Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce (No Nuts)!

This easy vegan cheese sauce (no nuts) is the perfect vegan cheese recipe to drizzle on broccoli or a baked potato, to make nachos with, to use as a dip, to smother French fries for loaded cheesy fries (yes please!), or to enjoy with anything you like! This vegan cheese recipe is made with just 10 ingredients including sunflower seeds and a few other easy-to-find pantry staples, and when combined, they make the perfect creamy cheesy nut-free deliciousness!

I’ve shared my nacho cheese sauce, and my mozzarella cheese recipes in the past, but these recipes both contain cashews. Some people are allergic to cashews, and others just may prefer another option. So today I’m sharing with you my new recipe for my easy vegan cheese sauce which is completely nut-free.

When I was researching vegan nut-free cheese recipes, I found a lot of the recipes make their cheese sauces out of potatoes. There is nothing wrong with that, but I wanted to make something a little different. You won’t find any potatoes in this recipe! For my easy vegan cheese sauce recipe, I use raw sunflower seeds to make this vegan cheese creamy and cheesy. Sunflower seeds are not only a great nut-free option, but they are also super affordable making this the perfect go-to everyday staple.

The key to using sunflower seeds is that you need to boil them first. Boiling them will help get them tender and soft so that when you add them to your blender they break down easily into creamy goodness. Then it’s just a matter of seasoning correctly for the perfect cheesy flavour with nutritional yeast, paprika, salt, onion and garlic powder, and just a touch of agave which cuts the bitterness of the sunflower seeds. You aren’t going to believe how scrumptious this vegan cheese recipe is! So let’s hop to it…

How to make Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce (No Nuts):

Add the sunflower seeds to a small pot and cover them with water. Bring to a boil and boil for 10 – 15 minutes until the sunflower seeds are lighter in color and tender. This helps soften the sunflower seeds so that they blend smoother and creamier. Drain and rinse well.

Add the rinsed sunflower seeds to a blender along with 1 cup fresh water, the nutritional yeast, tapioca starch, paprika, agave, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and turmeric. Blend until smooth as possible, stopping to scrape the sides as needed.

Pour into a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat, while stirring often. As you stir it will start forming clumps, and then it will all thicken into a gorgeous cheesy sauce, this takes about 5 minutes. If your sauce gets too thick, feel free to thin it out with a bit of water to reach the desired texture. Remove from heat and enjoy however you like!

This easy vegan cheese sauce (no nuts) goes wonderfully drizzled on a baked potato, on steamed broccoli, poured over French Fries to make cheese fries, as a dip with tortilla chips, bread, or veggies, or you can make nachos! Basically anywhere you like vegan cheesy goodness, this sauce is perfection!

If you’re interested in trying another nut-free sunflower seed cheese recipe, be sure to try this one which is sliceable and spreadable- it’s a go-to fave of mine!

Bon appetegan!

Sam Turnbull.

Print Recipe

Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce (No Nuts)!

The perfect vegan cheese recipe to drizzle on broccoli or a baked potato, to make nachos with, to use as a dip, to smother French fries for loaded cheesy fries, or to enjoy with anything you like! This vegan cheese recipe is made with just 10 ingredients including raw sunflower seeds and a few other pantry staples, and when combined, they make the perfect creamy cheesy nut-free cheesy deliciousness!

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time25 mins

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4

Calories: 144kcal

Author: Sam Turnbull • It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Add the sunflower seeds to a small pot and cover them with water. Bring to a boil and boil for 10 – 15 minutes until the sunflower seeds are lighter in color and tender. This helps soften the sunflower seeds so that they blend smoother and creamier. Drain and rinse well.

• Add the rinsed sunflower seeds to a blender along with 1 cup fresh water, the nutritional yeast, tapioca starch, paprika, agave, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and turmeric. Blend until smooth as possible, stopping to scrape the sides as needed.

• Pour into a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat, while stirring often. As you stir it will start forming clumps, and then it will all thicken into a gorgeous cheesy sauce, this takes about 5 minutes. If your sauce gets too thick, feel free to thin it out with a bit of water to reach the desired texture. Remove from heat and enjoy however you like!

Notes

Tapioca starch: tapioca starch is what will give the cheese a stretchy texture. If you prefer you can use another kind of starch such as cornstarch, but note that it will not have the stretchy texture.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (recipe makes 4 servings) | Calories: 144kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 296mg | Potassium: 245mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 378IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg