One of the things that has surprised me the most with vegan cuisine is how I’m able to create similar flavours and textures that I used to enjoy while eating animal products. The goal, for me, is not to aim for the vegan dish to taste exactly the same, but to try to bring out something about the non-vegan dish that I really enjoyed, like a rich sauce or a thick chocolaty pudding. This doesn’t apply to all foods however, I have no desire to create a dish that has the texture of meat because I just don’t crave that texture or taste anymore. It really just depends on the food!
[Butternut Squash Mac n Cheeze: Two Ways]
One of the things I’ve always loved about Mac ‘n Cheese is that it’s comforting and creamy. When I make a vegan version of Mac ‘n Cheese, I’m not trying to create a carbon copy, but a dish that gives me that same type of comforting feeling when I eat it.
Over the past couple years, I’ve found that I can create dishes that satisfy my cravings without having to sacrifice. I crave the new dishes that I make, instead of the dishes I used to eat. Now that I’m used to this lifestyle I rarely feel like I’m missing out. The only time I feel left out is when I am eating at a non-vegan friendly restaurant, otherwise I have so many choices the hardest part is trying to decide what I will eat!
One thing I don’t always enjoy about vegan cooking and baking is the often long ingredient list that is required to make some recipes. The recipes tend to involve more creativity, more spices & seasonings, and other ingredients to achieve that outcome that I’m looking for. It’s not necessarily a bad thing per say, but sometimes I just want a quick and dirty recipe that I know I can whip up within a minute’s notice.
This 5-ingredient cheeze sauce is one of those quick and dirty recipes that I know I will keep coming back to again and again! It’s hands down the easiest cheeze sauce I’ve made and it doesn’t require a food processor or other special kitchen tool. Just a stove top and a whisk…gotta love that!
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Low-Fat Vegan Cheeze Sauce
Yield
2/3 cup
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This is the Lexus of all the cheeze sauces I’ve made to date. It’s extremely smooth, buttery, and comforting!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsweetened, unflavoured almond milk (or more as needed to thin out)
- 6 tbsp nutritional yeast (Bob’s Red Mill makes one in natural food section of most grocery stores or bulk food stores)
- 1 tbsp Earth Balance or other non-dairy buttery spread
- 1 tbsp all purpose flour (or other flour)
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
- In a skillet or pot, melt the Earth Balance over medium heat.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour and milk until all clumps are gone.
- Add milk & flour mixture and nutritional yeast to pot and whisk well. Reduce heat to low-medium.
- Add Dijon, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper to taste and whisk frequently until the sauce thickens up, for about 5 minutes. If it’s still too thin you can add more flour to achieve the thickness you desire. To reheat: reheat in the microwave or on the stove-top (add a splash of milk if it’s too thick) and whisk well. Store in an air-tight container for up to 5-7 days.
Just 5 ingredients and just as delicious as the other sauces I’ve made!
I first made this sauce a couple weeks ago and we’ve been enjoying it a lot! I’ve poured it into pasta, on vegetables, sandwiches, etc. It’s so silky and delicious, you really have to try this. You could also get creative and add some herbs or spices to it to change it up quite easily.
Yesterday, I also made a fantastic lunch with it…
more on that recipe tomorrow!
The Quick & Dirty 7-Ingredient or Less Challenge
Speaking of short ingredient lists, I thought it would be fun to challenge myself to create more vegan recipes with as few ingredients as possible. Quick & Dirty recipes if you will!
My goal is to create more recipes with 7 ingredients or less that don’t require a lot of time or even special kitchen tools. It’s going to be tough, but I’m really excited for the challenge!
I’m curious, what’s your biggest cooking or baking hurdle? Long ingredient lists, hard to find ingredients, special kitchen tools, not enough time?
Leave me a comment below if you have any recipes in mind that you’d like ‘condensed’…no pun intended!
So excited to try this!
The only hurdle I find extremely challenging is living in such a small farm town. Not many people that live here keep an open mind to different diets, and things like Earth Balance just don’t sell in a regular grocery store. Sometimes finding ingredients that are vegan friendly is impossible!
This literally took me less than 10 mins to prepare and cook. And it tasted AMAZING! I think the addition of Dijon mustard is genius – I wouldn’t have thought of it, but I it took this to the next level!! AMAZING!! Best vegan cheese sauce I’ve ever tasted – hands down. Thanks so much Angela – you’re incredible!!
Thank you! I have recently been cutting out dairy and have been looking for a non dairy Mac n cheese option. Being an university student, the cost of all the different ingredients and time most vegan recipes require is quite daunting. This recipe was perfect! The mac n cheeze recipe was great, especially after adding some sautéed tomatoes! Yum!
Hi Angela, I have made this recipe the last 3 nights in a row – served on baked potato, then pasta, then fries :-) It is so delicious. I can’t thank you enough for providing what has been the first vegan cheese sauce I have found that really does taste like cheese! I’ve only been vegan since January 2015 and I was getting kinda desperate!
This. Is. Amazing. The ‘stretchy’ quality is fascinating; I didn’t think it possible in vegan cooking. That your recipe falls well within your seven ingredient challenge by only containing five, I, very respectfully, recommend one more for its substantial impact-the tiniest pinch of nutmeg. It screams ‘creamy’, seeming to take your cheeze sauce a touch deeper into dairy dreams of past. Lmk if you feel the same!
What would be the best substitute for the vegan butter in this recipe? I live in Japan and we don’t have much vegan butter to go around. ^_^
LOVED this recipe! No strange ingredients, I had everything on hand it came together super quickly and worked well with a gluten free flour mix. It was also a hit with my spouse and toddler! Will definitely make again and again!
My daughter just found out she has many food allergies, and it’s been rough. She’s missing cheese! She can’t do almonds, rice or soy either. Have you tried this with a different kind of milk, like coconut or flax?
you were asking what our biggest hurdle is… mine is no wheat! and thoughts
Hello!
I’m just trying you quick cheeze sauce for the first time and I thought I’d just let you know about my cheat!
I popped all the ingredients in my bullet, whizzed them up and then heated the sauce in a pan. It seems to have turned out well and ready to be poured over my greens when they are steamed.
I’ve been a veggie for over 30yrs and now I seem to be edging gradually towards a vegan diet, so this sauce will be a boon!
Your recipes are just fab.
Thank you.
Hilly (England)
I just made this sauce with some whole wheat macaroni noodles and it is soooo good! It was the first time I’d tried to make a vegan cheese-like sauce, and I’m really impressed. The only thing I did differently was that I used real butter (I didn’t have any vegan butter), and I added a little turmeric. Absolutely perfect flavor and so super-easy! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Just made this and my cheese loving daughter ate it up with no complaints – delicious!! You are a genius.
My plan:
Bake some potatoes. Scoop out the flesh and put it in a bowl. Make your five ingredient cheese sauce (I’m also going to try it with your cashew cheese recipe another time too). Chop onions and add them to the bowl with most of the cheese sauce. Stuff potato jackets. Bake again. Sprinkle with remaining sauce, smoked paprika, and some green onions
You had me at Quick and Dirty ;) This sounds so good and easy! Thank you for sharing.
I literally just made this for my hubby’s lunch, and it was so quick and easy to make, The ingredients were really simple I had them all in hand, and the consistency of the sauce was so perfect. It sure isn’t Mac and Cheese, but like you said, it’s just as good and comforting! Thank you for your recipe!
Found this tonight, made it tonight. LOVE it! Simple, tasty, so awesome!
WOW! I just made this and have to confess – I ate it all in one sitting! haha! I followed the directions/ingredients to a “T”, and then when the mixture was nice and thick, I added a few extra splashes of lemon juice and Frank’s Hot Sauce for an extra little kick. It was really fabulous! Thank you SO much for this recipe! It’s super-fast, super-easy, and super-yummo!
PS – your cookbook is awesome!
This sauce was so so easy to make and really delish! it took a couple minutes to pull it together– while i waited for my water to boil and pasta to cook! Loaded up my bowl with a pile of fresh baby spinach, topped with hot pasta, and smothered with some of this sauce!! Hit the spot, and my cheezy comfort food craving!! I’ll definitely be making this again! Thank you!
Oh my wow. This really is the Lexus of cheeze sauces!! Best I’ve tried. And it doesn’t leave you feeling all heavy and icky afterwards. This recipe is a keeper!!
This is, hands down, my favorite sauce on noodles. I could eat it every day. And might!!!
Glad the recipe’s a hit, Danielle! :)