This rich and completely delicious walnut cheese is incredibly simple to make, with just 5 ingredients required (including water!). This simple vegan cheese sauce is the perfect solution for dunking, drizzling and pouring when you need a “cheesy” fix.
This recipe was originally published in September 2019. It has been updated for content and photos.
This easy vegan cheese sauce really stands out from the rest! Instead of using cashews or potatoes like many other vegan cheese recipes out there, we’re using walnuts to change things up a bit. Hence, walnut cheese.
Why you’ll LOVE this one!
- No soaking required! Unlike most cashew based sauces, you do NOT need to soak the walnuts if you’ve got a decent blender.
- No chopping, cooking or prep of any kind. Just grab the ingredients and throw them in the blender.
- Just 5 ingredients needed, and none of them are “weird” or hard to find. One possible exception being the nutritional yeast. However, if you’re accustomed to plant based cooking, you probably have some in your pantry.
- This cheesy dip is not only vegan, but it’s also naturally gluten free, soy free, and oil free!
- It’s seriously mouth watering. And yes, many cheese sauces are, but most require a fair bit more effort than this walnut cheese.
- Which brings us to the fact that this walnut cheese is ready in FIVE MINUTES! Truly, it takes no time at all from start to finish.
How to make it
(This is a summary with step-by-step photos, full recipe measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Gather your ingredients. All you’ll need is some warm water, walnuts and seasoning.
Add everything to a high speed blender and process until smooth and creamy. (photos 1-2)
NOTE: To get a smooth consistency, have your blender run for 1-2 minutes, taking breaks if needed, to prevent overheating.
That’s it! Easy, peasy, and incredibly tasty!
How to use it
Use this walnut cheese sauce in any way you’d use queso, or a cheesy dip. Here are some of my favourites!
- Drizzle it over corn on the cob.
- Pour some on your nachos, or in your tacos or burritos!
- Stir it into chili or top your favourite soups.
- If you’re not up for making cheese curds, use this to top your poutine.
- Drizzle it over these Mexican stuffed peppers or top your baked potatoes.
- Or just grab a spoon and enjoy! 🙂
How long will it keep?
This walnut cheese sauce tastes best served warm, so plan to serve it straight away.
Or, refrigerate for up to 3 days, and reheat in a small saucepan when ready to serve. Add a tablespoon or two of water, if needed to thin out the sauce.
Expert Tips
- As mentioned, there’s no need to soak the walnuts if you’ve got a powerful blender. If not, soak them for 30 minutes in hot water and then drain them before adding to your blender.
- If you’re not using a powerful blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec, turn it off, wait 30 seconds and start again until your walnut cheese is smooth. (This will help prevent overheating in a less powerful blender.)
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of additional hot water, as needed to reach desired consistency, if you prefer a thinner sauce.
- Change it up! If you’d like to switch up the flavours, sub the onion powder for garlic powder, paprika, smoked paprika, or any other spices you’d like. (Keep in mind darker seasoning will change the colour of your walnut cheese sauce.)
More cheesy recipes you’ll love!
- Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese
- Vegan Parmesan Cheese
- Vegan Poutine w/ cheese curds that SQUEAK!
- Healthy Cauliflower Cheese Sauce [SPICY]
- Vegan Mozzarella Cheese
If you tried this recipe, please let me know in the comments below. I always love hearing from you! Don’t forget to Subscribe to This Healthy Kitchen to be among the first to get my new recipes! You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube to see more delicious food.
Buon appetito
Rosa
📖 Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup walnuts
- 2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ cup hot water plus an optional extra tablespoon or two for desired consistency
Instructions
- Using a kettle or small pot, boil a cup or two of fresh water. (Since some will evaporate.)
- Add all the ingredients using only ¾ cup of the hot water to your blender and process until smooth and creamy. It will take about a minute or so for the walnuts to fully break down and become smooth. If needed, turn off your blender and start again until desired texture is reached. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. If you like a thinner sauce, add an additional 1-2 tablespoons of water and re-blend.
Ashley
It came out good but I’d really recommend added a splash of something acidic. I’ve used white vinegar, lemon juice, and even pickled jalapeño brine. It gives a more tangy cheese-like flavor.
Rosa
So glad you enjoyed it! Those sound like great additions.
Michelle
I am not vegan but trying to eat healthier. This recipe was really good I added a little more nutritional yeast and a pinch of smoked paprika. I am going to have it with some chips and salsa later this evening. Thanks for a quick tasty cheese sauce.
Rosa
You’re most welcome, Michelle. So glad you like it!
John
Rosa,
Love how quick this recipe was. I must confesss that I’ve been wfpb for nearly 3 years and have resisted making a cheese sauce as I was SURE it would disappoint. However, wow, this is soooo tasty! I now am going to experiment with different versions of this. Gonna do spicy maybe. And might try to do this over some chickpea pasta to have some Mac and chz. Thank you for what you do!
Rosa
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, John. 🙂
Rachel
That looks good, but it’s going to take way longer than 5 minutes. It will take longer than that to crack the walnuts! Nonetheless, I’m going to give it a try.
Rosa
Hmm, I’ve never cracked walnuts before, so I can’t comment on how long that would take. But if you buy shelled, as I use here, that would reduce the prep time for sure. Hope you love the sauce!
Rachel
Ah, purchasing walnuts never occurred to me. We have a tree that gives us at least 5 gallons a year, so I don’t foresee buying extra. I’m looking forward to trying the recipe.
Dorothy
Oh Rachel you are very fortunate for sure to have a walnut tree. My mom would bring me gallon ziplock bags when she visited and I referred to them as bags of gold lol. Nothing better than fresh walnuts!
Marco
Fatto è ottima
Ho provato la variante con le mandorle e il curry (avevo finito le noci)
Rosa
Grazie mille, felice che ti sia piaciuto. 🙂
Andrea J Kauffman
Would this be good with noodles for mac and cheese for our 3 and 5 year old?
Rosa
Yes, I think it’d be great, just add a bit more water to get a saucy consistency. Enjoy 🙂
Janet
What can I use instead of nutritional yeast, as I don’t use yeast in any form, regardless of those who boast it’s nutritional value? Thank you for any information because I’d like to try this!
Rosa
Hi Janet, the nutritional yeast is used as a flavour enhancer, and there really isn’t a great sub for it. What you can do instead, is add other flavours you like. Some lemon juice or apple cider vinegar and some garlic powder with any other seasoning you prefer.
Janet
Thank you for responding. I have seen it listed as an ingredient before and just really didn’t know what its function was. Time to do some experimenting! 🙂
Rosa
My pleasure Janet. Hope you enjoy, I’d love to hear what you end up trying. 🙂
Shirley
I am excited to try
Lucie
I just made this and it’s delicious 😋 I added a couple of tablespoons of hot water to make the blender run more smoothly and it was a really good consistency. I love that this is an easy recipe!!! 🙌🏼 As a busy mom of 4, I rely on delicious but easy recipes like this one to feed my picky young eaters!!! Thank you so much for all your amazing recipes. 😊
Rosa
Thanks for taking the time to leave a review Lucie, much appreciated, and glad you enjoyed!
Kelli
I just made this, and it’s great, but have you successfully froze it and found it to still be good?
rosa
Glad you like it Kelli. I haven’t tried freezing this one yet but I suspect it would be fine.
Nicole
Sounds like this would be easiest with a food processor?
rosa
Hi Nicole, if you have a powerful food processor you may try it that way. It may take a little longer to fully break down so run it a little longer as needed. Hope you enjoy!