One of the first recipes I learnt when I left home was how to make cheese sauce. It was just so useful. But not that easy as first I had to master how to make a roux, add the milk correctly and avoid lumps.
Of course, once I went dairy-free, this trusty cheese sauce was off the menu. But then I discovered cashew cheese sauce using nutritional yeast and a little dollop of mustard to get the right flavour. OK, it’s not exactly like ‘normal’ cheese sauce, but it does the job perfectly well. And it’s really easy – no more lump challenges or burning flour and butter!
This recipes uses the basic cashew cream plus some extra savoury flavours. I like a little Dijon mustard in mine, but if you can’t tolerate it, then leave it out. The same goes with the garlic granules, although I do suggest trying them as the flavour is definitely enhanced by them.
It really is very simple – here’s a little video I made to show you how.
This yummy cashew cheese sauce can be used for pasta, vegetables or pouring over dishes like this delicious tomato and roasted aubergine gnocchi bake. It does dry out a little when baked in the oven or heated in a pan, so don’t make it too thick if you like lots of sauce with your meal.
Enjoy!
Cashew 'cheese' sauce
Equipment
- High speed blender
Ingredients
- 150 grams cashew nuts soaked for 2 hours in cold water or 10 minutes in boiling water
- 125 mls water
- 1 tsp mustard optional
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder optional
- 1/4 tsp himalayan salt
- 2-4 tbsp nutritional yeast
Instructions
- Drain the soaked cashew nuts and place in blender jug
- Just cover the nuts with fresh water.
- Add the mustard, garlic powder, salt and nutritional yeast
- Blend to smooth - tastes between 20-50 seconds depending on strength of your blender
- Add more water if you want a runnier sauce. Check the flavour and add more salt or nutritional yeast as desired.
- Use straight away or keep in the fridge for up to 2 days
Published by