You are going to love this creamy vegan cauliflower cheese recipe. My dairy free cheese sauce is made with cashew nuts and the roasted cauliflower tastes incredible.
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. It’s great as a side dish for a roast dinner or just eaten on its own – this is real vegan comfort food.
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. You can keep it simple and use margarine, plant milk and vegan cheese. You could 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.
Soak the cashews in water for half an hour, drain them and then blend with milk (I use oat milk) and you have a perfectly creamy sauce. I like to add some nutritional yeast* for flavour. Nutritional yeast is a popular vegan ingredient. It looks a bit like sawdust but when added to food it adds a slightly cheesy taste. It’s also packed with nutrients so definitely worth purchasing! I’ve also added some garlic granules and seasoned with salt and pepper for flavour.
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.
Vegan cauliflower cheese
Ingredients
- 100 g cashews
- 1 small cauliflower chopped or broken into florets
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 400 ml oat milk
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp garlic granules
- salt and pepper to taste
- handful breadcrumbs to top, I use panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
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First place your cashews in a bowl and cover with cold water. Leave to soak for 30 minutes.
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Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan)/200°C/gas mark 6.
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Break the cauliflower into florets, drizzle with olive oil and roast for 10-15 minutes until starting to soften and turn golden brown.
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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.
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Pour the sauce over the cauliflower and top with breadcrumbs.
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Return to the oven for 20 minutes until the sauce has thickened and the breadcrumbs are turning crispy.
Other vegan cauliflower recipes
Freekah salad with cauliflower, leeks and butterbeans
Parsnip, chickpea and cauliflower korma
Looking for a new vegan cookbook? Check out my 15 best vegan cookbooks post.
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