Keto Cheese Sauce: 6 Amazing Low-Carb Vegan-Friendly Recipes

The cheese sauce is one of the all-time favorites for many of us. Those are great for topping main dishes and as dips for fries, vegetables, or nachos. It goes with baked potato, tacos, pizzas, you name it. But since switching to keto vegan, I figured that I have to put my love for it on hold. Luckily, vegans generally care about their well-being and also turned out to be very inventive. So keto cheese sauce turned from being my forgotten dream to reality. 

So, let me present to you everything I’ve learned so far about this condiment. 

Are you interested in a specific recipe for vegan keto cheese sauce? Then use the table of contents below to jump to the most relevant section. And you can always go back by clicking on the arrow in the right bottom corner of the page. Also, please note that some of the links in this article may be affiliate links. For more details, check the Disclosure section at the bottom of the page. 

Can you eat cheese sauce on keto?

Making a classic cheese sauce, e.g., something like Roux usually involves all-purpose flour and cow milk. And both of those ingredients are not keto-friendly (not to mention vegan-friendly). 

In general, any home-made cheese sauce (even made with the lowest carb cheese) might have anything from 15g to 25g of carbs per cup, depending on the recipe. And for some of us, following a super strict ketogenic diet, it is very close to a daily limit of carbs intake. 

And if you have ever asked yourself: “Is Velveeta keto approved?” I’d say: “Definitely not.”

cheese sauce, although loved by many, has 24g of sugar per cup of prepared product. And that’s way too much. 

Not to mention the fact that it contains plenty of not very friendly ingredients like whey, canola oil, colorings, and a variety of phosphates. So, maybe it’s good that you can forget about it altogether. 

How to make a keto cheese sauce?

There are plenty of ingredients that are used by vegans and keto-diet followers to come up with the low carb version of the cheese sauce (even without cheese). 

After all, it’s all about the spices you are using and some additional ingredients that are healthy and also make things work. 

Amongst the base products that can make the sauce thick and have some substance are many. You can use tofu, nuts (like cashew or macadamia), low-carb flour (e.g., coconut or almond), and nutritional yeast. 

The last one has that savory and cheesy flavor and is often used in vegan cheeses. It’s also super rich in vitamin B (B12 in particular), zinc, selenium, and much more.

How to thicken cheese sauce on keto?

If nuts, flour, and tofu are not thick enough, you can always use additional keto cheese sauce thickener. For instance, xanthan gum is quite popular amongst keto vegans and often used in soups, smoothies, and condiments to make them pleasingly viscous. It binds the ingredients together, and in a way, it can act as a substitute for gluten. 

Even though xanthan gum is made of a combination of sugars (usually from corn) and some bacteria and micronutrients, it’s practically turned into a fiber during the manufacturing process. So the net carb count is zero. 

But you have to make sure to read the labels carefully. Sometimes it might contain ingredients not suitable for people following the specific diet, e.g., dairy or gluten. 

Although none of the recipes in my article doesn’t require xanthan gum, you might still want to experiment. So the thickness is lacking, you know where to find it. 

Keto cheese sauce recipes

Easy keto cheese sauce (vegan-friendly too)

Keto cheese sauce with almond milk

Keto nacho cheese sauce

Keto cheese sauce for broccoli, cauliflower, and other veggies

Keto cheese sauce with nutritional yeast and tofu

Keto bechamel

Thanks for the graphics: Canva.com

Disclosure: At vegketodiet.com I only mention the products that I researched and considered worthy. But it’s important to note that we are a participant of several affiliate programs, including but not limited to VigLink and Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, this website earns from qualifying purchases. Also please note that I am not a doctor. As such readers are strongly recommended to make decisions that might affect their health by doing their own research. At vegketodiet.com I only document and describe thoughts, researches and ideas that proved to be working for me.