2 cups cashews

3/4 cup water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon sea salt (or slightly less)

1/3 cup nutritional yeast

Optional: 2 to 3 more tablespoons water if needed to facilitate blending

Directions

1. Throw all ingredients in a high-speed blender.

2. Blend. This recipe can be a bit of a @#$#$% when blending, so if you're having trouble getting the mixture to mix properly, turn your high-speed blender off and insert a spatula down one side to let a pocket of air down near the blades. Then remove the spatula, put the lid back on and continue blending--going from slow all the way up to fast again. You can also add a bit more water (mentioned above) but I try not to add any more water than three additional tablespoons because I like to keep the texture more on the thick side.

3. Serve. I usually use right away, as a dip, on top of broccoli, on top of a raw veggie burger patty.

4. Refrigerate leftovers. Leftover raw cheese sauce will keep for up to four days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.

The Rawtarian's Thoughts

This raw cheese sauce recipe is one of the most frequently made savory recipes in my raw kitchen.

Fresh out of the VItamix when it's a bit warm, it's nice and runny - and perfect for serving over broccoli. (When serving over brocolli drop the raw cheese sauce from a spoon.)

When refrigerated, this raw cheese sauce becomes a bit firmer - more like raw cheez whiz! Perfect for spreading on raw bread, on top of a raw veggie or much more.

Want to know more about raw cheese sauce? Listen to The Raw Food Podcast, Episode 10, where I dish everything I know about raw cheese!

Another handy tip - got leftover raw cheese sauce and aren't sure what to do with it? Dehydrate it until it becomes nice and crispy. Crumble it up and you now have raw parmesan cheese that can be stored in a glass jar in your pantry! Lovely as a soup or salad topper.

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Comments

This sauce came out great! I put it over spinach noodles for my kids. While about 80% of our diet is raw my main concern is keeping dairy out of our diet. This is delicious.

The Rawtarian's picture

Glad it turned out well for you, Rue! It's one of my favourites, too.

I have concerns about Nutritional Yeast in there. Many dietitians don't recommend it and it also gives me insane gas and digestive issues. Seems like a bad idea, what do you think?

The Rawtarian's picture

Hi Ben, interesting. I would agree that if you are sensitive to it then you should definitely stay away from it. However, I do enjoy it myself and have never had a problem with it. What exactly is the dietician's objection to it?

this looks delicios

The Rawtarian's picture

Thank you Renee. It is!

I just made this sauce last night and ate it with the raw meatloaf- it was delicious! At first I blended everything and it was a bit watery and the cashews were not breaking down enough. I took another handful of cashews and crushed them in my nut grinder and added them, and the consistency was perfect. Maybe people with vitamixes don't have to do this, but it really helps make recipes creamier!

The Rawtarian's picture

This sauce plus the meatloaf - what an awesome flavour combo! I've never had them together, but I want to now :)

Could something else be substituted for the yeast?

The Rawtarian's picture

Mmmm not really - the nutritional yeast gives it the flavour - so without it it is ... not going to be good

The Rawtarian's picture

:)

1/4 cup cashews and scaled the rest plus a bit of salt and pepper, blended nicely in the vitamix on a lowish speed - great substitute for the old cheese sauce!

The Rawtarian's picture

Glad it turned out well for ya Ben!

Hey there , love the recipe! Just not too sure about the yeast though , would have thought its something to avoid ..no??

The Rawtarian's picture

Nutrional yeast is different from the normal "yeast" that we are used to using in bread recipes, etc. Many nutritional yeasts also have Vitamin B12 added, which is important for vegans cause it is one of vitamins that is pretty much impossible to get without eating animal products. (Not all nut. yeast has B12 added to it though, check your label).

I'm allergic to nutritional yeast. I would love to see a cheese sauce recipe without it, so I can enjoy this type of sauce as well.

The Rawtarian's picture

You could try my alfredo sauce instead - the taste is quite subtle compared to this cheesy one, but I have received good feedback on it as well : http://www.therawtarian.com/raw-alfredo-sauce-recipe

What nut could you substitute for the cashews if you have a problem with them??? Do you think macadamias would work or maybe almonds? Thanks so much.

The Rawtarian's picture

Almonds won't work.

You could try macadamia nuts.  Soak them for at least 1 hour and rinse them thoroughly before using cause macadamia nuts have a weird flavour that soaking helps reduce.

However, if anyone else is reading this you should really just use cashews :)

Hi there, regarding the machine used for making the sauce - you can't use your general kitchen whiz to make the sauce as it doesn't grind the nuts fine enough, the gadget needed is the one that is more like a jug with the four pronged blades on the bottom. Also using warm water just covering the nuts first to grind them is a great help, and then when fully ground and smooth adding in cold water to get the consistency that is wanted. Hope this is helpful - you can also add cumin, garlic, tumeric and chicken-like seasoning to make a veggiekorma like sauce, and leave out the yeast.

I am sure this recipe is very awesome but I wonder why still do You use cashew? They all goes through are heat-treatment.
And 1 more question: are almonds in USA - GMO?

i'm always wondered if there's some way to make cheese without NUTRITIONAL YEAST, just with lemon or some spices. Is it possible? Thanks! :D

The Rawtarian's picture

possible? definitely! wouldn't taste the same, but there are alternatives for sure Manolo

Is there an Australian equivalent of the Nutritional Yeast? Love your recipes. Thanks

The Rawtarian's picture

Hi Vicky, I am not sure... Any Australians out there know what Nutritional Yeast is called in Australia?

Nutritional Yeast is usually called Savoury Yeast here in Australia - the most common brand is Lotus, it should be available in any good health food shop or you can get it online.

The Rawtarian's picture

THANK YOU NIC!

Love this!! I add a small piece of red bell pepper to bring in a slightly orange color

Posted from The Rawtarian App

The Rawtarian's picture

Hey Incog - nice suggestion! I like it.   PS: love your name :)

Holy cow, this is amazing!!! I just had some with a head of broccoli and wow, I am hooked! I don't even think my boyfriend would know that this is raw and dairy-free ;)

The Rawtarian's picture

Hi Rachel, so glad you enjoyed. And you paired it with the perfect veg. I am not normally a broc fan, but the two go so well together.

We do something similar, but involves soaking the raw cashews for 8 hours, then draining the water and blending into a paste with some japanese Miso paste and a little fresh water. Then you let it sit under a plastic film on a plate on the counter for another 8 hours and it will ferment and taste very cheezy after that. This is the base for a cheesecake recipe that is as good as the real thing if not better.
So no yeast necessary, pre-soaking 8 hrs makes the blending very creamy as well.

The Rawtarian's picture

Hi Christian, thank you for the excellent ideas!

Awesome. I just ate some with nacho chips, cut up tomato and cut up onions. It even smells like cheese. I love your food. You make me feel like a chef!

Posted from The Rawtarian's Raw Recipes App

The Rawtarian's picture

Debbie, I hate to break it to you. But... you are a raw chef!! :)

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