The Best Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons vegetable shortening or palm oil
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 2 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeds and ribs removed, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
• 1 chipotle pepper packed in adobo sauce, finely chopped, plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
• 4 ounces russet potato, peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 ounces roasted cashews
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Frank's
• 2 teaspoons pickling liquid from a can of pickled jalapeño peppers
• Kosher salt to taste

Directions

1. Warm the shortening in a medium skillet set over medium heat. Stir in the onions, garlic, and jalapeños, and cook until everything is fully softened without taking on color, about 4 minutes.
2. Add the cumin, paprika, garlic powder, and chipotle with its sauce. Cook, stirring as you go, until the spices smell toasty and the mixture begins to gently bubble, about 1 minute.
3. Stir in the potatoes and cashews, and keep cooking until the cashews pick up a light toast, about 2 minutes.
4. Pour in the water and almond milk. Bring the mixture up to a boil, then lower the heat to the gentlest simmer and cook, stirring often, until the potatoes are very tender, about 10 minutes.
5. Scrape everything into the jar of a high-powered blender. Add the hot sauce, jalapeño pickling liquid, and a pinch of salt. Begin blending on low, then gradually work up to high speed. Blend on high until the sauce is completely smooth, about 2 minutes, thinning with water a few drops at a time if you want a looser consistency. Taste and add more salt as needed.
6. Push the sauce through a chinois, pressing with the underside of a ladle to help it pass through. Store the cheese sauce in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Rewarm it in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring between each one, or heat it gently in a small pan on the stovetop, stirring constantly and adding water as needed to loosen the sauce.