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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!
The key to making dairy-free queso is using some of the same ingredients you’d find in a classic queso, including a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies. This helps with the flavor and texture a LOT.
You’ll also need a powerful blender that can totally pulverize the cashews into a creamy sauce. I use a personal-size blender for this, but a big Vitamix will work too. And 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 for Vegan Queso
- Cashews. Shop for cashews that aren’t roasted or salted for the best flavor. Sometimes they’re labeled “raw,” but usually they’ll say “unroasted 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)
1. Blend.
Add 1 cup of cashews to a measuring cup and cover with 1/2 cup 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, add 1.5 tablespoons lemon juice, 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (for color), and 1 teaspoon fine sea salt to a high-speed blender. Open the can of diced tomatoes with green chilies and drain the juices directly into the blender to add more flavorful liquid for blending.
Then, add 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.
2. Mix.
Pour the blended cheese mixture into a bowl, and stir in the diced tomatoes with green chiles. Adjust seasonings to taste, adding more salt or spices as you like.
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3. Warm it up.
You can serve this dip at room temperature if you like, but it tastes even more authentic when warmed. Transfer the dip to a mini crockpot, if you have one, to keep it warm for serving at a party, or quickly warm it on the stovetop over medium-low heat.
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.
Store leftover queso in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It will thicken when chilled, so let it come to room temperature before serving, or warm it with an extra splash of water to thin it out. (The microwave may be another quick reheating option, but I haven’t tested that yet!)
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 (for color), and salt, and add them to the blender. Open the can of diced tomatoes with green chilies, and drain their juices directly into the blender, to help add more flavorful liquid for blending.
- 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 can of 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
More Recipes to Try
If you try this vegan queso recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below to let me know how you like it.
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!