We’re going to say this right away: this is one of those recipes you want to save. It is rich, but not overwhelming. Use it as a condiment, dip, spread, or sauce. You get that signature cheesy flavor without having to use fattening, sodium-rich cheese. You may love it so much that you abandon regular nacho cheese sauce for good!

Unlike other raw vegan “cheese” sauces, this nacho cheese sauce is completely nut-free. Instead of nuts or seeds, this sauce uses zucchini, red bell pepper, and nutritional yeast as thickening/flavor agents. The nutritional yeast is where that cheese flavor comes from, and it provides vegans with essential vitamin B12, which they typically lack due to their diet. Because zucchini has a lot of water, though, you have to dehydrate zucchini slices for about one hour at 115º F prior to blending it with the rest of the ingredients. That step, which may seem annoying, will help your sauce retain a luxuriously thick consistency.

The reason that this recipe uses zucchini instead of cashews is to help ease digestion. It is best that you do not mix a starch with protein. This may not matter so much to everyone, but those with sensitive digestive systems can benefit from knowing these types of food combining rules. If you ever want to familiarize yourself with those rules, click here for more information. Until then, enjoy the recipe!