This nacho cheese is the perfect chip dip for game-day parties. The texture is a crazy-close match to ballpark nacho cheese, except it’s made entirely from plants (primarily potatoes and carrots). Serve it alongside tortilla chips for dunking, or drizzle it atop a plate of chips piled high with toppings for classic nachos, and get ready for a home run. We love to add some chunky salsa for extra pizzazz.
Yield: 3 cups
Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes | Total time: 50 minutes
You’ll need: a high-powered blender
2 cups peeled and diced potatoes (any type)
½ cup chopped carrots
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ large yellow onion, roughly chopped
½ jalapeño, seeded (add more or less to adjust spiciness)
4 medium cloves garlic, roughly chopped
½ cup nutritional yeast
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
Tortilla chips, for serving
1. In a medium pot, cover the potatoes and carrots with water. Place the pot over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, and boil for about 20 minutes, until the veggies are soft. Before draining, add ½ cup of the hot water from the pot to a highpowered blender. Drain the remaining water and add the potatoes and carrots to the blender.
2. Heat the olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the onion and jalapeño and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and continue sautéing for 3 more minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the pan from the heat, allow the onion mixture to cool for a few minutes, and add it to the blender.
3. Add the nutritional yeast, turmeric, lemon juice, and salt to the blender and blend until you have a completely smooth nacho cheese sauce. Serve fresh with tortilla chips.
Friendly Suggestion: For a nacho cheese sauce with kick, mix in ¼ cup of chunky salsa (of your desired spiciness level) after blending.
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