This creamy vegan cauliflower cheese recipe is the perfect comfort food. It's so hearty and will leave you feeling so satisfied. It's made with a dairy free cheese sauce made from cashew nuts and roasted cauliflower.
I can't tell you how much I love this recipe. To think that until a few years ago I didn't even like cauliflower!
Roasting cauliflower has been an absolute revelation to me. When roasted a cauliflower tastes NOTHING like the soggy, greyish over-boiled cauliflower you might remember from school dinners.
Read more about how to roast cauliflower (on my other blog Sneaky Veg).
This vegan cauliflower cheese is made by pouring a creamy vegan cashew nut sauce over the top of roasted cauliflower florets.
It tastes amazing.
The perfect vegan comfort food
Cauliflower cheese is equally good served as a side dish for a roast dinner or eaten on its own. This is real vegan comfort food.
Serve with pasta for an even more comforting meal.
How to make a dairy free cheese sauce
As is often the case with vegan recipes there's more than one way to make a dairy free cheese sauce.
- Keep it simple and use margarine, plant milk and vegan cheese.
- Make a white sauce with dairy free spread and vegan milk and blend in a vegetable like cauliflower or butternut squash.
- To get the creamiest sauce however I think that you get the best results with cashews.
To make a perfectly creamy cashew cheese sauce:
- Soak the cashews in water for half an hour
- Drain them
- Then blend with milk (I use oat milk) and some nutritional yeast. I've also added some garlic granules and seasoned with salt and pepper for flavour.
Nutritional yeast?
Nutritional yeast is an invaluable vegan ingredient that will add heaps of flavour to your vegan cheese sauce.
Don't be put off by its appearance. Yes, it looks a bit like sawdust but when added to food it adds a delicious umami boost to your cooking. Many people think it has a slightly cheesy taste.
It's also packed with nutrients so definitely worth purchasing!
Other vegan cauliflower recipes
- Cauliflower alfredo sauce
- Freekeh salad with cauliflower, leeks and butterbeans
- Parsnip, chickpea and cauliflower korma
- Tandoori cauliflower curry
- Roasted cauliflower hummus
- Harissa whole roasted cauliflower
Looking for a new vegan cookbook? Check out my 15 best vegan cookbooks post.
Pin vegan cauliflower cheese for later
How to make vegan cauliflower cheese
The key to this dish tasting absolutely amazing is to roast the cauliflower first.
You could, of course, steam or boil it but it won't have the same taste or texture.
Plus if you roast it then you can add the sauce to the same roasting tin, saving on washing up. Which is pretty much my life goal at the moment.
If you have made this recipe and loved it please consider leaving a comment and rating below.
Vegan cauliflower cheese
Ingredients
- 100 g cashews
- 1 small cauliflower chopped or broken into florets
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 400 ml oat milk
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon garlic granules
- salt and pepper to taste
- handful breadcrumbs to top, I use panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
- First place your cashews in a bowl and cover with cold water. Leave to soak for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan)/200°C/gas mark 6.
- Break the cauliflower into florets, drizzle with olive oil and roast for 10-15 minutes until starting to soften and turn golden brown.
- Meanwhile drain the cashews and place into a blender with the remaining ingredients. Pulse until the cashews are broken down and you have a smooth sauce.
- Pour the sauce over the cauliflower and top with breadcrumbs.
- Return to the oven for 20 minutes until the sauce has thickened and the breadcrumbs are turning crispy.
Nutrition
If you like this you might like this vegan cashew cheese sauce.
HAVE YOU TRIED THIS RECIPE?
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