Melty Stretchy Gooey Vegan Nacho Cheese
Only 15 minutes to make this melty, stretchy, gooey, dairy-free cheese. Pour it on nachos, serve it on a baked potato, use it in a quesadilla, or wherever you desire.
My Notes:
Servings:
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup(s) raw cashews (see notes)
- 1 cup(s) water
- 3 tablespoon(s) tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour)
- 3 tablespoon(s) nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoon(s) lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt (or to taste)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) white miso paste
- 1 teaspoon(s) paprika
- 1 teaspoon(s) agave or maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon(s) onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon(s) turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon(s) garlic powder
Instructions
- To soften the cashews: Boil them for 10 minutes until soft. OR soak the cashews for four hours or overnight. Drain before using.
- To make the nacho vegan nacho cheese: Add the softened cashews, water, and all the remaining ingredients to a blender, and blend until smooth. It will be very watery.
- Pour into a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat, while stirring. If you don't have a high-powered blender, you may want to pour the liquid through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth into the pot, to remove any cashew bits that didn't grind up. This will ensure a smooth cheese texture. As you stir it will start forming clumps, and then all of a sudden it will become a cheesy gooey mass of yumminess. This takes about 5 minutes. Continue to cook and stir for an additional minute or two to make sure it has firmed up completely.
Notes
Reheating: If you want to return the cold cheese back to dipping consistency, reheat over medium heat while stirring constantly so it doesn't burn. Once it is hot and bubbling it might have thickened up too much. You can thin it out by adding a tablespoon of water at a time, stirring it in until desired consistency is reached.
Tapioca Starch: only tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour) will give that stretchy texture, but you can prepare the cheese with other starch such as cornstarch or arrowroot powder which will give you more of a suace texture.
Soy-Free: To keep this recipe soy-free, swap out the miso for chickpea miso!ย
Cashew substitutes/ nut-free: I prefer cashews for this recipe but blanched almonds or macadamia nuts also work well, or for a nut-free version, raw sunflower seeds work well. Just make sure to boil these nuts or seeds to ensure they soften and blend smoothly.
This recipe is also found in Fuss-Free Vegan cookbook
Nutrition
Calories: 144kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 961mg | Potassium: 230mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 245IU | Vitamin C: 2.9mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1.7mg
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