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The first time I heard you could make a creamy dairy-free dip with cashews, I was skeptical. Cashews and cheese don’t exactly taste the same. But this delicious vegan queso proved me wrong. It also led to my famous Vegan Mac & Cheese, so I’m glad I didn’t dismiss the idea!
If you don’t like the idea of using nutritional yeast, try my Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce, which is remarkably similar to the kind you’d get at a movie theater or baseball game.
Table of Contents
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Cashews. Shop for cashews that aren’t roasted or salted for the best flavor. Sometimes they’re labeled “raw,” but usually they’ll say “un-roasted and unsalted.” If you only have salted cashews on hand, use less salt than this recipe calls for.
- Canned Tomatoes. I’m basing this recipe off the classic Rotel dip I used to eat, which called for a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies and a block of Velveeta cheese. Blend the juices from the can with the cashews, then stir in the rest of the can for texture.
- Nutritional Yeast. This helps add a “cheesy” flavor to dairy-free recipes, and you can usually find it in the spice aisle at the grocery store.
- Lemon Juice. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best flavor. This adds tang and builds on the cheesy taste.
- Turmeric. This is only added for color, so feel free to skip it if you don’t mind a white (or slightly pink from the tomatoes) queso look.
- Salt. I use fine sea salt for this recipe, which might taste different from regular table salt. You can always start with less and add more to taste as you go, but don’t skip it. If your dip tastes bland, it’s because you didn’t use enough salt.
How to Make Vegan Queso (Step by Step)
- Add 1 cup of cashews to a measuring cup and cover with 1/2 cup hot water to help them soften.
- Transfer the soaked cashews to a high-speed blender and add the juices from the can of diced tomatoes. (Reserve the tomatoes to stir in later; they don’t get blended!)
- Next, add 1.5 tablespoons lemon juice, 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (for color), and 1 teaspoon fine sea salt to the blender.
- Secure the lid and blend until smooth, at least 60 seconds. Stop and scrape down the sides of the blender as needed.
- Pour the drained tomatoes into a large glass bowl. The bowl should be big enough for stirring the queso dip together with the blended cashew mixture.
- Add the creamy cashew mixture to the bowl of tomatoes.
- Stir well until the tomatoes are evenly mixed into the cashew sauce. Taste the dairy-free queso and adjust the seasoning to taste, if needed.
- You can heat this up gently and serve warm, or just serve it at room temperature. Either way it’s delicious!
Tip for Heating Dairy-Free Queso
I think this dairy-free queso tastes the most authentic when served warm, however it can start to stick to the pan if you don’t stir it often while warming it up on the stove top. I like to warm it briefly on the stove, then transfer to a small crock pot to keep it warm during a party.
Keep in mind that this cashew cheese sauce will thicken when heated, so keep the heat low, and add a splash of water to help thin it out again, if needed.
Dairy-Free Queso FAQs
I haven’t tested an alternative to cashews yet, but readers have reported success using macadamia nuts and blanched almonds. Hemp hearts make a great alternative to cashews in my vegan ranch dressing recipe, so they might work here as well.
Yes, of course! The turmeric in this recipe doesn’t add much flavor, just a bright yellow color to make it more cheese-like, but you can use paprika instead for more of a reddish color, or even stir in some taco seasoning. If you don’t have diced tomatoes on hand, try my nacho cheese sauce using pickled jalapeños for flavor.
Try Sweet Potato Queso instead!
More Dairy-Free Recipes
If you try this vegan queso recipe, please leave a comment and ⭐ star rating below to let me know how you like it. Thanks for visiting!
The Best Vegan Queso You’ll Ever Taste
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews , soaked for up to 4 hours and drained
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies
Instructions
- Place the cashews in a bowl and cover with ½ cup of hot water to help them soften. This step is optional if you have a high-speed blender, but it can help them break down faster.
- While you wait, measure the lemon juice, nutritional yeast, turmeric, and salt, and add them to the blender. Open the can of diced tomatoes with green chilies, and drain the juices directly into the blender, to help add more flavorful liquid for blending. (Reserve the diced tomatoes from the can to stir in later.)
- Add in the cashews and their soaking water to the blender, and blend until the mixture is totally smooth, about 60 to 90 seconds. Stop and scrape down the sides of the blender as needed, and add an extra splash of water to help facilitate blending, if you need to.
- Transfer the cheese mixture to a large bowl, then stir in the reserved diced tomatoes and green chilies. At this point, be sure to adjust any flavors to your taste, then warm the dip using a small crock pot, or by heating it gently over a stove top. As the dip is warmed, it becomes even more authentic. Serve with baked tortilla chips and fresh sliced veggies. (Note: The sauce will thicken as it warms up, so feel free to add an extra splash of water, as needed to thin it out again.)
- Leftover queso can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. It will thicken when chilled, so let it come to room temperature before serving, or warm it up with an extra splash of water to thin out the texture again.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Thank you so much for creating this amazing recipe. I can now eat nachos again because of this recipe. I made this for people who are not lactose intolerant and they also really enjoyed it. It is so easy to make and makes a good amount. This is one of my absolute favorite recipes of yours. Thank you again.
This recipe is so good! In addition to eating it with chips, I used it on scrambled eggs and over roasted veggies.
Absolutely amazing!! Love this vegan queso recipe so much…it’s great on chips, but also use it with veggies and a topper on eggs and burrito bowls. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
One word: BOMB!!! This queso is so so good!! Simple recipe, simple ingredients. I could smother a flip-flop in this sauce and eat it lol. Another amazing!!
I made this when my daughter was very hungry. I asked her to try it and I ended up taking away the bowl because we needed to save some for the Super Bowl! To say we all loved it would be an understatement. SO GOOD!!! I will have all ingredients on hand from now on so we can make it whenever we want 🙂 thanks so much Megan!
This turned out so good! This was my first time making a vegan cheese- it won’t be my last. I enjoyed huge scoops of this on blue corn tortilla chips as a snack. I did add some cumin, black pepper, and a little extra salt. Thank you for this delicious recipe!
Do you think this would be good with miso instead of nutritional yeast? I just can’t do that stuff :-/
Made this for the first time last week for a football watch party. Two non-vegan friends asked me for the recipe. Bringing it back for the Super Bowl party. (Note : I hate turmeric so skipped it and it was still fine; also buying a small crock pot to keep it warm and perfect; and if you’re not a fan of nutritional yeast like me, you’ll still like it)
This was surprisingly very yummy! I’m adding it to my recipe list. Thank you!
This was SO good.
This is delicious! I make it pretty often and eat it as a dip or add it to my burritos instead of cheese. Everyone loves it!