One of the questions I’m frequently asked about following an oil-free diet is “What do I use on baked potatoes or steamed vegetables or grits if I don’t eat butter or margarine?” Sometimes I mention salsa or mushroom gravy or the sauce from my Mac and Cheeze as options, but from now on, I’ll point people to this, my family’s new favorite all-purpose sauce. That’s right, all of us–including my picky teenager–prefer this cauliflower-based sauce to our old cheesy sauce. Daughter E put it best: “It’s less heavy, almost fluffy, and mixes into a baked potato better.” And that’s coming from someone who doesn’t like cauliflower very much.
Besides the flavor, which is tangy and delicious and holds no hint of cauliflower, what I like best about this sauce is that a generous 1/3-cup serving contains only 28 calories and has no added fat, gluten, or soy (if you use soy-free miso). The secret to its creaminess is cooking cauliflower until it’s practically falling apart before blending it in its cooking water until smooth. I used my trusty Vitamix, but I think that any good blender should be able to puree cooked cauliflower.
Each batch makes about three cups, so you’ll have plenty to keep on-hand to use for up to a week or two. Just pour it on anything you think could use a touch of cheesiness.
Besides drizzling it over baked potatoes and steamed vegetables, I’ve used it instead of margarine on grits, as a dip for tortilla chips, and even as a salad dressing (it was incredible!) And though I haven’t tried it, I can imagine it would be a delicious replacement for margarine on toast or garlic bread. I hope you love it as much as we do!
Don’t forget to check out my other Cauliflower Magic Tricks!
Cheesy Cauliflower Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 2 heaping cups small cauliflower florets
- 1 teaspoon granulated onion powder
- 2 cloves garlic peeled, or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/8 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon mellow white miso or soy-free chickpea miso or a little salt
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch or potato starch
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the cauliflower, onion powder, garlic, paprika, mustard, and turmeric. Cover tightly and reduce the heat to very low. Simmer until the cauliflower is so tender that it easily comes apart when poked with a fork, about 15-20 minutes.
- Carefully transfer the contents of the saucepan to a blender. Add all remaining ingredients. Cover and blend, starting on low and increasing the speed until you’re at the highest setting. (Be careful–hot foods can “erupt.”) Blend until you have a completely smooth sauce.
- Pour the sauce back into the saucepan, add salt to taste if you like, and heat until it begins to bubble, stirring occasionally. Allow it to cook and thicken for at least another 2 minutes. Serve hot.
Notes
Make a dip for tortilla chips by increasing the cornstarch to 2 tablespoons and adding 1/4 to 1/2 cup of salsa during the final cooking stage.
Nutritional info is approximate.
Enjoy!
Esther J
This looks so very yummy, Mrs. V. And I just bought some baking potatoes and cauliflower to make with veggie burgers for dinner sometime this week. This will definitely be on the menu.
Thank you much for being so generous with your talents! 🙂
chocolate-covered katie
As I’m editing photos for my post tomorrow (cauliflower alfredo sauce), your recipe pops up in my google reader… lol I swear I did not copy you. It is scary how we were on such a similar wavelength.
But, darn it, your photos are much better than mine ;).
Susan Voisin
What synchronicity! But I wouldn’t have thought you copied this recipe. I would have thought you copied the cauliflower alfredo sauce I posted years ago! Hahahaha! 😉
You always have such gorgeous photos that I’m sure yours are great. I can’t wait to take a look at your post!
Pam
Thanks for giving me an idea of what to do with my cauliflower today! Just made this and had it for lunch over baked potatoes. YUM!
Susan Voisin
Wow, you were fast! I’m so glad you liked it!
moonwatcher
This sounds fabulous, Susan!! I’m in!! I like that it isn’t dominated by nutritional yeast. And I agree, cauliflower is indeed magic. I think it should be considered a superfood. It’s really high in vitamin K, which seems to do wonders for me. I try to eat it as often as I can, and now this is a new way to do just that!
Absolutely beautiful photos, too.
xo
moonwatcher
Jacqueline
I’m loving this one Susan and it would be great for my fast days as well as my vegan husband. I really need to do more with my vitamix.
Susan Voisin
I’m doing the alternate day fasting, as you can probably tell from my latest, very low-cal recipes, and this is a godsend on those days. I hope you’ll give it a try.
Bonnie Koslow
Hi Susan – what do you mean, alternate day fasting? You are only eating every other day? I have been eating 2 meals a day and am wondering what it would be like to go a day without food. If this is not the place for this conversation, I apologize. Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Thanks, Bonnie
Susan Voisin
Bonnie, it’s not a true fast, but a reduction in calories two or three times a week. For women, it’s a limit of 500 calories on those fasting days, 600 for men. There are all sorts of theories about the benefits of doing this, and lots of books have come out recently, with titles like The 5:2 Diet. I’m finding that it’s really helping me understand the difference between hunger and cravings and keeping track of my calories on those days has given me an understanding of just how many calories different foods contain and how it’s possible for me to overeat even on whole plant foods. Here’s a link that may explain it better than I can: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermittent_fasting
Bonnie Koslow
Thanks so much Susan – for this and all your wonderful information and insight 🙂
Laura @ Gluten Free Pantry
This sauce looks delicious! Love the taste of nutritional yeast and cauliflower together.
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit
I LOVE cauliflower something fierce. It works so well for things like this. I make a mean lemon pudding with cooked cauliflower. It’s quite unreal. And this? This is awesome!
Clare
Oh my Susan – Just made dinner, but I am making this TOMORROW! 🙂 Ahh delicious. –Clare
Diane
If you had your choice of either one which would you recommend using in this recipe? The yellow white miso or soy free chickpea miso? Thanks, Diane from Roseville Ca
Susan Voisin
Hi Diane, I used the mellow white miso, so that’s what I recommend.
Cheryl
Wow looks awesome.
Susan can you please recommend a substitute for the miso?
Or give me some idea what would come close to the texture even if not flavor.
Thanks!
Susan Voisin
Cheryl, the texture of the miso doesn’t really matter (it’s a thick paste). It’s the flavor that’s important–salty and tangy at the same time. Some salt or a vegetable bouillon cube could be substituted.
Laurel
I must admit the smell of miso kind of scares me. Is it supposed to kind of smell, like beer maybe? I was not sure if I had a bad batch of something. So I pitched it.
Susan Voisin
Yep, it’s got that fermented smell. Too bad you tossed it out! It wouldn’t taste good alone, but it’s great in things.
Lisa Baus
Wow, that cauliflower sauce looks really good. I’m making a special trip to the store to buy cauliflower tomorrow just to make this sauce – I can’t wait. I recently gave up the oils and I have to admit what to put on my potatoes has been an issue for me. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Lisa Baus
Just a follow up: this sauce turned out wonderful! It’s so easy to make, and works with everything just like you said. My husband and I run a fruit smoothie concession and we plan to start serving pretzels with this sauce since everyone in our family has liked it, and our non-vegan non-veggie eating taste testers liked it too.
Shawn
Hi Susan!
Longtime fan-your new posts are always a highlight to my day 🙂
But when I got to the end of this last post, I noticed an ad for Rumba meats?
I know ads help support all the great info you put out there- but I was surprised to see that on your beautiful vegan website?!
Susan Voisin
Thanks for letting me know. I try to keep the meat ads off, but sometimes one will slip through. I’ll look into it.
Christina S
I have a Vitamix blender and am wondering if I can keep the sauce in the blender instead of pouring into a saucepan in order to heat it. The Vitamix would heat it too within a few minutes. Would that activate the starch and allow for thickening of the sauce?
I am lazy and don’t want to wash an extra pot 😉
Thank you!
Susan Voisin
I don’t think it would bring it to a boil which is what you need to activate the cornstarch. Besides, you should be putting it back into the original pan, so you wouldn’t be dirtying another one.
saniel
How long does it last in fridge?
Lisa Baus
I did notice after a few days it can start to get a cauliflower smell. It still tastes good, but it had more smell. My solution – I combined it with broccoli and rice and made a wonderful broccoli rice casserole.
Johanna GGG
this looks brilliant – have you tried baking it on top of a pasta bake or tortilla?
Linda Dale
I came up with a cauliflower cream sauce recipe that I’ve been sharing with people lately so I had to laugh when this recipe popped up on my FB page. Mine is not supposed to be “cheesy” though, so I’m looking forward to trying yours on things where a cheese sauce would be good. Thanks for sharing.
janet
Where can I find YOUR cream sauces? Thanks!
Leslie Paquette
This sounds great! I’ll definitely be making it this week. Thanks, Leslie.
debby
This sounds interesting but what would I use in substitution for the miso? I don’t even know what that is. I can’t use soy because of my thyroid. Thanks.
kimmythevegan
Mmmm this sounds delicious =)
Sunshine
“Each batch makes about three cups, so you’ll have plenty to keep on-hand to use for up to a week or two”
How do you store this to last for 2 weeks?
Susan Voisin
Just in a covered container in the fridge.
LauraS
Cooked cauliflower is good for 2 wks in fridge?
John Parker
For health reasons my wife and I started a low-fat vegan two years ago. Overall, it’s been OK. However, I do miss piling cheese onto a baked potato. I can’t wait until we get a chance to try this recipe. I’ve already emailed the link to my wife. Thanks!
vegan gypsy
This is genius! I myself have been wondering what to top my baked potatoes with, perfect! Thank you so much for sharing. 🙂
Lauren
Hi Susan,
Just wondering if you could use regular mustard instead of dried? Also, do you think this would be good on spaghetti squash, sort of like a cheesy pasta recipe?
Susan Voisin
Lauren, I’d probably use 1/2 tsp. of prepared mustard instead of the dry. And I think it would be great on spaghetti squash or zucchini spirals or on any pasta substitute.
crabbylove
Susan,
Do you think arrowroot would work as a replacement for the corn starch?
thanks
Irina @ wandercrush
Wow, this looks just like nacho cheese without all the melted plastic and preservatives! Hahah, you’ve created a miracle 🙂 The versatility of cauliflower never ceases to amaze me… this recipe is going into my fast-growing arsenal of cauliflower-based sauce recipes.
Melanie
This recipe was awesome!! It turned out perfectly. I was wondering how it would transfer into a baked macaroni and cheese recipe?… I was also wondering if you have considered doing a cauliflower pizza crust? Thanks for all your amazing recipes, and all your hard work.
Gayle
This is so good! As soon as I saw this recipe I had to make it right away. It’s suppose to go with broccoli and potatoes tonight, but I keep “sampling”. I might have to make another batch for the rest of the family, haha!
Daniela
I’m having this over brussel sprouts and it’s so good! Thank you for another favourite!
Melissa Coonce
I love your website. I am new at being Vega,and I think your recipies ate the healthiest I have found. I love the cauliflower majic recipies. I just made the caulifl flower cheese sauce. Wonderful.
Do you have cookbooks out. All I have is email on my phone,kinda hatdvto see allbonbyour site. Thanks forsharing your helpful most healthy recipies. Thanks, Melissa Coonce purpleleaf@gmail.com
Dawn Meisch
Susan,
I made this sauce tonight for baked potatoes. My family loved it. Thank you so much.
Cheryl
Susan,
Thanks! I totally didn’t see the “or salt” last time. I was copying it to a recipe card and drooling at the same time haha.
I hope you don’t get tired of reading it but your recipes are life savers. Wow, amazing!!
Alecia
This was great! Nice to have some thing gooey on my baked potato again!
Claire
This might be because I used about 4 times as much turmeric than was called for, or twice as much paprika, or because I didn’t use any miso, but I thought this tasted almost EXACTLY like split pea and ham soup. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I just added more nutritional yeast to make it cheesier.
Mindy
I ate this over a baked potato tonight. Felt great to not need any Earth Balance. Very simple and yummy recipe. Thanks so much!
Brigitte
Hi Susan:
I am slowly changing my diet to vegan and really appreciate your recipes. My friend Marian turned me on to your website. I am wondering if you have any idea how to cook mungo beans into a tasty dish other than just boiling them in water.
Thanks.
Sara
You are amazing!
Hope
As you post more intermittent fasting recipes could you have like a tab for them? I would love to know which recipes go well. It’s been challenging for me to fit everything in without feeling deprived and your recipes are always fantastic.
Susan Voisin
Thanks, Hope! I recently added a tag to recipes that contain fewer than 200 calories, and that might be helpful to you. Not all recipes have been added to it, but I’m adding them as I find them. You can find the list here: https://blog.fatfreevegan.com/tag/under200
Hope
Yay! That’s great. 🙂
LAB
This “cheese sauce” was absolutely fantastic, everyone went crazy over it especially the 11 year old! It definitely paired well on broccoli with Panko crusted Tofu steaks with red pepper walnut sauce.
Thank you, thank you for all your wonderful recipes!
Kate
This recipe really doesn’t help my nutritional yeast addiction…. I’m overdosing here! But seriously, I love this. My parents used to put a cheesy sauce over our veggies when we were all young (and stupid) enough to hate veggies. I’m totally grabbing nostalgia and this recipe by the horns and trying it out this weekend.
Paula
I never knew cauliflower could be so versatile. This looks delish Susan 🙂 Definitely going to give it a whirl this weekend.