Craving your favorite Mexican cheese sauce? Here is a Vegan Queso recipe that is absolutely cheesy and full of flavor. Use it as a dip, as a topping for your nachos, drizzled over tacos, and more!
You can whip up this cashew cheese sauce to enjoy with your family or to serve a crowd. We make this vegan queso often in our home.
One of our favorite ways to enjoy this queso is drizzled over our favorite vegan Mexican-inspired meals. We love dripping vegan queso over our Stuffed Vegan Mexican Sweet Potatoes and lathering it on top of our Mexican Rice-Stuffed Peppers.
But of course, you can't forget dessert! Whenever we have a Mexican dinner at home, we like to make a Mexican-inspired dessert to go with it—like this decadent (and a bit spicy!) Mexican Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding.
Why You Will Love Vegan Queso...
- Dairy-free
- Gluten-free
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- Easy to make
How to Make Vegan Queso
- Start by soaking your cashews in boiled water for an hour.
- Drain cashews and place in food processor along with other ingredients.
- Mix until smooth and set aside.
- Add oil and cornstarch to pan, then pour in the cashew mixture. Cook the cashew cheese sauce for a few minutes or until smooth. Stir continuously.
- Top with jalapenos and serve with chips, or however you would like.
Tips and Tricks for Vegan Queso
Adjusting Sauce Thickness
This cashew cheese sauce is meant to be soft. If you overcook your sauce, it will get hard. You can add a little almond milk to help thin the sauce if you find it is too thick.
Soaking Cashews
I soaked my cashews in boiled water for an hour. If you want to skip that step, you can soak the cashews in room temperature water overnight to soften them up.
Using a High-Powered Blender
If you do not own a food processor, you can use a high powered blender. The key is to get your cashews nice and creamy so you end up with a creamy cheese sauce to dip in.
Variations to Vegan Queso
Tomatoes and Green Chiles
If you want to ramp up the heat a bit, consider adding in some diced tomatoes and green chiles. This will also give your queso a more traditional flavor.
Milk Alternative
I used almond milk in this recipe, but you can use any plant-based milk alternative you would prefer.
Flavoring
Feel free to alter the spices used, add in a splash of hot sauce, or stir in some jalapeños for heat. You'll make this easy queso so much, you'll become a pro at making your own flavor combos!
Vegan Queso FAQs
How can you store leftover Vegan Queso?
Make sure to store your queso in an airtight container. It will last in the refrigerator for 4–5 days. When you're ready to eat it, warm it up in the microwave or on the stove—just make sure to stir continuously.
What does nutritional yeast do for this cheese sauce?
I consider nutritional yeast a main component of this cheese sauce. The yeast provides that cheesy flavor you know and love. When making any kind of dairy-free cheese sauce, including nutritional yeast will make or break the flavoring.
Can you freeze vegan queso?
This queso can be frozen for 2–3 months in a freezer-friendly container. When ready to eat, allow the cheese sauce to thaw in the fridge overnight, then warm up in the microwave or on the stovetop.
What is the best way to reheat cheese dip?
To reheat this vegan cheese dip, I find the best option is warming up on the stovetop over low heat. Stir the sauce continuously to prevent it from burning.
If your cheese dip is too thick, add some almond milk or water to thin it up.
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1½ cup almond milk
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ cup sundried tomatoes
- green jalapeno a few slices to garnish
- 2 cups tortilla chips for serving
Instructions
- Soak cashews for 1 hour in boiled water. Alternatively, you can allow them to soak at room temperature overnight.
- Place cashews (after soaked & drained), 1 cup almond milk, nutritional yeast, salt, smoked paprika, and sundried tomatoes in a high-speed food processor.
- Blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Place olive oil and cornstarch in a non-stick sauce pan and stir to combine. Then add the cashew mixture and put it over the stove.
- Cook the queso just for a few minutes until it is smooth and well combined. Stir continuously to avoid burning. The result should be a soft cashew cheese. If overcooked it will get hard, but you can always add more almond milk to return it to a soft texture.
- Serve warm with a few slices of jalapeno on top and tortilla chips on the side.
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