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!
Matt Allen
March 12, 2015 at 9:29 pmThis was a lifesaver. I’ve been looking for something to replace earth-balance type product on my baked potatoes ect, and this was perfect! The miso totally makes it.
amy
March 15, 2015 at 11:56 amHi–
Do you have a suggestion for a substitute for nutritional yeast in the cheezy cauliflower sauce? My husband has a candida issue.
Thank you!
Susan Voisin
March 15, 2015 at 12:17 pmYou could try increasing the seasonings and the miso a little. Good luck!
amy
March 15, 2015 at 5:34 pmWill do-thank you!
Maureen Cram
May 3, 2019 at 1:05 amI thought nutritional yeast is an inactive yeast and does not affect candida.
Genet E Harris
May 3, 2020 at 12:55 pmNutritional yeast does not affect candida ! Enjoy!!!
June
March 31, 2015 at 6:42 amWhen I tell you I love cheese, I mean it. It’s what’s been missing from my life since moving to a plant-based lifestyle. I don’t like vegan “cheese,” it tastes like play-doh.
THIS IS AWESOME!!! No. Really.
I expected not to really like this sauce. I’ve been disappointed before. You’ve really done something for humanity here. I had it with a baked potato last night and drenched my potato…it’s so uncaloried
Loretta J.
April 21, 2015 at 8:22 pmCan you suggest what you consider to be the best soy free chickpea miso for your mac n cheese recipe? And where to purchase it. Can’t find here in Minnesota. Thank you.
Nori
May 23, 2015 at 4:35 pmI have made this several times and I love it! I use about 2/3 of bag of frozen cauliflower, cheaper, already cut and cooks in less then 10 minutes. Love your recipes!
Karen
June 29, 2015 at 12:40 pmWow, this is excellent. Thank you. Am considering making, freezing, & taking to Disney World to put on potatoes. (Bringing my microwave) DOES THIS FREEZE WELL???
Susan Voisin
June 29, 2015 at 1:38 pmI haven’t tried freezing it, so I can’t say for sure but I think it should freeze well. I would probably do a test run before relying on it on a trip, though.
Aneesha
June 30, 2015 at 8:48 amHi
A few of your recipes call for dry mustard. Did you mean dry mustard powder made from grinding the black mustard seeds?
Sorry just a little confused. Also, It is possible to substitute with dijon mustard paste, I got it from the health shop and Its been just aitting there.
Thx
Susan Voisin
June 30, 2015 at 9:36 amIf you’re in the U.S., dry mustard powder is in the spice section of most grocery stores. It’s the dried powder of yellow mustard seeds, so I assume you could make your own if necessary. But I think the Dijon mustard paste you have should be a good substitute, too.
Matt Allen
July 31, 2015 at 5:31 pmI love this sauce! I’ve made it a few times, I noticed the sauce comes out better with Tapioca starch, vs corn… more silky!
Rebecca
September 17, 2015 at 3:43 pmI would really appreciate a quick response from anyone! I have ano allergy to mustard, and have no onion powder. Is it okay if I leave both of these ingredients out?
Susan Voisin
September 17, 2015 at 3:47 pmBoth add a lot of flavor, but you can leave them out. You may want to try adding other seasonings to make up for the loss of flavor.
Jean Piotrowski
November 10, 2015 at 6:41 amWhat would be the weight of 2 1/2 cups of cauliflower florettes?
SJ CORY
November 22, 2015 at 1:57 pmI did not have cornstarch nor potato starch. I grinded golden flaxseeds as my binder. It worked perfectly! This is a great recipe. It was very easy to make.
Thanks
c Smith
March 9, 2016 at 4:45 pmI made the sauce and love it, it does seem to have a spilt pea taste, what can I do to make it more like cheese flavor?
Louanne
July 28, 2016 at 3:14 pmHi, Susan,
I made this about two weeks ago and I loved it! Just 2 days ago, when I wanted to make another batch, I realized that I picked up a bag of cauliflower and broccoli 🙄 I forged ahead, and while not the most attractive looking sauce, it was just as delicious! I’ve stirred it into rice, scooped it with baked chips and ladled it over my baked potato. Thanks!
Molly
July 29, 2016 at 10:33 pmSusan – This has long been one of our favorite “cheeze” sauces. My 8 year old son, however, has resisted every attempt I’ve ever made at a sub for the dreaded Kraft blue box, since going plant-based 5 years ago. It had been a while since we had it and I needed a quick dinner, so tonight I tossed the sauce with some penne and broccoli, assuming he would balk at eating it as usual. To our great surprise, not only did he eat it, he asked for seconds and made yummy sounds while gobbling it down! I almost cried; to finally be able to make him one of his favorite foods and know that it’s not junky chemicals! Thank you, thank you, thank you, for all the hard work you have put into this blog over the years. The recipes have truly made a difference in our lives!
Susan Voisin
July 29, 2016 at 10:53 pmOh, Molly, I’m so glad to hear that. Thanks for sharing!
rose
October 22, 2016 at 8:52 pmThank you for the recipe. My daughter and I became vegan about 3 years ago. The creamy sauces that are made from cashews always upset her stomach, so we stopped making them. We were missing mac and cheese, alfredo, nacho cheese sauce. I had saved this website in my favorites some time ago and a couple weeks ago we tried your recipe. We love it. I altered it a bit, eliminated the smoked paprika, added cayenne for a bit of kick the way I always used to when we were cheese eaters. Made it again tonight, added peas to the spelt pasta and sauce. Roasted brussels sprouts as a side and a simple salad. We felt like we had the feast of our lives. Thank you so much for this recipe. I had no idea cauliflower could taste like this and be so creamy!
Trevor
October 30, 2016 at 9:17 pmIt seems like I followed a different recipe from the other posters. My result was nothing but liquid. I boiled it for over an hour hoping it would reduce and thicken, but I had no luck. I ended up with a tasty cauliflower soup, but nothing resembling cheese.
Pm
January 27, 2017 at 10:02 pmI just made this and threw it out. I think it was the Miso. Not a fan of that taste.
Roberta
February 12, 2017 at 6:12 pmCould you convert this for the Instant Pot?
Thanks
Jane Kim
April 13, 2017 at 8:16 amI made this today for dinner to dip with bread and it was the best vegan thing I have EVER tasted. I shared this with my non-vegan family and they liked it too! I will try this with elbow pasta for tomorrows dinner!
Ps. I absolutely LOVE your blueberry and banana bread recipe!
Tamara
May 29, 2017 at 8:32 pmI made this earlier, to drizzle onto a taco salad (with walnut “meat.”). Sorry to say that I’m disappointed. I followed the recipe to a “T”. The color an texture looks like the photos, but as my boyfriend says, “It’s not terrible, but it doesn’t taste anything like cheese.”
I’m off to find recipes that will somehow allow me to use the $9 tub of white miso I had to purchase for the recipe.
Rebecca
June 11, 2017 at 9:57 amI see that the recipe calls for miso, but I do not see where and when that should be added to the mixture. Should it be added to step 1?
Susan Voisin
June 11, 2017 at 9:59 amIt goes in in step two, when you add all remaining ingredients.
Julia
June 23, 2017 at 6:32 pmI made this for Mac and cheese. Delicious! I had regular, not smoked paprika. I added minimal salt and pepper. It tasted so good! Would eat by the spoon! Perfect color. I cooked it down to thicken for a long time so next time I will add less water initially.
Ali
July 22, 2017 at 3:26 amWould you be able to freeze this?
Susan Voisin
July 22, 2017 at 8:44 amI haven’t tried so I can’t say how it would turn out.
Danny
July 24, 2017 at 11:08 amI tried this sauce, it is very yumme. I lacked the miso in my cabinet, so after a search I decided to replace it with tomato/soy sauce mix. Also I added some tahin ( sesame paste ) only a tsp for extra flavoyr.
This one will surely return to our table.
Sarah B
September 24, 2017 at 7:05 amI really hate nutritional yeast. I’ve had a bag in my cabinet for a year. I periodically try to like it using new recipes. This recipe changed my mind!! I loved the sauce. And your daughter described it perfectly, its fluffy and mixes in with the potato better. I skipped the miso as I didn’t have any on hand, but I can’t wait to try adding salsa.
Rebecca
October 7, 2017 at 3:20 pmThis is a really good basic recipe that I modify to enhance the cheese and lemon flavors. I add dijon mustard and use more lemon juice than is called for. I also cook a couple tablespoons of blanched almonds with the cauliflower to thicken the sauce and enhance its ability to cling to pasta. Thank you so much for this recipe. I love getting more cruciferous vegetables into my diet and this really helps.
Lara Keller
October 12, 2017 at 6:07 pmI must be missing something because this is the 3rd cauliflower cheese recipe I’ve just tried and it still tastes NOTHING like cheese or even vegan style cheese shreds.
Barbara Specht
November 4, 2017 at 4:46 pmJust made this lovely vegan sauce. I used prepared mustard and eye-balled the amt. Didn’t have miso, but the salt was perfect. I also added two other ingredients: Cayenne ( a good amt) and some sprouted pumpkin seeds that got blended thoroughly for texture and flavor. No starch. Even my meat-eating mom loved it. And it’s CAULIFLOWER. Thanks so much.
Ioana
January 31, 2018 at 4:23 pmThis looks so delicious. Perfect for pasta too.
Anna
March 6, 2018 at 7:07 amHi, can you think of a substitute for the miso/chickpeas. My little boy is allergic to both soy and chickpeas. I appreciate your help.
Andrika
May 29, 2018 at 8:49 pmLove this! Left out the starch and it was still delicious. Thank you!
Alix
July 19, 2018 at 1:14 pmHi, I’m have trouble finding chickpea soy free miso as well as soy free white miso. I’ve looked on Amazon, Thrive Market, any suggestions? I did see miso in powder and I just add water, would that work?
🙋♀️ Alix
ct
October 27, 2018 at 12:45 pmI think this is delicious as a cheese alternative, and although it is hard to duplicate the exact creaminess and flavor of cheese, this works well. I also enjoyed this as a soup, adding 2 C. Broth and heating up for a warming fall meal. Thank you =)
RHONDA GILLIAM
January 15, 2019 at 1:34 pmI have tried many recipes for vegan cheese sauces, both with and without nuts. This one is by far the best I have ever tried. It has become a staple at my house. Thank you for sharing!
Rachel
January 15, 2019 at 6:29 pmCan you freeze this sauce? Just wondering how well it tasted or held together if you had.
Susan Voisin
January 15, 2019 at 6:43 pmSorry, I haven’t tried freezing it.
Rebecca Bolduc
April 15, 2019 at 12:32 pmI’m curious. Has anyone frozen the sauce?
Kristina kolodziejczak
February 19, 2019 at 12:40 pmSo delicious!
I accidentally cooked thw butritional yeast in the pot from the start and i was worried because i made a double batch of this amazing sauce but it came out perfect! Thank you for sharing your amazing recipe
Kristina kolodziejczak
February 19, 2019 at 12:43 pmI put it on macaroni and it was amazing and i put some in a pot with black beans and my friend’s home made hot sauce and put that on top of rice! O.m.g.
Tarek El-Ghazaly
August 8, 2019 at 3:36 pmI just tried this after hearing raving reviews on reddit. Glad I didn’t make too much. Didn’t like it at all. Tasted like nothing, really. Definitely not cheesy. Good consistency but nothing more. I prefer my cashew alfredo sauce infinitely.
Stella
January 27, 2020 at 12:11 pmI LOVE this sauce! I am so lazy I microwaved a steam package of cauliflower (exactly 2 cups). Then I put all of the ingredients in my Vitamix. After the cauliflower was blended into smaller pieces, I turned it on high. When it started steaming I let it run for two minutes. Mmmm… easy, yummy, steamy hot sauce for dinner! I love it on everything. THANK YOU SUSAN!
Susan Voisin
January 27, 2020 at 12:13 pmThat sounds so easy and quick!
Roxanne
July 29, 2020 at 3:17 pmOMG. This stuff is so good! I made a couple changes. I doubled the amount of cauliflower, placed it on a steamer tray in my Instant Pot and cooked it on the Manual setting for 4 minutes (quick release). I processed all the ingredients in a food processor WITHOUT the cooking water. Well-steamed cauliflower blends well without any water.. The sauce was thick and flavorful. No cornstarch needed. This is going to be a regular staple in my vegan household. Thank you, Susan, for this yummy recipe!