My Vegan Nut-Free Pumpkin Cheese Sauce is a Fall-inspired cheese that is vegan, nut-free, gluten-free, and oil-free. I was feeling some pasta one night last week, but because I had leftover pumpkin puree in the fridge and I didn’t have any beans in the cupboard, I had to be creative.
I blended the pumpkin with a block of firm tofu and some nondairy milk to make it creamy, and I played up the orange color of the pumpkin with a little turmeric (undetectable in the flavor profile). Then I punched up the cheezy flavor with some garlic and nutritional yeast, creating a pretty amazing sauce.
The dried thyme in this just seems to complement the flavors perfectly. I don’t know why but thyme feels very fall-ish, probably because it’s used in a lot of soups, casseroles, and other popular fall dishes. But feel free to leave it out or substitute it if you don’t like it.
This protein-packed cheeze sauce is healthy and delicious, so feel free to eat all of it. After I started warming it up with my cooked pasta the first time I made it, I kept dipping a spatula back into the blender to “clean it.” ;)
Speaking of which, you should put this cheezy sauce on anythingeverything. I’ve already put it on pasta, rice, broccoli, and in lasagna (recipe coming soon).
As always, let me know if you make this recipe and please tag #Zardyplants and mention me @Zardyplants so I can see your beautiful recreations! If you tag me on IG, I will share your post in my stories :)
<3 Liz
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Vegan Nut-Free Pumpkin Cheese Sauce
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 cups 1x
Description
Vegan, Plant-based, Cheese, Cheeze, Oilfree, Gluten-free
Ingredients
- 1 can pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 block firm tofu (softer tofu may work, but use less liquid to blend at first. I wouldn't recommend this with extra firm tofu)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2-3 cloves of garlic (if you don't have a high-speed blender, you might need to mince these first, or just use garlic powder)
- 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon (more or less to taste) pink Himalayan salt
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients on high for 1-2 minutes, until smooth and creamy.
- Heat and pour on everything.
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Category: Cheese, Ingredient
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: Vegan Cheese
Keywords: Vegan, Plant-based, Cheese, Cheeze, Oilfree, Gluten-free
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