Easy Vegan Nacho Cheese
Vegan Nacho Cheese that’s ready in less than 10 minutes and using just a few ingredients, you can have Nachos in no time!
I recently made this for my Vegan Quesarito recipe, and decided it needed it’s own post since I really make this all the time! It’s so quick and easy and perfect for nachos in no time flat! Excellent for a movie or game day!
ingredients for Easy Vegan Nacho Cheese
- Vegan Cheese – To make this quick and easy, I’m using store-bought Vegan Cheese. I like the Cheddar Shreds by Daiya or Follow Your Heart the best, but you can use whatever you like. You can also dice up some sliced cheese as well. If you don’t like to use store-bought Vegan Cheese you can use my Tofu Cheese Sauce from my Mac n’ Cheese recipe, or my Cashew Based Cheese Sauce.
- Unsweetened Plant Milk – If you just melt vegan cheese on it’s own, it’ll be way too thick. So I like to thin it out with plant milk, make sure it’s unsweetened. I like using Ripple the best, but Oat Milk would work too. I would try to avoid Soy Milk as even the unsweetened variety can be sweet.
- Pickled Jalapeño Brine – This is what makes a Nacho Cheese a Nacho Cheese in my opinion! It adds that signature flavor! Use as much as you’d like!
- Seasonings – Beyond that, you can add any seasoning you like, however I’d urge you to do so sparingly. Things like Onion and Garlic Powder can really overpower the sauce. I really like just using Cheese, Milk and the Jalapeño Brine.
- Tapioca Starch – I used to add a tablespoon of Tapioca Starch to thicken mine, it also makes it a little stretchy, but there’s so much starch in most vegan cheeses that I don’t think it’s necessary. But if you want yours to be thicker and stretchy, then go ahead and add some.
how to make a vegan Nacho Cheese
You can either use pre-shredded Vegan Cheese or you can dice up some slices if you like as well. Either way, add the cheese along with the plant milk and pickled jalapeño brine. Start with 1/4 cup or milk and add more as needed, as all vegan cheese is different and will be thicker or thinner depending on what you buy.
Continuously stir the cheese mixture until it melts, adding any milk as needed. Once it’s melted and the consistency is where you like it, taste and adjust for seasoning. If using things like Onion or Garlic Powder, add a very small amount as they can over power the sauce. I personally just like using pickled jalapeño brine.
Enjoy on Nachos, or with a Quesarito or Cheesy Gordita Crunch!
more vegan TACO BELL RECIPES!
- Quesarito
- Cheesy Gordita Crunch
- Chick’n Quesadilla
- Creamy Jalapeño Sauce
- Doritos Locos Taco
- Grande Nachos Box
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, please leave a rating & review! It really helps out the blog and it makes my day, thank you!
Easy Vegan Nacho Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 oz Shredded Vegan Cheddar Cheese (See Notes)
- 1/4 – 1 cup Unsweetened Plant Milk (more as needed)
- 3 – 4 Tbsp Pickled Jalapeño Brine
- Salt to taste
Optional Seasonings
- Onion Powder
- Garlic Powder
- Smoked Paprika
- Sazon
Instructions
- You can either use pre-shredded Vegan Cheese or you can dice up some slices if you like as well. Either way, add the cheese along with the plant milk and pickled jalapeño brine to a saucepan over medium heat. Start with 1/4 cup or milk and add more as needed, as all vegan cheese is different and will be thicker or thinner depending on what you buy.
- Continuously stir the cheese mixture until it melts, adding any milk as needed. Once it’s melted and the consistency is where you like it, taste and adjust for seasoning. If using things like Onion or Garlic Powder, add a very small amount as they can over power the sauce. I personally just like using pickled jalapeño brine.
- Enjoy on Nachos, Tacos, Burritos!
So easy and it was great! So many of the nacho cheese recipes call for cashews and nutritional yeast amongst other things and I just didn’t have time for that today.
Thank you!
Glad you liked it! I do like a cashew based sauce, but sometimes I just want a quick and easy one too! Thanks!!