This vegan nacho sweet potato cheese is made from, wait for it...sweet potatoes! Specifically, sweet potatoes that are blended with creamy coconut milk with zesty seasonings. Be amazed.
This is going to happen from time to time. The beauty of publishing your own website is that you can say pretty much whatever you want.
The curse of publishing your own website is that you can pretty much say whatever you want.
In my case that means occasionally blurting out post titles like this one.
The great thing about this post is that it is, in fact, nacho sweet potato cheese! But at the same time, it is your sweet potato cheese, because I'm sharing it with you. Lucky you.
About this sweet potato cheese, it really tastes like nacho cheese sauce.
I had mentioned that I was going to make this to my husband. I think he kind of forgot about it or blew it off, thinking whatever, weird food blog things, not his concern. Anyway, when I busted out of the kitchen with a dish of this stuff and offered him a taste he was all "What's this? It tastes like nacho cheese! Vegan? Sweet potato? No way!"
So, why sweet potatoes? Well, it's winter and I love sweet potatoes, for starters. I've also been aware for a while of folks making similar saucy vegan cheeses out of all kinds of veggie bases. Potatoes seem a popular one. I was kind of surprised that I hadn't come across a sweet potato one. The sweetness seemed like it'd lend a nice flavor. Then there's the fact that sweet taters are less starchy than regular old potatoes, so the resultant cheese should be smoother. Oh, and it's orange. Like nacho cheese. Bam!
I think I'll be making this one all the time and putting it to all kinds of uses. Maybe more than coconut bacon. Maybe more than cashew cream cheese. This is it. Stick around.
📖 Recipe
That's Nacho Sweet Potato Cheese!
Ingredients
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced into ½ to 1 inch cubes
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
- 3 tablespoons olive oil or other vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce (or to taste)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
Instructions
- Place the sweet potato cubes into a medium saucepan and cover with water. Place the pot on stove over high heat and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and allow to simmer until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain and allow the potatoes to cool a bit.
- Place the sweet potato and all remaining ingredients into a food processor bowl. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides of the bowl as needed. Taste test and adjust seasonings as needed. Blend again.
- Serve with chips.
Notes
I made my batch very thick. If you'd like yours thinner, just add water or unflavored non-dairy milk until desired consistency is reached.
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I have loved this recipe for years!
I recently started using 1/2 a can of Farmers Market Organic Sweet Potato Puree in lieu of boiling my own and I can make this sweet sauce in 5 minutes!
Thank you!
This just sounds so darn good! I really appreciate the fact you used Garlic Powder instead of fresh! I find many Vegan recipes to go to heavy on raw garlic.I mean,I loooove garlic,but from reading the recipe,this sounds like it is balanced flavor wise. If it wasnt 11pm,I would make it right now!
Did you use canned coconut or the cold kind? Like in the refrigerated section?
I used the canned kind. The kind in cartons would work too, but I think canned gives it better flavor and richness. :)
I did not try recipe yet but need to k ow what I ca n use in pls e of srichara? My guests don't lime spicy.
You can use a milder variety of hot sauce - I find Crystal to be pretty mild and usually can't detect the heat in recipes like this. Otherwise I'd just taste-test it and add some extra lemon juice if it's not quite tart enough.
sometimes i use this recipe subbing a splash of almond milk and some tahini for the coconut milk when I dont feel like using the rest of the coconut milk can for a dessert later in the week. it works very well! though i do love the coconut milk version, and it's a great recipe to make sure you get through your coconut milk when you need some for a dessert. either way, it's so easy and cheap, i cant help whipping it up in a second... i'm definitely putting on some pounds i'm so obsessed.
Great idea! I've used tahini in some vegan cheese recipes myself, and always love the results. I'm so glad you're enjoying this!
Thank you for this recipe! I'm a retail dietitian, so I'm always looking for fun ways present vegetables to my shoppers, and this recipe was extra fun! This came out delicious and spicy...and thick, like you said! Because all of my customers can't handle spice, I tried to cut it by adding 2 extra tablespoons of coconut milk and 1 tbsp of water. It helped cut the spice and make the dip a bit looser. I had some leftover and am going to freeze it for another time. I will certainly be back to check out more of your recipes - and everyone who stopped by my table and picked up the recipe now has your website too! Keep doing what your doing!
That is so cool! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe with your shoppers. I'm so glad it was a hit!
Love, Love, Love this recipe! I love in Costa Rica and finding nutritional yeast is a bit of a challenge. However, by increasing the soy sauce and adding almond milk along with a little Oat milk it came out so creamy and a little nutty. (Which I like) my kids even enjoyed it.
Thank you!
Yay! I'm glad this is a hit with you and your kids! Thanks Jasmine!
This sauce is BOMB! So good! I had my doubts, but it is amazing! The only change I made was to use minced garlic b/c I didn't have any garlic powder. Now I'm thinking of so many recipes to use it on! Assuming I don't just drink it ;)
Yay!! I'm so glad you like it! Thanks Julie!
Another one of your recipes that turned out great. I will beusing this as so much more than just a dip!! Yum!
I'm so glad to hear that! Thanks JoAnne!
Have to say that I'm a little confused by all of the good reviews - I followed this recipe exactly and it didn't taste very good at all. Made it for nachos and it ended up all going to waste, unfortunately.
I'm sorry to hear that!
i used almond milk and omitted the oil - did not want rich or heavy - added a tad more garlic - excellent and very creamy whipped it up in my vitamix
thank u for the recipe !!!!!!!!!!!!! and also very economical**************
Yay!! Glad you liked it!!
What an awesome recipe. I feel like I hit the vegan cheese lotto. :-)
I'm so glad you like it!! Thanks Patrice!
I've made this a few times and love it. It's a wonderful recipe as is, but a change I've made is to add only one tablespoon of soy sauce and lemon juice then add more to taste. Adding turmeric also tones down the sweetness of the coconut milk and potato.
I'm glad you like it! I'll have to try it with turmeric!
This cheese sauce is amazing!!! Since going bcc last July i have made cheese sauce out of cashews, cauliflower, potato and carrot but this is so easy and tastes great! Glad to have found your site! Went to a vegan supper club happy hour tonight and the host made your Portobello mushroom sliders :) soooo good!
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks Marcia!
Absolutely the most delicious vegan nacho cheese..ever! I brought it to a Super Bowl party last weekend, and it was a hit with everyone, even non-vegans. 😊
That is awesome!! I'm so glad it was a hit! Thanks Michelle!
Love this recipe- have made it several times!
Yay!! I'm glad you're enjoying this!
Made this to go on top of your philly cheesesteak recipe. Yum all the way around! Do you think it can be frozen?
Yay!! Glad you like it! I think it would freeze okay, but I haven't tried it. Please let me know how it works out if you do!
Can I just use regular coconut milk? Unsweetened?
The recipe works best with full fat, but you can use just about any variety that's unsweetened. :)
Just made this yesterday, and it was AMAZING! This is definitely the best vegan cheese sauce I have tried. Both my non-vegan husband and myself loved the recipe!
Awesome!! I'm so glad it was a hit!! Thanks Ali!
Hey Alissa just made this, IT IS AWESOME, does not taste like sweet potatoes, which is good because I cannot stand them BUT this also comes from an Omnivore! Thank you
I'm so happy to hear that!! Thanks Lee!
Happy New Year as well! :)
Happy New Year to you too!!
Wow, this looks awesome! I love sweet potatoes too. Great idea. You make such good recipes, Alissa I love them!
Thanks so much!! I'm glad you're enjoying them!
Hi Alyssa, do you think with all the other added ingredients it will still taste like sweet potato? My daughter absolutely dislikes sweet potato but would love the consistency in the philly sandwich. She also dislikes most vegan cheeses. Thanks for your help!
I don't think it tastes too much like sweet potato, but then again I'm not sensitive to the flavor. I actually have a newer cheese sauce recipe that works with this one - it's made from cauliflower and cashews. That might be a good one to try for your daughter: https://www.connoisseurusveg.com/thats-nacho-cauliflower-cheese/
I know this has been out there for awhile, but I'm just now seeing it and giving it a go. I am completely blown away by how delicious it is! I backed off the soy sauce (I used 2 tsp Braggs liquid aminos) but that was the only change I made. Incredible flavor, texture, and appearance! My daughter-in-law is allergic to cashews and every non-cashew vegan cheese sauce I made was just not as good, but this one will replace them all! She is going to be THRILLED! Thank you so much for such an outstanding recipe!
Yay! I'm so glad you like it! I hope your daughter-in-law enjoys it!!
What can I use in place of soy sauce? My son is allergic to everything under the sun. He cannot have soy, dairy, egg, tomato, potato, corn, chicken, pork, gluten, oats, wheat, seafood, fish, no nuts of any kind except coconut, and I am sure I am leaving something out....
I do have some coconut aminos but wasn't sure if that would work the same way? I am new to this type of cooking
Coconut aminos should work just fine. :) I hope you enjoy!!
OMG I was so skeptical that this would be any better than other 'cheez' sauce that I've tried from Pinterest, but WOW. Sweet potato goes so silky smooth, this really doesn't taste of coconut at all and I can't stop spooning it from the processor - hope there's enough left for dinner (I made a massive batch, but even so...).
I used Coconut Aminos instead of soy sauce. It's expensive but tastes so much smoother than soy sauce and it added a nice background note here (it's not as overpoweringly salty as Braggs Liquid Aminos either).
Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks Abbi!
Hi, this looks amazing. But I have a question, my son has PKU, he can't eat much protein so he eats a vegan diet. Is there anything I can substitute the nutritional yeast with? Odd as it sounds, the yeast has a lot of protein for someone with PKU. Thank you!
I'm not sure if there's a substitute, but you could try bumping up the amounts of the other seasonings. I find hot sauce especially adds some cheesy flavor, so if you don't mind a little extra heat, use more of that. :)
I'd love to try this! Is the canned coconut milk lite or full fat?
Doesn't it just taste like coconut, btw?
I used full fat, but I think light would work too! And I didn't find it to be coconutty tasting at all. :)
I've tried my hand at several vegan "cheese" sauces throughout the years, and this is by far my favorite! Thank you for the recipe!
I'm so glad to hear that! Thanks Shannon!
This is my go-to cheese sauce now! However, sweet potatoes don't make it into my house much, so I used a couple of regular potatoes and it turned out fantastic! And instead of sriracha I used sambal oelek, cause that stuff is bomb!
I love this cheese. We use it on taco, as a dip, on beans. Its great.
Glad you're enjoying it! Thanks Peggy!
Wow. Wow. Wow!! This is so far the best vegan cheese sauce I have tried, it blew me away! Super easy to make and delicious! Thank you for this recipe. :)
Awesome!! Thanks so much Kami!
Sorry I haven't tired the recipe as written. I made this with what I had on hand, substituting using Silk Creamy Cashew Milk for the coconut milk, lime juice for the lemon juice, and tamari soy sauce instead of regular soy sauce. Very tasty using these ingredients, too.
Oh nice! I get tons of questions on substitutions, so I always appreciate feedback on how they work out in my recipes. Thanks so much, and I'm glad to hear it was tasty! :)
This seems an amazing recipe! I'd love to try it, but do you think I can skip the oil and adding something else (milk/water)?
Thank you!
I think so. It won't be quite a smooth and rich, but it should still be pretty good with an unflavored plant milk.
I tried it and it's great!
I replaced the oil with soy milk.
Next time I will reduce a little bit the amount of soy sauce and garlic because it was too strong for me.
Thank you for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for stopping back over to let me know. :)
The recipe is the best! I've lost count of the number of times we've made it. Here are just a few of the ways we've used it: as a pizza sauce, in casseroles, on roasted veggies, on salads, and as a sandwich condiment. There was one desperate occasion where we used corn, since we were out of sweet potatoes, and it still turned out delicious. Your recipe will always be treasured in our home. Thank you, Alissa!
Nice! I've tried it in quite a few dishes too, and I'm always pleased with how it works out. So glad you're enjoying it. Thanks so much Kristen!!
I just arrived home from work, opened Pinterest, this post was at the top of my screen, and I could not have been more excited! Being an omnivore, but trying to gradually cut out most meat and dairy from my diet, this is right up my alley! I've been craving nachos something fierce lately too, so the timing is absolutely perfect! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I cannot wait to try it!
On an entirely different note, as another adult with an obsession with dinosaurs, I LOVE your blog name! You've gained a loyal follower in me! Keep up the good work, my dear!
Awesome! I think this should definitely satisfy your nacho cravings. Hope you enjoy it. Thanks so much Carey! :)
The nacho cheese is amazing. I feel like I'm eating something I shouldn't be. I had broccoli for breakfast just so I could drizzle this on it.
I bake a bunch of sweet potatoes at the start of the week to have for breakfast, so I just slipped one out of its skin into the food processor. I didn't heat anything up and it came out just fine. Thanks for sharing this recipe! Can't wait to try it on other vegetables!
everytime I make this it's a hit!!
Awesome! Thanks for letting me know!
This recipe is seriously so amazing, it's addictive! Thank you so much for sharing!
hi, came across this recipe via Pinterest and it looks amazing! I have some puréed sweet potato sitting in my fridge that I would like to use. Do you have an approximate amount I should be using since I'm skipping the step of cutting an whole sweet potato? Did that make any sense at all? Thanks, can't.wait to try this recipe!!!
Yup! That totally made sense. I think I usually get about 2/3 to 3/4 cup of puree per sweet potato. You might want to start with a bit less and then add more sweet potato slowly until the flavors seem about right. Hope you enjoy! :)
Thank you for responding! I'm making this tomorrow :)
Hi, I reeeeally want to try this tonight but I don't have a shop near me that sells the nutritional yeast - as I am dairy free I can't substitute Parmesan Cheese for it which is what everyone seems to recommend - is there anything else I could use instead of the yeast this time? Or should I wait to make it and enjoy it in all its glory...?!
Thansk!
Hi Jo! Nutritional yeast has a pretty distinct flavor, so I can't recommend any substitutes without doing some experimenting. Sorry - I wish I had a suggestion, but I think your best bet is to wait until you can get your hands on some. :)
Is the coconut milk the canned or the carton variety?
It's the canned variety. You should be okay subbing the kind in cartons - it just won't be quite as rich. Enjoy!
Can't wait to make this for a Super Bowl party tonight! Question: can I substitute my homemade almond milk or is the coconut milk necessary for flavor?
Hi Laura! Almond milk should be fine - I just like that little bit of richness that the coconut milk adds. Enjoy!
I’m excited to try this recipe. Since I’m allergic to soy would you suggest a substitute, please? Thanks so much.
You could try Bragg's coconut aminos - it's available at most health food stores. Enjoy!!
Delicious. Easy to adjust the seasonings to personal preference. I steamed the potatoes in my rice cooker then the peels just slid right off. So easy!
Oh, nice! I'll have to give that a try - thanks for the tip, and the nice review! :)
I'm on a dairy elimination diet and had a hankering for nachos, so I thought I would give this a try - yum! But what really just blew my mind was some of the leftover cheese stuffed in celery. Best healthy snack ever! Thanks for the awesome and innovative recipe.
I put some on celery too! I've actually come up with a billion different ways of eating this stuff I first posted the recipe. I'm so glad you liked it. Thank you for sharing your results!! :)
This was genuinely amazing. I had my doubts, and I'm really picky about my vegan cheeses, but this is the #1 best vegan cheese I have ever, ever made at home (or ever tried at all, I think). My omnivorous roommates, work friends, and parents devoured it and didn't even stop to question it once -- after they tried the first bite (even with me explaining that it wasn't real cheese), their eyes got wide and they gobbled it down.
I will say, though, that it's important to let the cheese cool once it comes out of the food processor, and it's also important to use maybe *just under* 2 Tbsp of soy sauce (rather than what I did, which was a rounded 2 Tbsps), because otherwise the cheese tastes overwhelmingly of soy sauce. When it was first processed, and still really warm, I actually couldn't eat it because of the soy sauce taste, but once it cooled down a bit and I added some more nutritional yeast & coconut milk, it was amazing.
Thank you!!!!
Thanks Miranda! So glad to hear everyone enjoyed it. I just updated the post to include a step of taste testing and adjusting the seasonings - I could see how the amounts for some might vary depending on the size of the sweet potato, amount of hot sauce, and personal taste. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment and let me know how it turned out! :)
I use this recipe all the time! It's so easy and crowd pleaser.
Today I used it in a vegan enchilada casserole. Turned out great! https://www.kidneybeing.com/post/ground-beyond-meat-enchilada-casserole
Great idea! I'm so glad you're enjoying it! Thanks Cate!
I don't think you can have a rounded spoon of anything liquid LOL.
I love that you came up with a sweet potato based cheese sauce, very creative! I am not big on store bought vegan cheeses at all. Pinned and added to my "to-make" list. Thank you! :)
Wowwie zowwie!!! Made this to put on top of my spaghetti with Trader Joe's vegetarian chili. I made another nacho cheese recipe that was made with potatoes and a billion other ingredients and made a mess of my kitchen! It was totally yummy, but this recipe knocks its socks off, and it is sooooo effortless!! Thanks for this gem of a recipe. The soy sauce was a little overpowering for my taste, so I'll just cut it in half next time.
Yay!!! I've been meaning to try this on chili myself. Glad to hear it's a good combo and so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for letting me know!! :)
I just adapted this recipe to use in my roasted vegetable lasagna. I used to use cashew cheese, but no more!
I doubled the sweet potatoes, tripped the coconut milk, and instead of sriracha, I put in a tsp of italian seasoning. Everything else is the same as in the original recipe. Delicious!
Woah...brilliant! I had a bunch of ideas for this stuff, but I never thought to do anything like that. Sounds like a perfect lasagna for fall. I'm so glad you enjoyed it and thank you so much for sharing! :)
Oh. My. Gawd. When I saw this recipe pop into my inbox I wanted to try it. SO, my husband made this for me on Friday for our 5th wedding anniversary (which is also Halloween)! It was AMAZING. He's neither vegan nor vegetarian and he was blown away by how delicious and easy this was! The next day we used what was left over dolloped onto our bowls of vegan bean chilli - it was fantastic! We're going to keep sweet potatoes on hand at all times so we can make this again and again! Thank you!! I would give this a million stars if I could.
Awesome!! That is just about the best review I could ever hope for! I love that you put in on chili - I've got to make some chili soon so I can try that out. Thank you for the idea and thank you so much for sharing. You totally made my day :).
How long can this be stored?
It should be good in the fridge for 3 or 4 days.
On chili is a great idea!! I was out of potatoes and needed some more cheese sauce for a recipe! I just microwaved my sweet potato and then added all to the blender! Yummy and thank you!