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!
Just found this recently and made it yesterday. Very good and very forgiving! (I made a double recipe, misread & put 4 TABLESPOONS Dijon mustard in the double batch and it wasn’t ruined!)
Thanks!
I love this and I am not really a fan of nutritional yeast, at all. Even my very happy meat eating boyfriend said he would eat the Mac and cheese I made useing this sauce. (Just some noodles and broccoli) in my book THAT’S a keeper. He hates my vegan food normally.
Just made this sauce and I added some curry powder – with field roast sausages. SO DELICIOUS especially because I didn’t have cashews. Thanks Angela!
OMG OSG you are a genius. We began a one week vegan challenge 3 weeks ago and it has morphed into a one month vegan challenge. The challenge, it turns out, was not with the adults in the hose- we are convinced- but with the two teenagers in the home who claim veganism is boring. Boring!? I think this mackencheeze will be a winner for lunch today. Thanks!
Good luck with your challenge!! Glad I could help :)
I am not a vegan, but my niece is. I am trying to be supportive and I have been practicing on some recipes for thanksgiving. I actually like this sauce. I put a little extra onion in it (my preference.) I can see using it on multiple thing and as a dip. I can’t wait to surprise her on Thanksgiving.
DELICIOUS! I bought nutritional yeast on a whim, and while trying to figure out where to use it, found your sauce. It’s perfect. I’m not even Vegan and I love cheese. But I will absolutely use this sauce.
I really like colour, so to boost the yellow in the sauce I added a 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder. It ramps up the yellow and when I used the sauce in a Mac & “Cheeze” recipe I served next to a mixed greens, beet, and cashew salad. It was so bright and colourful–delicious and attractive.
I love your recipe. Thank you so much for sharing. My favorite variation (so far) is adding sun-dried tomatoes as well as, sautéed mushrooms, onions and spinach. Absolutely delicious!
Many thanks. The Quick and Dirty Vegan Cheeze Sauce is exactly what I’ve been looking for. I didn’t have any dijon so it was left out and still fabulous. I am newly dairy free and was so missing “the sauce”. You nailed it.
I just made this sauce to go on macaroni and it’s SO GOOD!
I make this without the earths best and it is still delicious! Thank you! I have been vegan for a couple of months and I have really enjoyed your recipes.
Is there anything I could sub in instead of earth balance? They were just bought out by a huge corporation, And they’ve really lowered the quality… I’m thinking coconut oil or do you think the flavor would be too overpowering?
Hey Robyn,
You might be able to use oil (maybe olive oil), but I haven’t tried it. I wouldn’t use virgin coconut oil because of the flavour (unless you used refined coconut oil which doesn’t have a coconut flavour). Hope this helps! let me know how it goes.
I cannot believe how good this is. This is my first ever vegan home cooked meal and it will not be my last. Amazing stuff! Thanks so much.
Thank you so much for this! I just tried it out right now and it tastes wonderful. :)
My biggest hurdle is two-fold: 1. I’m just starting to branch into cooking things that aren’t the very basics (i.e. boil pasta + add jarred sauce = dinner). 2. I’m a new vegan! That one is especially hard, since I’m still keenly aware of my nostalgia for the taste and texture of creamy/cheesy things. Most vegan alternatives I’ve found so far are unsatisfying at best, or taste bad.
This sauce was a pleasant surprise. Will be coming back to it lots in the future!
Hi I’m a new vegan also wasn’t sure if people’s comments here were people who are used to eating nutritional yeast did you find it strong tasting? This will be my first time eating it also I’ve noticed I seem to have more energy being vegan it’s been almost a month and I am really feeling good.would like to know if you experienced this also and how long it took you to notice
Thanks jackie
Love it! I know where I can buy cheap, tasty vegan creamy cheeses, but because I am allergic to corn I can’t have most of them. This recipe is great because it is so easy to make, tastes awesome and isn’t plotting to kill me.
For a slightly different taste, try adding cumin and/or nutmeg. Just a small amount. I think other spices might go well too, with experimenting.
Thanks for sharing!
Hi,
I love this sauce! I was wondering if you’ve ever frozen it and had it again later?
Do you think this cheese sauce would keep in a jar in the fridge or freezer?
What was the original 5-ingredient recipe? I can’t seem to find it…
Just tried this cheeze sauce and it is LOVELY!!! I don’t like the greasy feeling of Daiya, so this is a wonderful solution. When I added cooked mushrooms and macaroni to the sauce, it tasted almost exactly like a pre-vegan comfort food I enjoyed…now I have my mac n’ cheeze back! Thank you!
Add 1 tsp. corn starch and it will thicken more quickly.
Looks so delicious! Can’t wait to try it and sneak it in with dinner – maybe I can slowly convert my husband :)