Vegan Cashew Queso
This vegan cashew queso is cheesy, creamy and so easy to make! Made with just a few pantry staple ingredients, this simple recipe is perfect as a dip, on top of burrito bowls, tacos & more.
If you need a flavor packed dip for a party (or just yourself tbh), look no further than this vegan cashew queso! It’s made with just a few simple ingredients you probably already have on hand and is 100% healthy.
This recipe is paleo, vegan, gluten free, dairy free and even Whole30 friendly, but I promise it’ll impress your friends and family. It’s perfect with a strawberry margarita on the side with my vegan tacos as the main course!
You may have had the Siete cashew queso or Whole Foods one, but making it from scratch is so much better, I promise.
This recipe is not like a traditional Mexican queso (also known as chili con queso) which is made from soft white cheeses, peppers and often ground beef, but more like a delicious, creamy and cheesy tasting dip without the actual cheese!
I promise you won’t even miss the cheese, the cashews and nutritional yeast take the place of it quite nicely!
Vegan queso is something you can buy at many grocery stores these days, but making your own at home is just as easy and tastes so much better! Plus, you’re in complete control of the spice level, flavors, saltiness and more. If you love this recipe, my lemon tahini dressing next!
How to make cashew vegan queso
Add the cashews to a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let soak for about 20 minutes to soften. Covering with boiling water instead of cold water allows us to speed up the soaking process!
If you have a high speed blender, you can get away with not soaking them at all. However, for the most creamy texture, it is best to soak them!
You can also just boil the cashews in a pot for 15-20 minutes to ensure they’re really soft if you don’t have a high speed blender.
Drain and rinse the cashews and add to a blender.
Add in all remaining ingredients and blend until completely smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
Transfer to a pot or pan and heat over low heat until warm, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Serve hot & enjoy!
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Serving suggestions
Queso is usually served as a dip with chips, but I also love it over tacos, as a dressing/sauce for burrito bowls or even as a cheesy pasta sauce! It’s especially delicious with my salmon tacos.
I recommend serving this cashew queso hot, but you are welcome to serve it cold if you prefer.
Variations/substitutions
This recipe is pretty versatile, you can stir in some salsa or chopped tomatoes or chili peppers for a bit of texture/spice, make it spicier with more hot sauce, make it smokey by subbing regular paprika for smoked paprika etc.
I have not tested this recipe with roasted cashews, but if that’s all you have on hand, that should be ok. The flavor may be a bit different, but still delicious.
How to store
Once prepared, this cashew queso will keep in the fridge for about 5 days. You’ll want to mix it up with a spoon before serving to make sure the top hasn’t dried out at all.
I have not tried freezing it, but I think it could be ok. I’d freeze in a container, then let thaw in the fridge an re-blend to make it creamy.
Can I make it spicy?
Definitely! We all have different taste buds, so don’t be afraid to adjust the flavors!
I usually add a bit more nutritional yeast and salt to bring out the cheesy flavor and sometimes a pinch of red pepper flakes if I want more spice. Use what you have and make it how you like, this recipe is very versatile!
Is cashew queso healthy?
Traditional queso is made with lots of cheese, so it is generally considered a healthy food! This vegan queso, however, is made from cashews, nutritional yeast and a bunch of spices so it’s a totally good for you recipe!
Try these next!
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Vegan Cashew Queso
by: claire cary
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups raw cashews
- 1-1 ½ cups non-dairy milk I used plain almond
- 1/3-1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce or to taste
Instructions
- Add the cashews to a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let soak for about 20 minutes to soften. You can also just boil the cashews in a pot for 15-20 minutes to ensure they’re really soft if you don’t have a high speed blender.
- Drain and rinse the cashews and add to a blender.
- Add in all remaining ingredients and blend until completely smooth. Start with 1 cup of milk and add more to thin it out if desired.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
- Transfer to a pot or pan and heat over low heat until warm, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
- Serve hot & enjoy!
Notes
Comments
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I don’t keep nutritional yeast nor have I ever cooked with it. Can I leave the yeast out?
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No, you need it for the cheesy flavor!
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Someone brought this to a Christmas party in the country 3 years ago and none of us are vegan, but all of us are still talking about it! Fast forward to today and it turns out I’m allergic to wheat, eggs and dairy… Dairy being the hardest to cut out … I immediately started digging through old texts to find the recipe she sent me ages ago and couldn’t. Then we got a text thread going to track her and it down… At first, soaking nuts for 10 minutes felt like too much of a chore… But, I would happily do it for multiple days if I meant I could have more of this dip! *chefs kiss* Heaven on earth!
Having had this, not kidding, is a blessing from God. It’s really hard being allergic to so many things, and there are more they having found out yet, but this is a simple recipe that make me feel like I can contribute to a party and know nobody will think it’s allergy friendly unless they know me. I can finally have a “normal” “junk” food when the mood strikes for some queso… Thank you!
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Hi Stephanie! That really means so much to me – I totally understand the food allergy struggle and I’m so glad you were able to find something you loved!
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This was received with major accolades!!! Everyone loved it! I did add an entire Serrano pepper ground up in the dip and it was fantastic! Everyone wants the recipe!!!!
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So happy to hear that! Thanks, Cindy!
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This recipe produces an excellent cashew queso – we have used it as a dip and to make nachos and chili cheese dogs. Plenty of options to adjust flavor and spice level. We used canned chipotle sauce in place of the tomato paste and hot sauce. We found that when adding liquid, it helped to make it a little thinner than we wanted the final product to be, because heating will thicken it up just a bit.
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WOW!!!! My new favorite dip. If you do not like garlic. Cut the fresh in half. I omitted the lemon/lime. I did not heat it. I like it chilled as a dip for pretzels! Thank you!
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Delicious! Thanks, Sheryl!
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Just made this! I misread the ingredients and didn’t start with less Almond milk. It was a little thin so I just heated it on the stove a little longer to burn off some liquid. I used smoked paprika instead of regular as you suggested in your post and my gosh is this ever delicious!!! I will 100% make this again!
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Perfect, thanks Stefanie!
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This was sooo good! I did not have any tomato paste and used ketchup and it was great.
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Ohh perfect! Glad to know that works well as a sub.
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I just made this today, it’s very tasty 😋 Thanks for sharing this recipe! Much cheaper to make it yourself instead of buying it at the store!
Thank you
Jacks -
Delicious! I used mine as a pasta sauce-stuck to about 1.25 cups of soy milk and added half a cup of pasta cooking water to thin out enough for a cheez sauce. Love the mix of spices-I omitted the tomato paste and added a few healthy spoons of roasted peppers instead. I stuck with a 1/3 cup of nutritional yeast but would probably drop it down to 1/4 next time-I’m just not a fan, has nothing to do with the recipe proportions. Will definitely make again!
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We’ve been trying to reduce cholesterol and this recipe is a great way to have a tasty Mexican “cheese” sauce without the cholesterol. It’s delicious, even the 20 year old was using it on tacos!
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Love to hear that! Thanks Jean.
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What would you recommend as a substitute for the tomato paste (can’t eat)….or just leave it out?
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I’d recommend just leaving it out!
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OMG! This is delicious! I have been eyeing this for awhile, but had put off making it, and now I don’t know why I waited so long! It is so darn good, and I can see this becoming a regular fixture in my diet! lol
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Yay! Thanks Jen! So happy you enjoyed it 🙂
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Just made this as I’m prepping all dinner for later,roasted veg etc for burrito bowls and yummmmmm!!!! 😋
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Holy crap this is delicious. I don’t typically enjoy nutritional yeast flavored cheeses but this one is SUPERBBBBBBBB
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Yay! So happy I could be the one to change your mind 🙂
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