At the heart of many Estero recipes is the crux. The iffy, risky, “there’s no way that’s going to work” part of the recipe. And often, as a vegan, this comes in the form of substitution and vegan alternatives. Like cheese. Vegan cheese.

If you think of the wide array of applications cheese typically has, it is not surprising that vegan cheese has a high bar to pass.

Ranging from very weird to somewhat edible to the occasional good one, vegan cheeses have a wide range in quality. And this range in quality becomes even wider when you begin to include “homemade” vegan cheeses, as opposed to their store-bought pre-packaged counterparts.

And for good reason. Consumers may be baffled by thinking of cheeses made of tapioca starch, cashews, or in our case: a potato, a carrot, ‘arrowroot powder’, and a host of spices and liquids.

But somehow, it panned out. The ‘arrowroot powder’ was definitely one of the most questionable-sounding ingredients I’ve ever used, but somehow this cheese came out perfectly. Some of our guests liked it better than actual nacho cheese.

This recipe can also be made with other toppings, such as vegetables, vegan buffalo sauce & vegan ranch as opposed to the vegan nacho cheese sauce, serving with guac and salsa… the variations are endless. These fries make a great base for fry-themed creative goodness.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Vegan Nacho Cheese Fries with Soy Chorizo*

Ingredients

• 1 12oz pack soy chorizo
• 2-3 tomatoes for topping (optional)
• any additional extra toppings (optional. we liked guac.)

French Fries

• 4 russet potatoes
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Vegan Nacho Cheese

• 1 peeled, cubed small white potato
• 1 peeled, coined carrot
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup non-dairy milk (or water, but non-dairy milk is ideal)
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1.5 tsp arrowroot flour/powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 6 pickled jalapeno slices
• 3 tbsp jalapeno can brine

Instructions

Baking the French Fries

• Wash and cut the potatoes into steak fry shape. Place in a large pot of cold water and bring to a boil. Cook for 6-8 minutes at boiling. Drain.
• Preheat the oven at 425 F.
• Add fries to a baking sheet. Then add oil and spices and mix.
• Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden brown and crisp.

Making the Vegan Nacho Cheese

• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the sliced potato and carrot pieces. Boil for ~6-10 minutes, until fork tender. Then drain and add to a blender.
• Add the remaining sauce ingredients to the blender and blend on high until the desired smooth consistency is achieved.

Cooking the Soy Chorizo

• Cook soy chorizo in a pan on medium-high heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until desired 'doneness' is reached. Should be somewhat similar to cooked ground beef in texture when done.

Assembly

• Layer fries, cheese sauce, soy chorizo, tomatoes, and then any further toppings.
• Enjoy! 🙂

*Note the french fry and vegan nacho cheese portions of this recipe were lifted from a vegan cookbook.