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After posting my Vegan Cauliflower Nachos last week, several readers asked if there was a way to make a dairy-free cheese sauce without nuts, and possibly with cauliflower instead. Since I’ve already made a Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce, I knew a creamy sauce was possible using cauliflower, but I figured I should officially try my hand at making a dairy-free cauliflower “cheese” sauce once and for all.

sweet potato fries with roasted cauliflower cheese sauce and green onion slices on top

This dairy-free cauliflower cheese sauce is just about as healthy as it gets. It’s almost entirely vegetable-based and is lower in fat and calories than its cashew-based counterpart. It’s perfect for those who need to follow a nut-free, dairy-free, or low-fat diet.

Will it fool anyone into thinking they’re eating real cheese dip? Probably not.

If you want a truly creamy, fake-out queso, make my cashew queso because THAT recipe will fool people. This recipe is for those of us who want something that isn’t as nut-heavy, possibly because you want to eat it more often, or because you want something that is properly combined over pasta, or because you have special dietary needs. If you fall into one of those categories, this is the sauce for you. It’s healthy, creamy, and totally guilt-free.

Though it does take a bit of time to roast the cauliflower for this sauce, you can be busy doing other things while it cooks. (Bonus points if you use that time to prep some salad dressings or lunch bowls for the week!) Once the cauliflower is done, you simply blend it up with a handful of ingredients, and then your sauce is ready to go. It makes a great topping over roasted vegetables, baked french fries, vegan nachos, and pasta. The possibilities are endless, so I hope you’ll enjoy it.

hand dipping a sweet potato fry into roasted cauliflower cheese sauceDairy-Free Cauliflower Cheese Sauce (Vegan & Paleo)
Makes about 3 cups

Ingredients:
1 pound cauliflower
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 1/4 cups water, or as needed to thin
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. In a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the cauliflower florets and garlic cloves in the olive oil and arrange them into a single layer. Roast until fork-tender and golden, about 30 minutes.

cauliflower on a pan and in a blender

Transfer the roasted cauliflower and garlic to a blender, and add in the water, salt, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast. Blend until very smooth. Adjust any seasoning to your taste, and then serve warm over your favorite vegetables, nachos, or baked fries.

plate of broccoli with roasted cauliflower cheese sauce on top

dairy free roasted cauliflower "cheese" sauce on sweet potato fries

Dairy-Free Cauliflower "Cheese" Sauce

4.57 from 16 votes
A creamy dairy-free and nut-free "cheese" sauce. Vegan and paleo-friendly.
prep5 mins cook30 mins total35 mins
Servings:3 cups

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 pound cauliflower
  • 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 1/4 cups water , or as needed to thin
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400ºF. In a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the cauliflower florets and garlic cloves in the olive oil and arrange them into a single layer. Roast until fork-tender and golden, about 30 minutes.
  • Transfer the roasted cauliflower and garlic to a blender, and add in the water, salt, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast. Blend until very smooth. Adjust any seasoning to your taste, and then serve warm over your favorite vegetables, nachos, or baked fries.

Nutrition

Calories: 80kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 3g | Sodium: 826mg | Potassium: 537mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin C: 75.7mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 0.9mg
Course: Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Dairy-Free Cauliflower "Cheese" Sauce
Per Serving: Calories: 80, Fat: 3g, Carbohydrates: 10g, Fiber: 3g, Protein: 4g

Note: Feel free to try other methods of baking the cauliflower, such as steaming or boiling. I roasted the cauliflower because I love the flavor of roasted cauliflower and it’s an easy, hands-off approach to cooking it. If you make other substitutions to this recipe, please leave a comment below letting us all know how it worked for you.

Reader Feedback: What’s your go-to vegetable topper? Other than a good cheese sauce, I love to use this Creamy Cucumber Tahini Dressing over everything, too.

Megan Gilmore leaning on her white countertop.

Megan Gilmore

Hi, I’m Megan. A former fast food junkie turned best-selling cookbook author. I create healthy recipes made with simple ingredients to make your life easier.

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Comments

  1. This is the best non-dairy “cheese sauce”! We added Smokey Paprika to our leftovers and it tasted delicious, like a bacon dip. It’s an absolute hit in our household.

  2. The results I’ve gotten from this recipe have been wonderful. The first time, I made it per instructions with only the addition of roasted red pepper, and I used it as sauce for potatoes and other dishes to add some oomph. Today I added steamed baby carrots (maybe I should roast those) and raw sunflower seeds for extra nutrition and just to see how it turns out. For spice i added smoky paprika and chiptole powder. Yum! I’ll be using this as a pasta sauce along with argula.

  3. Oh my goodness! Just hand me a spoon. This stuff is so good! We use it as a dipping sauce, veggie and meat drizzle, salad dressing, and as a soup thickener. It is delicious on just about anything. Thank you, thank you, thank you for this brilliant recipe!