Why cashews make the best vegan cheese sauce

Most dairy-free cheese sauces fall down in one of two ways: they taste of nothing much, or they set into a stiff, gluey paste the moment they hit a hot dog. Cashews solve both problems. Soaked and blended, they give you a naturally sweet, faintly buttery base with enough body to cling to a sausage without turning claggy. Add nutritional yeast for that savoury, cheesy savouriness and a touch of acid, and you have something that genuinely earns its place on a loaded dog.

The trick is balance. Cashews are rich, so they need salt, acid and something fermented to lift them. White miso paste does more for a vegan cheese sauce than almost anything else you can add — a single teaspoon brings depth that no amount of extra nutritional yeast can replicate. If you keep one jar of it in the fridge, this sauce becomes a ten-minute job.

The core recipe: silky cashew cheese sauce

This makes enough for six generously loaded hot dogs, or a very large tray of fries. It scales easily.

• 150g raw cashews, unsalted and unroasted
• 250ml water, or unsweetened soy milk for a richer finish
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp white miso paste
• 1 tbsp lemon juice or cider vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 small clove garlic, peeled
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ¼ tsp ground turmeric, for colour
• 2 tbsp olive oil, or 1 tbsp tapioca starch for a stretchier finish
• ¾ tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste

Soak the cashews in just-boiled water for 30 minutes, or in cold water overnight. Drain and rinse them well. If you are short on time, simmer them in water for 10 minutes — they should squash easily between your fingers.

Tip everything into a high-speed blender and blitz on high for a full two minutes. Scrape down the sides and blend again. A weaker blender will need longer, and you may need to add water a tablespoon at a time. What you want is the texture of double cream: pourable but with enough viscosity to coat the back of a spoon.

Pour into a small saucepan and warm gently over a low heat for three to four minutes, stirring constantly. Do not let it boil, or the sauce can split. Taste and adjust — more lemon for sharpness, more salt for punch, a splash more water if it tightens up.

Texture, seasoning and troubleshooting

Texture is where most people give up, so it is worth knowing the fixes before you need them.

• Too thick? Add warm water a tablespoon at a time, off the heat, whisking as you go.
• Too thin? Simmer for another couple of minutes. A teaspoon of tapioca starch whisked into cold water and stirred through will thicken it quickly.
• Grainy? Your cashews were not soaked long enough, or your blender needs another few minutes. Push the sauce through a fine sieve as a rescue measure.
• Flat? You are almost certainly short on acid or salt. Add both before reaching for more yeast.
• Cloying? A squeeze of lime or a few drops of hot sauce will sort it out.

Latin-inspired twists for heat and brightness

This is where the sauce stops being a simple substitute and becomes the best thing on the plate. The smoky, savoury base takes well to chilli and citrus, so treat the core recipe as a starting point.

• Smoked chipotle: blend in one chipotle in adobo, plus a teaspoon of the sauce from the tin. Deep, smoky heat that works beautifully with a grilled vegan frankfurter.
• Roasted jalapeño and lime: blitz in two roasted, peeled jalapeños and the zest of a lime. Bright, green and sharp.
• Ancho and cocoa: a teaspoon of ancho chilli powder and a pinch of cocoa powder gives a mole-like warmth that is excellent over loaded fries.
• Charred corn and coriander: fold through at the end rather than blending, so the textures stay distinct.

Pair whichever version you choose with a fresh salsa for contrast — a roasted tomato and árbol chilli salsa, or a quick pineapple and habanero number — and you get the creamy-versus-acidic tension that makes street food so moreish.

Loading up hot dogs and fries

Warm the sauce through, then build. For a hot dog, spread a spoonful inside the bun before the sausage goes in — it acts as a waterproof layer and stops everything going soggy. Add the sausage, then a generous zigzag of cheese sauce, followed by pickled red onion, sliced jalapeños and a spoonful of salsa.

For loaded fries, spread hot chips on a tray, pour over the sauce while they are still steaming, and finish with black beans, charred corn, coriander and a squeeze of lime. Serve immediately. If you are feeding a crowd, keep the sauce warm in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water and let people help themselves.

Make-ahead, storage and reheating

The sauce keeps in the fridge for four days in a sealed jar, and it freezes surprisingly well for up to three months. Freeze in portions rather than one large tub, and thaw overnight in the fridge.

Reheat gently in a saucepan with a splash of water or unsweetened plant milk, stirring until it loosens. A microwave works too — short bursts of 20 seconds, stirring between each. It will thicken considerably as it cools, which is normal and easily corrected. Make a double batch while you are at it; once you have tasted it over a properly loaded dog, you will not want to be without it.