Guinness Vegan Cheese Sauce : non dairy dip for pretzels

Guinness Vegan Cheese Sauce is a game changer! Creamy, delicious, non diary dip for pretzels…or any of your favorite dippers! This is the perfect, crowd pleasing appetizer to get any party started! Vegan AND non vegans will be drooling over this creamy, flavorful, beer infused dip.

Guinness Vegan Cheese Sauce is made with silken tofu, vegan cheese, Guinness and the perfect blend of seasoning to give this non dairy, vegan dip a cheesy flavor and creamy consistency…without actually using cheese!

This recipe is super simple to make, all you need is a blender and a sauce pan, and you will have a creamy, flavorful, Guinness vegan cheese sauce in little time and with very little effort! Perfect vegan appetizer for St. Patrick’s Day or Super Bowl parties!

This recipe is nut-free, dairy free, and vegan!

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How to make non dairy, vegan “cheese” sauce taste like cheese

To make vegan and non dairy cheese sauce, you cannot actually include cheese. So how do you create a cheesy flavor and a creamy consistency without actually using cheese? There are a few simple tricks to get you there!

Creating a cheesy flavor for Guinness vegan cheese sauce

To create a cheese-like flavor without actually using cheese you will combine vegan cheese with nutritional yeast, soy sauce, ketchup and a blend of spices.

Vegan Shredded Cheese

For this recipe I went with Daiya’s shredded vegan cheddar cheese. This non dairy cheese alternative is stretchy, gooey, and has a nice cheesy flavor to it! Feel free to substitute your favorite vegan cheese if desired.

Nutritional Yeast

Nutritional yeast is another important ingredient to give this Guinness vegan cheese sauce its cheesy flavor.

Nutritional yeast, also known as nooch, is basically nature’s vegan cheese powder! Nutritional yeast is yeast made from living saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast, which is the same yeast used to make bread. Nutritional yeast is powdery, with large flakes and has a mustard-like color. 

Nutritional yeast has a unique, cheese-like flavor that can be described as savory and slightly nutty. This delicious, flavor boosting ingredient is very popular in vegan and dairy free cheese recipes and is often the key ingredient to create a dairy free, cheese-like flavor.

You can find nutritional yeast in most grocery store in the health food section or the spice aisle. You can also purchase nutritional yeast online!

Other ingredients to help create a cheesy flavor for vegan cheese dip

The addition of vegan cheese and nutritional yeast do a fantastic job of creating a very cheesy flavor all on their own. But adding a few extra ingredients can really help round out the flavor of this Guinness vegan cheese sauce.

To bring the flavor of this non dairy dip to the next level, you will be adding a spice blend of garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika. You will also add turmeric powder, but that is more for color than taste…remember you eat with your eyes first.

You will also add ketchup (sweet and acidic), Dijon whole grain mustard (sharp kick), and soy sauce (savory, salty, umami) to give your Guinness vegan cheese sauce more flavor.

How to make vegan beer cheese sauce creamy without dairy

How do you make vegan cheese sauce creamy without dairy? There are many methods to creating a creamy consistency for vegan beer cheese sauce, but for this recipe you will be using silken tofu.

Silken Tofu

Tofu is an AMAZING plant-based protein that is super popular in many cuisines around the world, especially in Thailand, Korea, Japan, China, and throughout Southeast Asia. If you follow a plant-based diet of any sort, chances are you have come across tofu as well. If you haven’t had the pleasure of consuming tofu or are unsure what it is exactly, here’s a little bit about it.

Tofu, also known as bean curd, is made from soy beans…more specifically, fresh soy milk. To transform soy milk into tofu, soy milk is curdled, pressed into a solid block, then cooled. This process results in a dense, yet soft block of tofu!

Silken Tofu is unprocessed and undrained tofu. When making silken tofu, the soy is not curdled. This results in a super soft, silky version of tofu.

Using Silken tofu in Guinness Vegan Cheese Sauce

Using silken tofu in this Guinness vegan cheese dip is key for creating a smooth, creamy consistency! It also adds extra protein to the dip, which never hurts. It’s also much lower in calories and fat than heavy cream, nuts, or vegan butter, which is often used in cheese sauces, making this a healthier option.

Simply place silken tofu in the blender, along with the other flavor boosting ingredients, and in about 30 seconds you will have a beautifully smooth, creamy base for your plant-based cheese dip!

vegan beer cheese sauce recipe

Beer and cheese are two peas in a pod and pair fabulously together! Vegan cheese sauce is delicious all on its own…but add beer to the mix and you will create a more complex flavor that you can really write home about!

For this recipe I went with Guinness Extra Stout beer. Feel free to substitute any stout of lager of your choice.

IS GUINNESS VEGAN?

Yes! It was a beautiful day for vegans when Guinness finally became vegan! It’s official folks…Guinness beer is vegan!

WHAT DOES GUINNESS BEER TASTE LIKE?

For those of us who have not had Guinness…Guinness is a stout beer. It can be described as light bodied, slightly creamy and sweet. Guinness has a bit of a sharp, bitter flavor from hops, but it’s rounded out with hints of malt, cocoa, cherry and raisin.

Adding Guinness to this vegan stout gravy gives it a sharp, complex flavor that any beer enthusiast will love.

Non Dairy Dip for pretzels

This Guinness vegan cheese sauce recipe makes the per non dairy dip for pretzels.

Have you tried these Pumpernickel pretzel sticks?! If not, you NEED to…they are delicious. You can find these in the chip and pretzel isle of most grocery stores.

Feel free to substitute any pretzel of your choice of course!

What to serve with Guinness Vegan Cheese Sauce

As mentioned, this Guinness vegan cheese sauce makes an excellent non dairy dip for pretzels. But what else can you serve with it? The possibilities are endless.

Serve this vegan beer cheese sauce with tortilla chips, bread cubes, pretzel bites, or soft pretzels. This Guinness vegan cheese sauce also makes the perfect beer sauce for vegan Mac and cheese! Or you can slather it all over nachos or vegan hot dogs.

Sky I the limit! Serve this Guinness Vegan Cheese sauce for you St. Patrick’s Day or super bowl party and make all of your guests go wild! Or whip this recipe up on a day you are looking to indulge, but don’t want to stick with a healthier, slower calorie option…this “cheese” sauce is make with low calorie, protein rich silken tofu after all…not high calorie, fatty heavy cream, cheese or nuts!

Adding to the flavor

This Guinness vegan cheese sauce is perfectly delicious as is. But you can get creative and add to the flavor. Add chipotle bbq sauce, hot sauce, liquid smoke, chopped chipotle peppers, or diced jalapeños to this sauce to create a whole new delicious flavor!

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