Vegan Queso is my newest obsession! This dairy free queso recipe is made with cashews, nutritional yeast, spicy tomatoes, and more. It tastes just like the real deal– you have to try it to believe it! On day’s when dairy just isn’t agreeing with me, but I still want that “cheese” dip, this is the recipe I turn to.
What’s in This Vegan Queso Recipe?
I know it seems a bit strange for us to post a dairy free queso recipe. I’m all about the cheese, and you guys are well aware. But I wanted to prove that dairy free recipes don’t have to be hard or lacking flavor. This vegan queso is proof that we can have your cake and eat it too.
- Raw Cashews: These nuts have a mild flavor and blend up dense and creamy. Get unsalted, raw cashews if possible (if not, use less salt in the recipe). They need to be soaked for a minimum of 5 hours in order to create the stretchy queso consistency.
- Nutritional Yeast: This is the magic ingredient that adds the nutty, cheesy flavor to our queso. We love Bob’s Red Mill for all things vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free, but any brand will work.
- Almond Milk: We’re partial to unsweetened almond milk for its nutty flavor, but cashew, soy, or oat milk will also work well. Avoid coconut milk, as it tends to add coconut flavor which really doesn’t work in this recipe.
- Coarse Sea Salt: The larger flakes of salt really enhance the cheesy flavor of this dip. If using kosher or table salt, cut the salt amount in half.
- Lime Juice: Fresh lime juice adds a pop of freshness and balancing acidity to this creamy dip. We recommend fresh whenever possible, but bottled will also work since we’re using so little of it.
- Chili Powder: Adds smokiness and heat to this dip. Add more or less to taste.
- Cilantro: Adds freshness and a peppery flavor to the dip. If you’re a cilantro-tastes-like-soap person, omit or swap in fresh parsley.
- Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles: Turns this dip into more of a vegan Rotel dip. You can definitely omit if you prefer, but we like the freshness, spiciness, and dimension it adds. Make sure to drain out the liquid so the dip doesn’t turn runny.
Variations on Dairy Free Queso
While we feel that cashews produce the creamiest vegan queso, other nuts and seeds can work in this recipe. Macadamia nuts are the best substitute, closely followed by blanched almonds and then sunflower seeds.
All will need to soak like the cashews to soften them up before blending. Just keep in mind that each of these substitutes has a unique and less mild flavor than cashews that will impact the final flavor of the dish.
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How to Store and Reheat
If you have any leftover queso, pour it into an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To reheat, add a splash of almond milk and heat in the microwave in 15-30 second increments, stirring between each increment to make sure it’s fully heated through.
We do not recommend freezing dairy free queso because it will be too grainy when thawed and reheated.
How to Keep Warm
It’s normal for queso to harden as it cools, so stir regularly and keep it warm while serving. We like to serve it out of a Crockpot at parties for this reason.
After making vegan queso on the stovetop, pour it into a slow cooker, and set it to “warm”. This will keep it hot, smooth, and creamy throughout the whole party.
Serving Suggestions
This vegan queso pairs wonderfully with classic tortilla chips. For something different, try our homemade wonton chips or blistered sweet peppers.
But don’t stop there! Dip in some vegetarian taquitos, avocado egg rolls, or air fryer potato wedges for a satisfying snack.
Notes from the Test Kitchen
In a pinch, soaking the cashews in boiling water for just 15 minutes will help them soften enough to blend, though we found the queso had the best and creamiest texture when the nuts were soaked overnight. Don’t forget to drain off the soaking liquid before adding the nuts to the blender.
Vegan Queso – Dairy Free Queso Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2 cups raw, unsalted cashews soaked in water for 5-24 hrs and drained
- ⅓ cup Bob's Red Mill Nutritional Yeast
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro plus more for garnish
- 10 ounces diced tomatoes with green chiles drained (1 can)
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Important Note: Make sure to soak the cashews for at least 5 hours or up to overnight before starting this recipe. Soaking the cashews helps give this queso its signature cheesy texture.
- Place all the ingredients except the tomatoes in a food processor or high-powered blender. Blend on high until fully smooth. You may need to stop the food processor and stir a few times to get the right consistency.2 cups raw, unsalted cashews, ⅓ cup Bob's Red Mill Nutritional Yeast, ½ cup unsweetened almond milk, 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt, 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, ½ teaspoon chili powder, ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Transfer the mixture to a small skillet or saucepan and stir in the can tomatoes.10 ounces diced tomatoes with green chiles
- Heat over medium/low heat, stirring occasionally, until the "queso" is warm to your liking. Be careful to not burn the edges. You can also eat this cold, but we love how it tastes heated up.
- Garnish with more cilantro and serve with your favorite chips.
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Nutrition Information
To be honest, we haven’t tried! This recipe really relies on non-traditional ingredients, so we’d recommend subbing a vegan cheese into our regular queso recipe for better results.
If your dairy free queso ends up grainy, the problem is usually overcooking. Take care not to overheat the queso once it’s on the stove.
This dip should be plenty thick on its own, but if you’d like it a little thicker, mix together a tablespoon or two of almond milk with a tablespoon of cornstarch, and stir it into the warm dip on the stove until thick.
Sure! Simply pour the blended queso dip into a crockpot set over “low” and stir until everything is warmed through and melty.
More Queso Recipes To Try
Pretty! This has been a really wonderful post. Many thanks for providing these details.
What can i sub the cashews for? Im allergic to them.
Darn! Unfortunately they’re a big part of this faux recipe. If you like normal queso I have tons of recipes for cheese dip!
it looks DELICIOUS, I WILL TRY IT TODAY FOR SURE!
Awesome! Hope you love it!
Sadly this didn’t turn out for me and I’d like to understand why. Cashews are so expensive! I soaked them for 10 hours. I did put the bowl in the fridge because the cashews were in the cooler at the store. Perhaps this caused them not to soften enough? So, firstly, the consistency isn’t smooth. This could also be due to my Ninja not being high powered enough, I suppose. But, secondly, it is much too salty! I used two teaspoons of coarse sea salt as the recipe said. Just to show I learned something in college 30 years ago, things taste saltier when cold ;) Maybe if this is heated it will help a bit but I don’t think enough. Especially if it’s served with salted chips. I am currently soaking more cashews in the hopes that it can be salvaged. I doubt I can do much for the consistency but maybe the saltiness. On the up side, I also made your “easy restaurant style white queso dip” (we have vegans and non-vegans in this fam) and it turned out divine so thank you for that!
Trying this tonight! Do you drain the cashews or use the liquid!
Can this be made in a magic bullet? Thank you!
Since it’s January, I’m in :-) Great photos as usual. Thank you and have a pleasant day !
I just started using Bob’s Red Mill products — (the Cracked Freekah is heavenly with roasted brussel sprouts). I’ll definitely have to try the Nutritional Yeast. I never really knew what you used it for, so this recipe is really helpful!
OMG I am jumping up and down at the thought of having this dairy free dish. Thank you and keep them coming for those foodies who have so many dietary restrictions!