CREAMY CASHEW QUESO
on Sep 05, 2024
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Creamy, cheesy, and so fun to eat, this vegan cashew-based queso is a winning appetizer or a topper for taco and burrito bowls.
Yes, I live in Austin, Texas and yes today I’m sharing a vegan queso with you all. This is not an oxymoron. This Creamy Cashew Queso gives all the cheesy goodness vibes of traditional queso minus the dairy!
The inspo for this recipe came from a popular spot in Austin called Picnik which serves a similar vegan queso as a starter. The moment I first tried this, I knew I’d have to recreate it at home.
You may not be surprised that a lot of my inspiration for recipes actually comes from dining out. My husband Kyle and I love trying new restaurants and exploring new cuisines when we travel.
While the thought of making your own cheese-like dip may sound intimidating, I promise it couldn’t be any easier. You simply throw all your ingredients into a blender and let it do the hard work for you. After a minute or two, you’ll have a heavenly appetizer waiting to be devoured.
As tempting as it may be to eat it right then and there, I highly recommend serving it warm. Hot and bubbly queso topped with tomatoes, jalapeños, and cilantro is very, very impressive.
This is perfect as a dip, a topper for tacos, or a creamy sauce for burrito bowls. No matter how you indulge, I know this is going to be highly requested amongst your family and friends. Enjoy!
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Ingredients for Vegan Queso
Here’s everything you’ll need to whip up this delectable dip in no time!
- Raw Cashews: The main ingredient, cashews, blends so easily and never requires straining through a nut milk bag. That’s why they are used in many vegan recipes, including my tried-and-true Creamy Vanilla Cashew Milk.
- Nutritional Yeast: A crucial ingredient to this vegan queso, nutritional yeast is a common substitute in vegan recipes for cheese. It has a nutty, savory, cheesy flavor and is an amazing source of B12. Besides giving the queso its signature flavor, it also helps make it that golden yellow color.
- Spices: A blend of cumin, paprika, onion powder, and salt amp up the flavor.
- Garlic: Cheese and garlic are like two peas in a pod.
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Pin It- Tomato Paste: A squeeze also helps turn the blended cashews into that yellow, cheddar-cheese color sauce.
- Hot Sauce: Add as little or as much as you’d like.
- Lime: Some acidity to balance out the heat.
- Toppings: For me, it’s not queso without some fresh chopped cilantro, diced tomato, and pickled jalapeños. Feel free to top as you please, but be sure to have a fresh bag of tortilla chips at the ready. My favorite is @sietefoods dip chips which have plenty of real estate to scoop up all this yummy queso!
How to Make Cashew Queso
Before you know it, you’ll be sitting on the couch and enjoying a bowl full of queso.
Add the soaked cashews (see Notes below) with the boiling water to a blender, being careful as you pour the hot water into the blender!
Add in the nutritional yeast, cumin, paprika, onion powder, garlic, tomato paste, hot sauce, lime juice, and salt). Blend on high speed for 1 minute, scraping down the sides with a spatula if necessary to ensure everything is very smooth.
In my opinion, queso is best served warm. I like to pour the cashew sauce into an oven-safe dish and keep it warm in the oven at a low temperature until you’re ready to serve.
Before bringing it to the table, add chopped cilantro, diced tomato, and pickled jalapeños. Grab a bag of your favorite tortilla chips and dig in!
FAQ for Vegan Cashew Queso
The nutritional yeast has a very cheesy flavor. So while the base of the recipe is cashews, I think it’s a great vegan cheese-like queso.
The key is to let your blender do the work! You may need to stop your blender and scrape down the sides once or twice to make sure everything blends well. Also, make sure the cashews are fully soaked — ideally 4 hours (see Notes below).
Cashews are a go-to swap for many vegan-based cheeses, including this Cashew Queso. I haven’t personally tried it, but I’ve seen people use cooked potatoes instead of cashews. I wouldn’t recommend another type of nut.
Other Dairy-Free Game Day Appetizers You’ll Love:
- Taco Chicken Tenders
- Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Lemony Chive Sauce
- Crispy Baked Ground Beef Tacos (Grain-Free, Dairy-Free)
CREAMY CASHEW QUESO
Ingredients
Queso:
- 1 ½ cups soaked raw cashews (see note)
- 1 cup boiling water
- ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 ½ tablespoons hot sauce
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon salt
Serve with:
- Tortilla chips (I used Siete Foods Dip Chips)
- Chopped cilantro
- Diced tomato
- Pickled jalapeños
Instructions
- Add the cashews with the boiling water to a blender with the remainder of the queso ingredients (nutritional yeast, cumin, paprika, onion powder, garlic, tomato paste, hot sauce, lime juice, and salt). Blend on high for 1 minute.
- The queso is best served warm so I suggest pouring it into an oven-safe dish and keeping it warm until you’re ready to devour!
- Serve with chopped cilantro, diced tomato, pickled jalapeño, and (of course) plenty of tortilla chips.
- ENJOY!
