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The best Vegan Cheese Sauce made with veggies in the Instant Pot! It’s perfect for making classic mac and cheese but also tastes amazing with veggies, rice, or as a base for dairy-free cheese dips or use over nachos or baked potato! Gluten-free & nut-free option. Stovetop instructions as well.
Here’s an amazing Vegan Cheese Sauce that is super smooth, very creamy, and irresistibly cheesy. The best part? It’s all made in the Instant Pot so pretty hands-off! It tasted just like the real deal and your guests won’t believe it’s vegan!
Now, I already have this Vegan Queso recipe in the archive but while the queso recip0e is ideal as a dip or for nachos, this is more of an all-purpose cheese sauce. It’s brilliant drizzled over veggies and obviously utterly divine with pasta. Actually, it goes so well with pasta ! I added a Mac cheese recipe to the recipe card.
The recipe starts off with some creamy vegetables like cauliflower or zucchini, carrots, and potatoes. Cashews add more creaminess, and we also add in some spices like ground mustard, garlic, and onion powder for flavor. Then two important ingredients – miso paste and nutritional yeast! These two additions add the umami so don’t skip them.
Nutritional yeast has nothing to do with the active dry yeast that you buy for baking. It’s deactivated yeast and you can find it online at amazon but also at grocery stores. Adding nutritional yeast to dips and sauces lends them a cheesy flavor that you will find to be very addictive.
On to the method: This vegan cheese sauce recipe is so quick and simple to make using the Instant Pot. Simply dump everything together in the pot, cook it on high pressure and then puree it in a blender into a smooth creamy sauce. DONE!
I love to use this cheese sauce for Mac and cheese, over tacos, in deep dish cheesy pizzas or pastries. It’s versatile and so delicious!
More cheesy goodness:
- Vegan Spinach Mozzarella Cheese Melts
- Vegan Spinach Potato Cheese Stuffed Naan
- Sheet Pan Cheeseburger Veggie Dinner with Garlic Mayo Dressing
- Loaded Baked Potato Wedges with Creamy Cheese Sauce and Tofu Bacony Bits
- Vegan Mac and Cheese Powder
Instant Pot Vegan Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw cashews, see note for Nutfree
- 1.5 cups peeled cubed Yukon gold potatoes
- 1/4 cup peeled chopped carrots
- 1/3 cup chopped cauliflower florets , or peeled chopped zucchini
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp lemon juice
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp stone ground mustard
- 1-2 tsp yellow or white miso, , use chickpea miso for Soyfree
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp pickle juice or 1/2 tsp vinegar
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1.5 cups water
To add later:
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp all purpose flour or tapioca starch for gluten-free
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients, except the oil and onion powder to the instant pot with 1.5 cups of water. (Add miso mustard and water first and mix well so miso doesn’t clump up, then add the rest). Mix really well, close the lid, and pressure cook for 11 minutes.
- Let the pressure release naturally, then open the lid. Let the mixture cool for a few minutes then transfer the mixture to a blender with the oil and onion powder and flour/starch. Blend until smooth.
- You can store this mixture to use in dishes like vegan mac & cheese or other. or if you want to serve it over roasted veggies simply add it back to the instant pot or a saucepan and simmer for a few minutes to thicken. Taste and adjust salt and flavor. This sauce benefits from chilling for a bit for the flavors to meld more.
- Refrigerate for upto 4 days. Freeze for upto a month. Reheat to bring to a boil to thicken(freezing will have caused a bit of separation which will get smooth again on reheating)
- Saucepan: To make the cheese sauce on stovetop, add all the ingredients and 2.5 cups water instead of 1.5 cups, partially cover and cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender. Then cool and blend with oil, onion powder and flour or starch.
Video
Notes
- for a more intense, orange color, add some turmeric
- to add a smoky note, add 1 tsp of smoked paprika or some liquid smoke
- Nutritional yeast substitute: use 1 tsp miso as a sub.Â
2 tsp vegan butter or oil to oil the pot
8 ounces Elbows
2 1/4 cups of water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 tsp garlic  powder Add to instant pot and pressure cook 4 mins(or half the time on the package + 1 min) . Quick release carefully in short bursts. Check if the pasta is done. Add the cheese sauce and press sauté, cook until thickened.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients:
- a mix of cooked cauliflower and Yukon gold potatoes add volume
- raw cashews add that perfect creamy texture
- cooked chopped carrots add some color and a bit of sweetness
- salt – more or less depending on your taste
- lemon juice neutralizes the taste of the cashews
- seasonings: garlic, onion powder and ground mustard
- to up the umami, I add a blend of miso paste and nutritional yeast
- pickle juice and a small amount of vinegar add some acidity to round out the flavor
- a small amount of flour is added for additional thickening – for glutenfree use tapioca starch
Tips
- Nutfree: use 1/3 cup of pumpkin seeds or a mix of pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds
- you can use zucchini instead of the cauliflower
- you could use sweet potatoes instead of the potatoes but the color might be a bit more orange and queso-like
- for a more intense, orange color, add some turmeric
- to add a smoky note, add 1 tsp of smoked paprika or some liquid smoke
- Make this into Soup! Bring to a boil, Add some more water or broth to thin to preference and simmer for 5 mins. Top with croutons and serve!
How to make Vegan Cheese Sauce in the Instant Pot
Add all the ingredients, except the oil and onion powder to the instant pot with 1.5 cups of water. (You can mix the miso in the water first so that it doesn’t clump up then add the rest of the ingredients) Mix really well, close the lid, and pressure cook for 11 minutes.
Let the pressure release naturally, then open the lid. 
Let the mixture cool for a few minutes then transfer the mixture to a blender alongside the oil and onion powder and flour/starch. Blend until smooth.
You can store this mixture to use in dishes like vegan mac & cheese or if you want to serve it over roasted veggies simply add it back to the instant pot or a saucepan and simmer for a few minutes to thicken. Taste and adjust salt and flavor.
Ways to use vegan cheese sauce
Use it served over grilled or cooked veggies, as a topping for nachos, as a dip for veggie sticks or chips, over baked potato or blanched broccoli, over pasta or rice or make your favorite mac & cheese! Use it to dress tacos or on pizza. I added a quick recipe for vegan mac and cheese in the recipe card.
Storage
This cheese sauce can be stored for up to 4 days in the refrigerator.
Can you use a regular pressure cooker?
Yes. Start the time after pressure has reached and switch off at 11 minute mark and continue
Love this sauce. I substituted 1/4 cup extra cashews for the oil (so the sauce would be wfpbno), and the extra teaspoon of miso for the nutritional yeast (because I can’t stand nooch!).
So creamy & delicious! Thank you, Richa.
yay!
Thank you for this delicious recipe! I just made it and used part of it for a pasta dish. I can hardly wait to use the rest of it — likely on nachos.
I’ve tried maybe 6-8 different cheese sauces and yours is by far the best in terms of taste and texture. And it was so easy to do in the instant pot.
yay! thank you!
I settled on a recipe for a vegan cheese sauce that we loved and I looked no further. But trusting and loving your recipes as I do…I tried this when you first published it and we love it!
Thanks for another winner. I have a ‘Vegan Richa’ category on my Paprika Recipe Manager App.
This sauce is so easy to make and so delicious too! An instant favorite.
SO AMAZING! SO HEALTHY CUZ IT’S PACKED WITH VEGGIES! Forget using this as a dip or a spread, I was eating this by the spoonful because I enjoyed it so much! Thanks Richa for another amazing-slam-dunk-winner recipe!
Love your enthusiasm Maneesha!! Yay!
How do you think this would do with freezing?
Yes, in step 4: Refrigerate for upto 4 days. Freeze for upto a month. Reheat to bring to a boil to thicken(freezing will have caused a bit of separation which will get smooth again on reheating)
You didnt list a serving size.
Hi Ld! The recipe card notes that there are 6 servings. Enjoy!
When using gluten free elbow macaroni, should the cooking time be reduced?
Depends on the time mentioned on the package . I usually use either half the time or half the time plus 1 min. Gf pasta though cooks faster so use half the cook time mentioned on package