When you’re in the mood for a vegan queso that hits the spot, reach for this cashew queso recipe! This vegan queso recipe is the closest to “real queso”—without the cheese. Spice it up to your liking, add a variety of flavors, or enjoy it mild for all tastebuds.
I first had cashew queso at a plant-based food cart famous for its vegan “crunch wrap supreme.”. In an all-consuming state of curiosity, I contacted the owner to determine what that queso was made of. The answer? Cashews and nutritional yeast. So, I got to work!
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From there, I was on a mission to create the creamiest, gooiest, cheesiest cashew queso that even the most avid cheese lovers would adore. I started with a few fundamental recipes, yet they were all missing something—that zing; that ‘Aha!’ moment.And then I found it—pickled jalapeño juice. It was the missing ingredient! Sure, many recipes suggested adding two or three jalapeños, but it wasn’t flavor-forward enough. I wanted a dip reminiscent of Sunday afternoon football and Little League Snack Shack nachos.
What Is Cashew Queso?
First, let’s cover this important topic: what is cashew queso, anyway? Cashew queso is a creamy, dairy-free cheese alternative made from cashews and spices. It's popular in vegan diets because it tastes similar to cheese but is made with nuts.
Spices like garlic and onion powder add extra flavor. This healthy dip is perfect for nachos, with tacos, or as a sauce in various dishes.
Can I Really Make Vegan Queso with Cashews?
Using cashews is the best way to make vegan queso. Cashews are smooth and dense and become exceptionally creamy when blended with any other nut. Raw cashews are preferable, but roasted cashews will work out fine. If you use roasted cashews, a short soak in water or vegetable stock will help soften them.
How to Make Cashew Queso
Making cashew queso requires only a few steps. Of course, there are ways to spice this up (pun intended), but the base of the recipe is quite simple.
To make cashew queso, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Raw unsalted cashews
- Vegetable stock
- White onion
- Fire-roasted tomatoes
- Nutritional yeast
- Turmeric (optional)
- Green chiles (spicy or mild)
- Canned chipotle peppers in adobo
- Minced garlic or garlic paste (roasted)
- Jar of pickled jalapeños
When shopping for your ingredients, make sure to choose raw unsalted cashews. If you have roasted cashews in your pantry, you can still use them. But, you will need to soak them longer than raw cashews. You can also soak them in water overnight in a covered bowl in the refrigerator.
When you’re ready to make your vegan queso, start by simmering your cashews in vegetable stock to warm them up. Doing so ensures a smooth and creamy mixture when blending your ingredients. Using a food processor or blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.
For the fire-roasted tomatoes, it’s easiest to purchase them in a can. You can add a depth of flavor by roating your own tomatoes, as well. I use canned roasted tomatoes all the time and keep a stockpile on hand; they are great with so many different recipes and dishes!
How to roast your own tomatoes
Step one: Heat your broiler on high before lining a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Step two: Slice the tomatoes in half and place skin-side down.
Step three: Lightly drizzle them with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt before placing them in the oven.
Step four: Roast for 10 minutes on the upper rack. Then, flip them over (skin side up), and roast for another 5 minutes.
Roasting on your gas range: Using skewers, roast the tomatoes (like marshmallows) until the skins become blistered. Ensure that you soak the skewers first so that they don’t catch fire.
This recipe calls for half of the tomatoes to be blended and the other half as a garnish. Doing so adds depth and texture to the queso dip. However, you can blend all of them together if you prefer.
Should I add turmeric to my cashew queso?
Turmeric is not crucial to this recipe, but it makes the queso vibrant and yellow, similar to authentic cheesy queso. This vibrant spice is also renowned for its anti-inflammatory properties. Although, you probably won’t use enough to reap these benefits.
Why Nutritional Yeast?
If you know anyone who follows a plant-forward diet, they’ll tell you that nutritional yeast is a powerhouse of nutrients and flavor! It boasts an uncanny nutty and cheesy taste, making it perfect for making vegan queso.
Cashew Queso: FAQs
Choosing the spiciness level of your cashew queso comes down to personal preference. If you’re serving this to a large crowd, I suggest keeping the heat lower than you may typically prefer. However, if most of your guests like a little more kick in their queso, use all of the green chiles and chipotle peppers. You can cut the heat in half by omitting the chipotle peppers, which are seeded, and using only the adobo sauce.
Your cashews won’t need much preparatiifre using raw, unsalted cashews. If you use roasted cashews, you can soak them in liquid anywhere from an hour to overnight. Choose a container that will allow you to fill with cashews and completely cover it with water before covering it. When you’re ready to start making the cashew queso, simply drain them and follow the recipe!
Prepare this dip ahead of time and simply reheat it when you’re ready to serve. It will last in the refrigerator in the refrigerator, but making it one to two days ahead is ideal. Simstirheat the cashew queso in a covered saucepan on mediumally, and then serve. If the queso is too thick, simply add vegetable stock, one splash at a time, until it reaches the right consistency.
If you have a high-speed blender, this will work excellently. You can also use a hand blender like NutriBullet or similar, but you must mix it in two or more batches to fit all of the ingredients into the mixing cup and ensure a homogenous consistency.
Easy Cashew Queso Dip
Use cashews to make a creamy, cheese-like queso dip! Garnish with chopped cilantro, jalapeños, and dairy-free sour cream. Then, serve with chips for a delicious snack!
Ingredients
- 1 cup Raw unsalted cashews
- 1 cup Vegetable stock
- 1 White onion
- 14-oz. can Fire-roasted tomatoes
- 2 ½ tbsp Nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp Turmeric (optional)
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 4 oz can Green chiles (spicy or mild)
- 1 Chipotle pepper (in adobo sauce)
- 1 tbsp Adobo sauce
- 2 tbsp Roasted garlic paste (or minced garlic)
- 2 tbsp Juice from pickled jalapeños
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, bring vegetable stock to a simmer, add cashews, and cover.
- While the cashews soak, dice the onion.
- Heat olive oil over medium heat and sauté the onions until they become soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic to the sauteeing onions and remove from heat.
- Roughly chop the chipotle pepper in adobo sauce and set aside.
- In a blender, carefully add the hot vegetable stock and cashews.
- Add the salt, turmeric, nutritional yeast, green chiles, adobo sauce, chipotles, sauteed onions, and garlic.
- Blend until the consistency becomes smooth.
- Serve immediately or store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator before serving.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro, jalapeños, and dairy-free sour cream and serve with chips.
Notes
To reduce the amount of heat, use only adobo sauce and omit the chipotle peppers.
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