Chickpea Cheese Sauce

Last updated: Jul 11, 2019 · Published: Apr 22, 2019 by Elizabeth Shah. This page may contain affiliate links.

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When I published my popular Easy Cheezy Sauceand Vegan Cheddar Cheese Saucerecipes, I immediately got requests for nut-free versions. It seems quite a few of you have allergies or want a lower fat recipe. I’ve been playing around with a bunch of ingredients, but this Chickpea Cheese Sauce has stolen my heart.

How to Make this Easy Vegan Cheese Sauce with Chickpeas

Just like my Eazy Cheezy Sauce, this chickpea cheese sauce is incredibly simple to make.You’ve got just seven required ingredients in this recipe. You simply dump everything together in a blender and process for a half a minute or so.

Then, I like to cook this sauce gently for a few minutes to marry the flavors. Most dishes you’ll probably make this sauce for—pasta, baked potatoes, a cheese dip—all taste better with a warmed sauce anyway.

That’s it—instant, easy, cheesy done! And probably one of the healthiest ‘cheese’ sauces you can put in your mouth.

Why I Love This Nut-Free Chickpea 'Cheese' Sauce

This chickpea cheese sauce has so much going for it. Let’s break down the healthy, whole food plant-based goodness:

First, it makes the BEST low fat, high fiber nut free vegan mac and cheese! I never expected this recipe to become a Shah family favorite, but indeed it has. I mean, it’s got some pretty stiff competition with the other cheese sauces in our repertoire. 🙂 But this chickpea cheese sauce is so darn tasty and satisfying, we keep coming back to it again and again.

Second, it’s low in fat and high in fiber thanks to the chickpeas. In fact, it has about half the fat as a nut-based cheese sauce. And of course, it’s oil free.Third, it’s budget friendly. Let’s face it, chickpeas are way cheaper than cashews. At least where I live.

How to Make the BEST Nut Free Vegan Mac and Cheese

This cheese sauce is great on baked potatoes, nachos--wherever you want to add creamy cheesiness. But we love in as a healthy mac and cheese sauce.

I like to use a whole food, plant-based compliant pasta, like a brown rice pasta or even a chickpea pasta. And while it's great with just the sauce, I love adding extra flavors like:

fresh parsley (so simple, and my favorite)
crushed red pepper flakes
diced sun-dried tomatoes (rehydrated)
fresh basil
Italian seasonings
and if you don't mind a small amount of nuts, a sprinkle of vegan parmesan cheese

With this simple sauce and a pot of pasta, you can have dinner on the table in 15 minutes!

If you like this whole food plant-based recipe, you might also like:

5-Minute Vegan Chickpea Alfredo Sauce
Vegan Easy Cheezy Sauce
Vegan Cheddar Cheese Sauce
Easy Vegan Oil Free Pesto Sauce
Vegan Oil Free Mayonnaise

📖 Recipe

A low fat, high fiber, nut-free Chickpea Cheese Sauce that's great on pasta, potatoes--or any dish that tastes better with cheese! Vegan, WFPB, GF.

4.63 from 96 votes

Equipment

Blender

Ingredients

▢ 2 cups cooked chickpeas or 1 15-ounce can, LIQUID RESERVED
▢ ¼-3/4 cups low sodium vegetable broth adjust for desired thickness
▢ ½ cup nutritional yeast
▢ ¼ cup lemon juice about 1 large lemon
▢ 2 tablespoons white miso paste (see notes for substition and info about miso + sodium)
▢ ½ teaspoons garlic powder
▢ ½ teaspoons onion powder
▢ Sea salt to taste
▢ Optional: ½ teaspoon turmeric for color

For Nut Free Vegan Mac and Cheese, serve over macaroni or pasta shells

Instructions

Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and process on high speed until thoroughly blended, about 20-30 seconds. Add a little of the reserved chickpea liquid ('aquafaba') to thin the sauce if needed. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
For the best results, gently cook the sauce for 2-3 minutes to combine the flavors.

Notes

Nutritional information shown is for sauce only
Sodium:the sodium in this recipe may seem high, but is primarily from the miso paste, which is a healthy "green light salt" according to Dr. Greger. You can read more about miso here.
I use mellow white miso paste for this recipe. If you can't find it or are allergic to soy, you can substitute 1 tablespoon tahini + 1-2 teaspoons of low sodium soy sauce, tamari or Bragg's aminos.
If the sauce gets too thick (especially after refrigerating), thin it out with a little reserved chickpea liquid, how pasta water or hot tap water
To add extra flavor to your mac and cheese, add:
- fresh parsley (so simple, and my favorite)
- crushed red pepper flakes
- diced sun-dried tomatoes (rehydrated)
- fresh basil
- Italian seasonings
- and if you don't mind a small amount of nuts, a sprinkle of vegan parmesan cheese

Nutrition (approximate)

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