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!
hg
Thought you’d like to know- https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=468613866549711&set=a.410475882363510.93842.410473445697087&type=1&theater
Susan Voisin
Thanks, I appreciate the heads-up. I’ve reported it to Facebook.
Sylvia
How would this work with frozen cauliflower?
Susan Voisin
Probably the same as with fresh cauliflower except it should cook more quickly.
Kristin
I’ve never used anything but frozen cauliflower for this. Works great!
Betsy
I LOVE this sauce! I had a head of cauliflower in my fridge so I cooked it up. So good. Can’t wait to try on the hubby and kids!
Lisa
This was excellent!! I’ve made your Mac n cheese before and while my kids love it, it isn’t my cup of tea. This one was loved by everyone. I am going to make a batch using broccoli next time instead of cauliflower and see how that turns out, but this was a great recipe as is.
Kensington Cooker
This is going into my “favorites” folder.
It might even out-compete my beloved fat-free honey mustard sauce.
I didn’t realize that cauliflower could disappear like this into something with such a nice, complex flavor–FFV kitchen magic again!
It’s going onto the steamed veggies this evening.
Don’t know what we’d do without you, Susan.
Kensington Cooker
Andrea Boddam
I made almost a double batch of this – had a whole head of cauliflower that needed a use – but I only had about 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast on hand at the time. Even with only half of what was needed it was soooo yummy! I can’t wait to try making it with the full amount for extra cheezey goodness.
It’s going to be my salad dressing for lunch tomorrow, and a yummy sauce to top my baked sweet potato dinner. This will definitely get me eating even more veggies on a daily basis >: D
bethany
made this sauce tonight & mixed it with some cauliflower, broccoli, a tiny amount of daiya, and powdered porcini mushrooms. topped it with breadcrumbs and baked it as a casserole. YUM! As always, thanks for sharing your genius recipes 🙂
Werner
This is a winning recipe for a creamy, cheesy, low-cal sauce. We added the salsa and used it as a “no queso” dip to go w/ our lentil cailiflower rice tacos. Lots of plans for this versatile and delicious sauce. Thank you so much, keep up the great work and Happy Mother’s Day!
Mary Kay
This is great! Finally another way to spice up the cauliflower that’s been sitting in my fridge the past few days. My husband is gonna love this 🙂
Dipti Joshi
I too was wondering about the cheesy sauce that you might be using..now I got my answer..
Betsy G.
I was really excited about the possibility of a cheese sauce that while it was in the final cooking step I added 1/2 c. chopped basil and 1/4 c. chopped sundried tomatoes. Sauce was amazing and plan to serve it on whole grain pasta tossed with mixed roasted vegetables (eggplant, red peppers, mushrooms, onions and zucchini). Can wait til dinner. Thank you so very much for all the effort you put into creating recipes that are ff and vegan!
Courtney
I love this sauce! My omnivore hubby really loved it too! Thank you! I can’t wait to try it with fresh herbs, spices and veggies….there are so many possibilities with this sauce. I can’t get enough! 🙂
Chrissy
This sauce was FAB! First I used it over potato, broccoli and cauliflower. Next day I made black bean and brown basmati baked taquitos (using some of the sauce for the inside mixture ) and drizzled some on top. A couple days later still had a good amount of sauce left (about a cup). I added in some more veggie broth (a cup and 1/2) sautéed up garlic, onions, celery a little roux to thicken soup (earth balance & flour) and added in broccoli- salt/pepper. Made a NO cheese & Broccoli soup. You can’t tell there is no cheese….it is so good! I had it with nutritional yeast & garlic toast. Thanks for the recipe….will be making the sauce to use again
Ellie
I made this and it was not doing a lot for me as sauce. As soup, however…delicious!
Brenda
I happened to have an orange cauliflower in the fridge and thought I’d give recipe a try. I love your old cheesy sauce recipe, but I think this one might be better (for dipping and drizzling at least). I poured it over roasted cauliflower and it was delicious! Thanks!
Diane
Susan, this stuff is great! I loved your cauliflower alfredo sauce and this one is even better! I’ve been plant-based for just over a year and I missed cheese. Tofu- and cashew-based cheezes aren’t an option for me right now, and nothing else tasted good – until now! I had a good-sized head of cauliflower, so I doubled the recipe and added salsa to half of it. So far I’ve used the plain half for Mac N’ Cheeze, over baked potato w/broccoli, in a sweet potato quesadilla, and as the sauce in a pita sandwich. I used the half with salsa over veggie taco salad, over hash browns, as a nacho dip for chips and veggies and in a toasted cheeze and tomato sandwich. Thank you!
Diane
Haven’t had fondue since the 70’s, but it was a favorite “special treat” meal in winter when I was a kid, so I decided to try it with the cauliflower cheese sauce. I dipped bread cubes, apple slices, broccoli and cauliflower florets, baby carrots, even pieces of homemade bean burgers in the warm cheese sauce. Mmmm!
Melissa
Great idea!
Deb
This was a great sauce. I added a bit more mustard to it to kick it up a bit.
Michele
Just feel I owe you this e-mail: your sauce is really wonderful. It tastes great, is healthy and makes everything taste better. I cooked it in the pressure cooker so it was also fast. I switched to a plant-food diet with no free oil ( I am a fan of Dr McDougall) 5 years ago and you have helped me stay on track. You have an amazing talent to make food tastes interesting. I love to use spices and herbs and your combinations strike the right balance with me. Your recipes are reliable. And to end, let me add that I love your photos and your wit. Thanks.
Pam
I made this today and served it on black bean nachos. It was soooo delicious! Thank you for such a great, healthy rendition of cheesy sauce!
Stephanie
There is no end to the magic of cauliflower I really want to make this and have it that chickpea sandwich spread. It sounds like something my daughter would love to see in her lunch box.
angela
This sauce is so delicious. I served it over pasta and steamed veggies last night. It was supposed to last for 2 dinners. It’s all gone. I got into it last night – dipping leftover veggies. Maybe even better cold. My oldest took it to school over steamed veggies. My little one just ate it for lunch with veggies (she thinks it’s cheese). This will be a staple for us especially since it is so easy for the lunch box.
Mikelle
First time commenter here, just made this and it is wonderful. Didn’t have starch of any sort so I used chickpea flour and it is still wonderful. Amazing on fat-free re-fried black beans! Thank you for creating!
Bethany
I tried this on Saturday night and it turned out fabulous. Poured it over baked potatoes with steamed broccoli and fresh chives. I’m trying a very-low-fat diet for the summer, so I’m thrilled to find your blog, and planning to try lots of your recipes. Thank you!
pjacobs
I made this tonight and put it on some spinach and kale and whole wheat pasta. This was so great, as good as any of the cashew cheeze sauces, and almost none of the fat. This will now be my go to when I want some cheezy comfort food. Thank Susan!
jaime
I wasn’t digging the cauliflower smell so much after i made this. it was tasty but not a favorite. i make a great cheese sauce with sunflower seeds (Google sunflower mac PPK) so i was thinking next time i would combine the two. its odd bc i love cauliflower so much! bummer!
Sara
This recipe is AMAZING! I don’t comment often, but Susan I do use your recipes all the time. Whenever I make a new recipe, my partner asks “is this from Susan?” because he knows you site is my go-to for healthy vegan dinners! Tonight we served this sauce over whole wheat pasta (for the boys)/ raw zucchini noodles (for me), with steamed carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower, sprinkled with some coarse red sea salt on top. It was so simple and delicious, because the sauce is so good! I could have eaten the entire pot myself with a spoon. Also, in case anyone else is wondering, I made the sauce right in the pot using my immersion blender, and it worked perfectly, totally smooth and no lumps.
I would love to see your take on a cauliflower pizza crust. I’ve tried several online recipes, none of which have impressed me enough to make again, but I know yours would be fabulous!
Vaishali
This sounds terrific. Will try it out soon. Love the idea of a cheese free sauce.
Lauri
I made some steel cut oats with mushroom base and spinach, chopped green onions, and this delicious sauce. Win! Thanks so much for the recipe!
Dawn
I blended this sauce with an immersion blender right in the pot and was able to get it really quite smooth. Tasty – especially for its impressive lightness.
Emily - it comes naturally
Hi! I used your recipe as a basis for a ‘vegan cheese’ cheese sauce on top of my vegan moussaka. So nice to find a low fat vegan cheese sauce!
http://itcomesnaturallyblog.wordpress.com/2013/06/13/vegan-cheese-sauce-
gluten-free/
Bob Audette
Susan,
Just made this for grilled pizza tonight. It came out fantastic and will make a great addition. It will definitely help fill the void left by the absence of cheese. I find myself wondering what would happen if I added a little cashew butter.
Highest regards and thanks for sharing,
Bob Audette
charlotte
i just have to tell you how much i love this sauce. it has literally changed my life!! seriously! i am addicted to it!! i have it over steamed broccoli mainly. i use a leek chopped up in the water with the cauliflower and i put 2 large garlic cloves in aswell. and i double up on the nutritional yeast ! i absolutely love this website.. is saved me from the brink of a very bad time. i have been recovering (slowly) from many years of bullimia… becoming vegan has been the trick to my recovery. although it was not a conciouse choice!! my main reasons becomin vegan were due to morals, as i have allways campainged for animal rights and against factory farming (earthlings,literally broke me when ifirst saw it when it was released.. i had been vegetarian since a teen i am now 32)) anyway.. now on the road to revcovery, and cookin your lovely dishes has helped to conqour the ED demon . as eating such wonderful good food that i have prepared so carefully and with such passion.. defys my brains logic to binge and purge.. i still have a long way to go recovery wise but i just wanted to say thank you so much for the inspiration that has turned around my outlook on food & bought back a strong urge to LIVE! and enjoy it!! i am also curious as to how many other vegans are recoverd / or like me recovering ED types are out there? anyway sorry this is a massive long post when all i wanted to say was MASSIVE RESPECT for your AWESOME SAUCE! XXX
Melissa
I made this sauce tonight and felt compelled to leave my first ever comment. AMAZING!! Finally a vegan cheez that doesn’t taste entirely of nutritional yeast with a very authentic cheese flavor. I did not have cornstarch so I subbed granulated tapoica and used my hand held immersion blender. Now I need you to tell me how to get this flavor in a firm cheez. Fantastic!!
Starlately
This is, quite simply, A-MAZ-ING. Thank you, SO MUCH. I made this tonight for the very first time with a head of cauliflower that I picked up at our local farmers’ market. This is probably going to be a new favorite “regular” in my house. :o) Cheers!
Babs
I have been wanting to try this recipe for some time now and finally got around to making it….absolutely delicious! I am a newbie Vegan and have been trying out new recipes…this one is a keeper. 🙂
wonderousandstrange
You are a genius! I made this last night served over roasted broccoli, carrots AND cauliflower. My carnivore husband loved it. There is plenty left. I am now plotting what to do with the rest. I could just eat it with a spoon…
Jess
Hi Susan,
I came across your blog after finding this recipe on Pinterest.
I’ve been a vegetarian for about 11 years but have recently been cutting down on dairy and eggs for health reasons. This recipe and others from your blog have significantly contributed to me feeling healthier and today I also achieved my goal weight!
So far I’ve used this recipe on steamed vegetables, roast vegetables and an alternative to cheese on pizza. After reading these comments I’m also planning on using it on baked sweet potatoes tonight. My meat loving boyfriend thinks it tastes great too!
Thanks Susan for sharing these yummy and healthy recipes!
Jess =)
Heather
Oh my goodness.. so good! I need to double it next time.. we put it over noodles and broccoli ! Yummy! Even my 17 year old loved it! I notorious for tweaking recipes.. but this time I followed it to a tee! yummy!
Marcia
Susan, would arrowroot work in place of the cornstarch or potato starch and would the measurement be the same? Can hardly wait to try it, thanks!
PS. I made your Artichoke Pesto Pasta Salad for dinner the other night and my husband raved (quite a novelty for him!). Our food processor is broken so I ended up using our old “Oscar.” The blades are pretty tired and I couldn’t get it to “cream” the pesto until I added a little avocado; that did the trick nicely. Thanks Susan, I really enjoy your blog and recipes. They are full of flavor and more worldly than most others. Yum!
Susan Voisin
Marcia, I believe the conversion is 2 teaspoons arrowroot for 1 tablespoon cornstarch. I hope your husband enjoys this recipe, too!
Ryan Bakker
First off–I want to say that your website has changed my life! I’ve lost over 50 lbs since January on a diet largely composed of your recipes. THANK YOU!
This sauce is amazing–I added some carrots (about 1/2 cup) with the cauliflower at the boiling stage and the result is a little sweeter and really close in color to boxed-fake-cheese powder. Yummy!
Mary T
I love this sauce! It’s so easy to make and tastes wonderful. It’s great on toast. I add lots of salsa and beans to use as a dip with baked tortilla chips or toast. Thank you for sharing so many great recipes!