My meat eating friends forgot it was even vegan! I loved it.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Perfect 🙂
Amanda says
Could I substitute acv for the lemon juice?
Sam Turnbull says
Yes! It will of course have a slightly different taste.
Ben says
Okay so this could totally be my issue and not the recipe but I didn't really care for it. It wasn't bad by any means but the smell is quite different from cheese and it affected how it tasted for me. I'm happy I made it and got to try it but likely won't be making it again. Nothing beats some good melted queso at a mexican restuarant. Either way, thank you for sharing! It's been a struggle finding foods that I like. I'm not a vegan but I want to be healthier and cut back on processed meats and dairy so I'm always looking for alternatives. It was fun to make! Wish it had turned out better
Sam Turnbull says
Too bad you didn't enjoy it, Ben. Vegan cheeses are never going to be exactly like cow's milk cheese, and I've heard from some people that it takes a little to get used to the new flavours. Best of luck!
Things2Eat says
Unfortunately you aren't likely to enjoy non-dairy cheeses while still eating dairy cheese. When I cut dairy out of my diet I did 6 weeks, cold turkey, and avoided anything that resembled cheese in all forms. After that time my palate had changed and lost the taste for dairy cheese.
If you are going to dabble in non dairy cheese, do remember that any facsimiles will not be just like dairy - getting in to the mindset of renaming things can help! Instead of thinking of a recipe as vegan mac and cheese, call it macaroni and savoury cashew cream (just an example). Good luck!
Karen says
I was very excited to try this last night, but I'm sorry to say was very disappointed. It was indeed very gooey and cheesy-looking, but the smell turned me off. I don't know if it was the miso, the nooch (nutritional yeast), or a combination of things, but it smelled like something very unappealing...Reminded me of when my husband steams mussels in garlic. :-p
I'm not giving up! I'm looking forward to trying the vegan mozzarella next time with the tapioca starch I now have on hand!
On a positive note, I tried the rice paper vegan bacon and it was AH-MA-ZING! The closest thing I've had to bacon in 4+ years. Yum, yum, yummy! 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Oh too bad you didn't like it, glad you enjoyed the rice paper bacon tho!
Anita says
I want to try this but my question is "Where is the cheese"?
Anita says
I would like to try this but my son is allergic to nuts. What can I use instead
Sam Turnbull says
This is a recipe for vegan cheese so there is no cow's milk cheese involved. While some readers have tried substitutes for nuts that they are happy with (you can check out the comments here and on my mozzarella cheese recipe), I personally haven't found anything that I loved other than nuts.
Nona says
Since going vegan, I've tried a couple of recipes with nutritional yeast/cashew sauce and haven't cared for them at all. I'm wondering if it is perhaps the brand of yeast I am using. Any suggestions? Sure would love to love this recipe! Miss my Mexican nights with cheese dip!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Nona, it could just be the recipes you've tried, or it could be that you just don't like the taste of nutritional yeast. Have you tried sampling it straight from the jar? The first time I tried it I didn't like it. It took me awhile to warm up to it but now I am obsessed and sprinkle it all over my popcorn. Hope that helps!
Things2Eat says
The Taco Cleanse Cookbook has a nutritional yeast free recipe for cashew queso! There are vegan cheeses that don't have the nooch out there.
Ella says
Hi I was wondering where the 10 grams of protein comes from? According to my calculations, 1/2 cup cashews only has 11 or 12 total while 3 tbsp of nutritional yeast (Bob's Red Mill for reference) has 6 grams. The total would only be 18 grams, divided by 3 is 6 grams of protein per serving?
I am definitely looking for high protein vegan cheeses so just wondering if I missed something?
P.S. LOVED this recipe <3
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Ella! So happy you love the recipe 🙂 I used this nutrition tool in which I copy and paste the ingredient list and it figures out the nutrition for me. Hope that helps!
anonymous says
Just made this... honestly didn't think it would turn out like cheese but it did. It was even better than real cheese. It worked exactly like she said, gooey after about 5 minutes and really firm with 2 more minutes. Minor change i made was to use a food processor instead of a blender: i I soaked the cashews over night, put them in a food processor with 1/2 of the water and the other ingredients.. Once they were really smooth i put it in a pan and added the other 1/2 of the water. It came out excellent. This is a crazy good recipe.
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you loved the recipe so much and that you like it even better than real cheese! 😀
Stephanie says
Thank you so much for this recipe!! It's simply amazing and I can't believe how healthy it is. I tripled the recipe, brought it at a bachelorette party and someone asked me what type of cheese that was. She could not believe it was cashew-based. Definitely going to make this again!
Sam Turnbull says
Woohoo!! So happy you love it, Stephanie!
Marianne Odell says
Can I just use cashew butter for the softened,blended cashews?
Marianne Alexander Odell says
Ok....I used cashew butter. I don't know if that's the reason it came out looking like a cross between Gerber strained peas and Grey Poupon Mustard....
Sam Turnbull says
Oh doesn't sound very yummy! As I think you discovered, cashew butter is not the same thing. Cashew butter is made by grinding the nuts until the oils release. In this recipe, we are just making a thick cashew cream to make the cheese rich and creamy.