In a saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of vegan butter over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook while stirring often until the onion is translucent in appearance, but not brown.

Put the fried onion, garlic, and butter in the blender. Add non-dairy milk, cashew nuts, water, nutritional yeast, and salt.

Stir at high speed until smooth and creamy.

Add the pickled jalapeno and brine to the mixture. Pulse chop the jalapenos. Be careful not to overmix.

In the pan used in the first step, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegan butter over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of flour and stir to make a batter. Cook while stirring constantly, for 1 minute.

In the roux mixture, gently whisk in the cashew mixture.

Add vegan cheese to the sauce and keep stirring until it’s melted in.

If necessary, add a few drops of water or potato milk to adjust consistency.