Why does my cauliflower cheese sauce separate?

Cooking the cauliflower cheese at too high a temperature can sometimes cause the cheese to split , resulting in a slightly oily, grainy texture. A split sauce can also be avoided by removing the sauce from the heat before adding the cheese.

Is there a non dairy Velveeta?

Wayfare Dairy Free Cheese: Ready to Spread, Melt or Dip The Original tastes nearly spot on for Velveeta, but the ingredients are much more appealing. As promised, Wayfare Dairy Free Cheese is tasty as a cold, thick, creamy dip. It also melts with ease in the microwave for pouring on nachos or when broiled in the oven.

How do you keep cauliflower cheese from getting watery?

Drain well Make sure you drain the cauliflower really well after it's boiled up and before you add it to the dish, otherwise it will end up too watery.

Why do you soak cauliflower before cooking?

If you're planning to roast the cauliflower whole or slice it into steaks, slice off the thick stem at the base. Drop the whole cauliflower head upside-down into cool, salted water. Let it soak for 10 to 15 minutes to remove dirt, residue and bugs.

Why can't you reheat cauliflower cheese?

Can you reheat cauliflower cheese? Yes you can, and it will taste fine… But just be aware that it will dry out a little and the cauliflower will be a little bit softer … not a deal breaker, but definitely not as good as fresh! Simply place any leftover cauliflower in a lidded container and refrigerate.

Why does cauliflower cheese upset my stomach?

The culprit behind the stomachaches is cauliflower's fiber content , which becomes most troublesome when you increase your fiber intake too rapidly without giving your body time to adjust. Stomachaches join other side effects of overloading on fiber.

How do you make cheese sauce that doesn't split?

For Smooth, Stable Cheese Sauces, Cornstarch and Evaporated Milk Are Your Friends. How to make a stable emulsion of melted cheese using two basic pantry staples.

What is a Mexican substitute for Velveeta cheese?

You can also use a good Mexican melty cheese, like Chihuahua . But for a “queso” or cheese sauce used for dipping chips, I generally use a good-quality cheddar, grating it into a little hot milk until it melts, blending it well, and then adding whatever salsa or other ingredients I'm using for the “queso.”

What is a healthy substitute for Velveeta cheese?

Healthy Substitute for Velveeta Cheese If you want to find a healthy replacement for Velveeta cheese, try using pureed butternut squash or sweet potato . Both of these substitutes are naturally sweet and provide a creamy texture without the added fat and calories.

What is cheese sauce made of?

Classic cheese sauce begins with béchamel — a simple white sauce made of butter, flour, milk, and a few seasonings . Cheese is then added to the white sauce to create cheese sauce (called a Mornay sauce in French cuisine).

What is cauliflower made out of?

In Cauliflower plant, the edible vegetable part is called as 'Head' or 'Curd' . Botanically this curd is a white 'inflorescence meristem'. This means it is not a fully formed flower, it is a tissue which is supposed to form flowers.

What is the flavor profile of cauliflower?

Raw cauliflower has a subtly sweet, slightly nutty flavor . It is delicate and mild with a hint of pepperiness. Cauliflower's crisp texture yields a pleasing crunch when included in salads or used as a vessel for dips.

What is cauliflower puree made of?

Using a blender or immersion blender, blend cauliflower and liquid to form a very smooth purée. Season with salt. (You can adjust purée consistency as needed: Thicken by cooking down further while stirring often over low heat in a wide nonstick skillet, or thin by whisking in liquid, such as stock, cream, or water.)

Vegan Cheese Sauce Recipe with Cauliflower and Sweet Potato (2024)

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5 from 1 vote. Leave a review!

This is the ultimate vegan cheese sauce recipe made with cauliflower and sweet potato. As a staple recipe in my house, I’ve made this countless times at it never disappoints.

While there are plenty of vegan cheese sauce recipes out there, using a combination of cauliflower and sweet potato provides the best flavor and creaminess!

Vegan Cheese Sauce Recipe with Cauliflower and Sweet Potato (1)

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How to Make Vegan Cheese Sauce

There are 3 main ways to make vegan cheese sauce:

Take a non-vegan cheese sauce recipe and substitute for vegan ingredients. For example, if a recipe calls for butter, milk and cheese, use vegan butter, plant-based milk and a vegan cheese alternative.
Use soaked cashews (or other nuts) and blend them with plant milk and other flavoring ingredients to make a sauce.
Use cooked vegetables and blend them with flavorful ingredients.

This recipe falls into the blended vegetable category! While there’s certainly nothing wrong with the other two options, opting for a cheese sauce made primarily from vegetables can be a great way to boost your intake of essential nutrients.

Vegan Cheese Sauce Recipe with Cauliflower and Sweet Potato (2)

Vegan Cheese Sauce with Nutritional Yeast

The main way to flavor any type of vegan cheese sauce is with nutritional yeast. Also known as “nooch”, nutritional yeast is a fantastic staple for a vegan kitchen.

Nutritional yeast is packed with both flavor and, you guessed it, nutrition! This key ingredient really brings the cheese flavor to any vegan cheese sauce recipe.

Vegan Cauliflower Cheese Sauce Recipe

This vegan cheese sauce recipe uses two main vegetables: cauliflower and sweet potato.

Many other vegan cheese sauce recipes call for potatoes and carrots. I’ve tried a few of these recipes, and while they are tasty, I personally prefer the flavors that cauliflower and sweet potato bring to the table.

Cauliflower can be a pretty potent-tasting vegetable, but when combined with all the other flavors in this cheese sauce, you can’t really notice the taste (unless you don’t like cauliflower, in which case you may pick up the flavor).

Vegan Cheese Sauce Recipe with Cauliflower and Sweet Potato (3)

Sweet Potato Vegan Cheese Sauce

Using sweet potato is a fantastic option for making a creamy and rich vegan cheese sauce. Sweet potato vegan cheese sauce, compared to a recipe made with white potato, will be more flavorful. The sweetness from the sweet potato brings a nice depth of flavor to the cheese sauce, and contrasts well with the salty and tangy flavors in this recipe.

In addition, sweet potato provides some extra nutrition compared to white potato. Sweet potatoes are higher in beta carotene (precursor to vitamin A), which is an important nutrient, especially in vegan diets.

Using sweet potato in a vegan cheese sauce creates a final product that is more orange in color. While this may not be important to you, sometimes people like the nostalgia of creating vegan versions of childhood favorites. Having a meal that’s similar in color may help with that nostalgia.

How to Serve Vegan Cheese Sauce

This vegan cheese sauce recipe is extremely versatile. As I noted, this cheese sauce is a staple in my house, and for good reason. Vegan cheese sauce can be served with/ on:

Can you Freeze Vegan Cheese Sauce?

Yes! This vegan cheese sauce recipe freezes extremely well.

After preparing the sauce, let it cool completely then place into freezer safe containers. It can stay frozen for 3-4 months.

When you are ready to use it, thaw it out until you can get the sauce out of the container. Then heat it up over medium heat in a pot on the stove (stirring frequently) until it is warm again.

I love keeping a batch of this in the freezer. We mainly use it to make mac and cheese, chili cheese fries, or as a pizza sauce!

Vegan Cheese Sauce Recipe with Cauliflower and Sweet Potato (5)

Tips for Cooking a Delicious Vegan Cheese Sauce

Keep a close eye on the veggies as they cook. If the sweet potato is overcooked, the sauce can end up tasting a bit starchy.
This recipe works with any blender. For the longest time I didn’t have a high-powered blender and this recipe worked perfectly with my (extremely) old blender.
Soaking the cashews is key to a creamy sauce, especially if you don’t have a high power blender. If you don’t have cashews soaked and ready-to-go, soak them for 20 minutes in boiling water OR just toss them into the veggies while they cook.
If you don’t have tamari, you can substitute it for regular soy sauce.

Most of the time, I toss my cashews in with the veggies as they cook. This softens them up extremely well. Since I’ve had a high-powered blender, I no longer need to keep nuts soaking in the fridge, but using soaked cashews does make for a creamier sauce. I may update this recipe in the future to make this the standard direction, but for now, enjoy this as a great vegan cheese sauce tip!

📖 Recipe

Vegan Cheese Sauce (Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Base)

This vegan cheese sauce recipe made with cauliflower and sweet potato is a staple in my house. It's easy to make, nutritious, freezes well, and of course, tastes out-of-this-world amazing every time!

5 from 1 vote. Leave a review!

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Servings 4 Servings

Calories 216 kcal

Cuisine American-inspired, Vegan

Equipment

Ingredients

½ cup onion
2 cups cauliflower (large pieces)
1 ¼ cups sweet potato
1 cup water
½ cup cashews (soaked and drained*)
½ cup plant-based milk , unsweetened (not flavored)
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon tamari (or soy sauce)
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ tablespoon miso paste (white type)
½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
¼ cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon turmeric (optional, for extra color)

Instructions

Roughly chop the onion, cut the cauliflower into medium sized florets, and cube the sweet potato.
½ cup onion, 2 cups cauliflower, 1 ¼ cups sweet potato
Place these vegetables into a pot with water.
1 cup water
Bring the pot up to a boil and cook for about 8 minutes (with no lid), until the cauliflower and sweet potato are fork tender. Take the pot off the heat.
Place the remaining ingredients into a blender then add the vegetable mixture along with the cooking water.
½ cup cashews, ½ cup plant-based milk, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon tamari, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ tablespoon miso paste, ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup nutritional yeast, 1 teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon turmeric
Blend on the highest speed until the sauce is creamy and smooth.
Pour, dip, spread or use in any way you choose!

Notes

Accuracy of nutrition information cannot be guaranteed (certain ingredients may not have all nutrients listed in the database); amounts may vary (and will vary depending on brands of ingredients used); all nutrition fact values rounded to the nearest whole number.

*If you don't have pre-soaked cashews, you can cook them with the veggies and they should be soft enough to blend after boiling in the water.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 Serving (¼ of recipe)Calories: 216 kcalCarbohydrates: 29 gProtein: 9 gFat: 8 gSaturated Fat: 1 gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1 gMonounsaturated Fat: 4 gSodium: 896 mgPotassium: 613 mgFiber: 6 gSugar: 7 gVitamin A: 11928 IUVitamin C: 30 mgCalcium: 109 mgIron: 2 mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

More Vegan Sauce and Dressing Recipes

Like this recipe? You should also try:

TVP Spaghetti Sauce Recipe (Bolognese)
Tahini Dill Dressing Recipe (Vegan)
Lemon Herb Tahini Dressing Recipe
Tahini Pasta Sauce Recipe (Vegan)

Vegan Cheese Sauce Recipe with Cauliflower and Sweet Potato (12)

About Nicole Stevens

Nicole is a long-time vegan with a Masters of Science in Food and Nutrition.

She helps people thrive on a vegan diet with balanced recipes.