Instant Pot Vegan Cheese Sauce
The best Vegan Cheese Sauce made with veggies and made in the Instant Pot! It's perfect for making classic mac and cheese but also tastes amazing with veggies, rice, baked potato, or as a base for dairy-free cheese dips. Gluten-free & nut-free option. Stovetop option
Servings: 6
Calories: 139kcal
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw cashews see note for Nutfree
- 1.5 cups peeled cubed Yukon gold potatoes
- ¼ cup peeled chopped carrots
- ⅓ cup chopped cauliflower florets or peeled chopped zucchini
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1.5 teaspoon lemon juice
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon stone ground mustard
- 1-2 teaspoon yellow or white miso , use chickpea miso for Soyfree
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoon pickle juice or ½ teaspoon vinegar
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1.5 cups water
To add later:
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoon 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
Nutfree: use ⅓ cup of pumpkin seeds or a mix of pumpkin seeds and hemp seeds and add another teaspoon of starch.
2 teaspoon vegan butter or oil to oil the pot
8 ounces Elbows
2 ¼ cups of water
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon 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.
- for a more intense, orange color, add some turmeric
- to add a smoky note, add 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika or some liquid smoke
- Nutritional yeast substitute: use 1 teaspoon miso as a sub.
2 teaspoon vegan butter or oil to oil the pot
8 ounces Elbows
2 ¼ cups of water
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon 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
Calories: 139kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 346mg | Potassium: 376mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 908IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg