A Guide To Perfecting a Vegan Cheese Sauce

It can be tricky trying to make the ideal plant-based substitutes at home sometimes – we get it. That’s where we step in with our handy tips, hints and recipes so you never feel like you’re missing out.

Perfecting your vegan cheese sauces

Vegan bechamel 

A bechamel, or white sauce, forms the base of many home-favourite recipes from lasagne to moussaka and it’s an easy recipe to veganise. It’s made by:

1. Melting 60g of plant-based butter in a saucepan 
2. Adding 50g of plain flour and whisking for two to three minutes
3. Then adding 1L of full-fat plant-based milk along with ½ tsp of nutmeg, black pepper and salt and keep whisking for three to five minutes more

Our top tips for the perfect bechamel are:

• Never stop whisking – seriously, it might seem repetitive, but you’ll be left with creamy and smooth results
• Pick the right plant-milk –anything unsweetened will allow for a good balance of flavour. We love unsweetened oat milk because it’s extra creamy

Vegan cheese sauce with plant-based cheddar 

This is a great option for any type of warming pasta sauce, bake or old favourite mac & cheese when you’d like to add an extra cheesy flavour to your cooking.

This is a great next step after you’ve perfected your plant-based bechamel because you’re going to need that as a starting point. Once you’ve reached step 3 with all your bechamel ingredients added to the saucepan, next:

1. Add 200g of grated vegan cheddar gradually for the final two minutes of whisking

 For vegan cheddar, we love using:

• VioLife’s epic mature cheddar
• Koko dairy-free cheddar
• Sainsbury’s grated vegan cheddar

Flex your new cheese sauce skills and give Val’s vegan mac & cheese recipe a go.

Vegan nacho sauce 

This recipe might seem like it has a lot of ingredients, but they’re all cupboard staples and it’s quick to knock together. Before you know it you’ll be making vegan nacho sauce like a pro!

1. Add 1 cup of cubed, cooked potato, ½ cup of cubes, cooked carrots, ½ cup of soaked cashews, 2 tbsp neutral oil, ½ cup of plant-milk and 2 tsp lemon juice to a blender
2. Blend on the highest speed for 20 to 30 seconds
3. Add 5 pickled jalapeño slices (including a splash of their pickling liquid), ½ tsp smoked paprika, 1 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tbsp corn starch and a pinch of salt 
4. Blend one more minute

Our top tips for the perfect vegan nacho sauce are: 

• Either soak your cashews overnight or in hot water for at least 30 minutes
• Again, choose an unsweetened plant-milk
• For neutral oil, we like to use sunflower seed oil
• If your sauce is a little too thick for you liking, don’t be afraid to add 1-2 tbsp water

Why not put it into practice with Val’s recipe for vegan tacos with nacho sauce and see for yourself?

Miso-based vegan cheese sauce 

This fourth option might seem a little surprising to anyone who hasn’t tried it, but it produces one of our all-time favourites sauces.

To make this miso cheesy sauce: 

1. Combine ½ tbsp white miso and 2 tbsp plant-based butter in a bowl
2. Transfer the mixture into a saucepan with ½ tsp black pepper and mix
3. Whisk in 1 cup of water and bring it to a simmer
4. Reduce down for two to three minutes

For plant-based butter, we love to use:

• Naturli Vegan Block
• Flora Plant-Butter
• Vegan Gold butter alternative

This recipe comes from Val’s cheesy gnocchi, so it’s only fitting that you give the whole dish a go for full flavour impact!

Be sure to let us know which cheesy vegan sauce you end up making in the comments below.