We’re putting a vegan-friendly spin on white pizza with this Cashew Cheese Sauce! It’s the foolproof way to get creamy, flavorful pizza without any of the heavy dairy. Whether you’re vegan or dairy-free, you’ll love this dish. Perfect for any and every pizza night!
Before we start– are you ready for this? Sitting down in a chair so that you’re closer to the ground when your jaw drops and hits the floor?
Because this pizza is about to KNOCK YOUR VEGAN SOCKS OFF. Not wearing any? That’s fine, I have an extra pair you can borrow.
Even though vegan “cheese” is old news, but it’s my first time having it and now I’m obsessed with a capital O. I’m not a vegan, nor do I plan to be, although I applaud you if you are. Sometimes I just like messing around in the kitchen so that I can share meals with anyone, regardless their dietary choices. Add that to my love of nutritional yeast and you get this insanely good Cashew Cheese Sauce.
Also fondly known as “nooch,” nutritional yeast is a vegan godsend. In more technical terms, it’s a deactivated yeast related to brewer’s yeast, which plays a role in fermentation for beer. Don’t confuse them, but I’d be impressed if you do. I take no responsibility for whatever fermented frothy mess you end up with. Anyway, more important is that it’s a blend of cheesy and nutty that makes for the perfect pizza topping.
Blend it with soaked cashews, fresh garlic, spices, and water, and 5 minutes later you’re eating the creamiest sauce straight from the blender. You might feel a funny tingle in your stomach, but don’t be alarmed. That’s just the arousal from spooning tomato sauce’s more attractive second-cousin. I already fell head over heels in dreamy love with it. We went on our second date last night and are planning to move in together.
Too much? Never.
Noteworthy tidbits: cashew cheese sauce is THICK, aka highly spoonable. You could always thin it out by adding more water, but I think it holds up best on pizza this way. I used the same whole wheat pizza dough from my Shakshuka Pizza since it’s both ridiculously easy and delicious. Plus I already had some in my freezer.
I won’t try to convince you that this sauce tastes just like cheese. Because it doesn’t. I might as well save my breath. However, it does taste incredibly amazing and makes me wonder why I never tried white pizza before. Seriously, Sara, why not?
My favorite pizza was always a veggie-heavy slice, and you can’t beat caramelized onions and mushrooms. Unless you put them all over a cashew cheese pizza pie. Then you’re just crushing the pizza game. For the final touch I sprinkled it with fresh thyme leaves and was officially living my best (vegan) pizza life.
- FOR THE PIZZA:
- 1 pizza dough*
- ½ white onion, thinly sliced
- 4-5 baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp avocado or olive oil
- fresh thyme
- FOR THE CASHEW CHEESE:
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked for 2 hours, drained & rinsed
- ½ cup water
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- black pepper
- crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a pan with parchment paper.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet. Once hot, reduce the flame to medium-low and cook the onions for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the mushrooms and continue cooking for 10 more minutes, or until caramelized. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- While the mushrooms and onions are cooking, in a blender or food processor, combine all of the ingredients for the cashew cheese. Adjust seasonings to taste.
- Spread the sauce on the dough, making circular motions form the center outwards to evenly distribute it. Top with the mushrooms and onions, then sprinkle on some fresh thyme.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool on the pan for a few minutes before slicing.
If you try this recipe, I’d love your feedback. Leave a comment below, save it on Pinterest, or tag #lensesandlentils on Instagram so that I can see your creations!
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