Melt the non-dairy butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant and browned, about 1 minute. Set aside.
In a blender, add the butter/garlic mixture, cashews, water, non-dairy milk, nutritional yeast, onion powder, salt, paprika, chili powder, dried mustard, and arrowroot until very smooth (everything except the lemon juice!). I use my Vita-Mix to get it completely smooth. Add non-dairy milk as needed to thin.
Return to the saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until slightly thickened, whisking frequently.
Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice.
Serve immediately.
Notes
Use RAW Cashews, not roasted and salted. The roasted and salted variety will leave an aftertaste.
If you don't have a high-speed blender, soak cashews in hot water for at least 1 hour for easy blending.
Nutritional yeast is a seasoning usually found in the spice aisle of health food stores. It's what gives this recipe its cheesy taste so don't skip it!
The arrowroot or tapioca flour adds stretch and helps with the texture of the cheese sauce when heated.
This cheese sauce can be stored in the fridge for 3 to 5 days.
To reheat, place in a small saucepan and heat over low heat until heated through. The sauce will thicken when stored, so use non-dairy milk as needed to thin.