Before I went vegan, I was one of those people that would say I couldn’t live without cheese. Nachos was one of my all time favorite foods—I could not imagine a life without nachos. Even when I made the connection and became vegan, I accepted that I would never enjoy nachos the way I used to. Well.. lo and behold.. I now have a vegan, nut-free nacho cheese trick up my sleeve and I’m happy to say it hits on every single sensation I loved and remembered about nachos.

Pro-tip: if you want a super easy (but not nut-free) option, Siete Foods makes an amazing Mild Nacho Cashew Queso that works fantastically on nachos as well. Sprinkle on a little vegan shredded mozz (I like Good Planet, 365, and Daiya Cutting Board Collection brands) and you’ve got a very solid, quick and easy vegan nacho recipe!

Vegan Nut-Free Nacho Cheese Recipe

Ingredients (2–3 Servings)

• 1 cup potatoes, peeled and cubed
• .5 cup carrots, peeled and cubed
• .25 cup vegetable oil
• .25 cup plant-based milk, I used Silk soy milk
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• .5 tsp salt
• +Any combination of cayenne powder, chipotle powder (or use a small amount of real chipotle peppers in adobo sauce), chili powder, smoked paprika

Method

1. Boil the potatoes and carrots in pot of water for approximately 10 minutes or until fork tender. Drain them from the boiling water and add to a blender.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients to the blender and combine until smooth—taste and adjust seasonings to your liking. I usually go pretty light with all the red seasonings but then continue to add and build up flavor. I also usually end up adding more salt, more lemon juice.

3. Serve immediately over nachos. You could also use as a dip but it won’t be gooey like other vegan cheese dip recipes out there—I like to keep this recipe super simple. For nachos, I like any combination of tortilla chips, black beans, corn, cilantro, scallion, tomatoes, bell pepper, olives, etc. Add a slice of lime on the side for an extra punch of flavor. Enjoy!

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