How to make Vegan Queso? (Less than 10 minutes)

This vegan queso recipe is incredible. It’s ready to eat in less than 10 minutes and tastes so authentic you won’t believe it!

For dairy-free vegan queso, you’ll fall in love with, combining rich cashew cream, a little potato, and a pinch of nutritional yeast with typical Mexican spices. It’s also paleo, Whole30, and low-carb approved!

What Makes This Recipe So Special?

• It’s a perfect copycat. It tastes so much like real queso that you could think you’re consuming dairy.
• It’s quite simple to create. In less than 10 minutes, a simple blend in a Vitamix produces a smooth, hot-dip ready to enjoy!
• Because it’s low in calories and carbs, you can eat as much as your heart desires.
• It keeps for up to 5 days in the refrigerator, so you can make it ahead of time for an event or on meal prep Sundays. If it’s too thick, thin it out with a bit of unsweetened almond milk before reheating.

Important Ingredients

Cream of Cashews – The cashews and coconut milk combine to form a rich, creamy, luscious cashew cream that truly elevates this dish. However, the flavor isn’t overpowering enough to make you forget you’re eating coconut cashew queso.

Nutritional Yeast — This deactivated yeast is what gives this queso its cheesy flavor, so don’t skip it unless absolutely necessary.

How to Prepare Vegan Queso

The whole recipe and ingredients list can be found below, but you can also find a fast explanation of how to make this recipe precisely, as well as helpful tips and information!

This queso is so simple to make that you’ll feel like you’re missing a step.

In a high-powered blender, combine everything except the chopped pickled jalapenos and the can of tomatoes and chiles (called Rotel) and blend until completely smooth.

If your Vitamix doesn’t heat up after blending long enough, move the queso to a saucepan and cook on the stove.

Stir in the jalapenos and Rotel, then top with cilantro and serve with tortilla chips of your choice!

Chef’s Advice

• Don’t worry if you don’t have tapioca starch; it’s an optional ingredient in this recipe. It does, however, make a difference. It gives this vegan queso a more gooey texture than previous vegan queso recipes, making it feel more authentic.
• It’s fine if you don’t have a high-powered blender (such as Vitamix). Simply soak your cashews in boiling water overnight to help them blend more smoothly. Simply pour boiling water over the cashews and leave them to soak — no need to change the water once it cools. After blending, transfer the queso to a saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until well heated.
• You can leave out the coconut milk if you don’t want to. To compensate, increase the cashews to 1.5 cups and add 1.75 cups of water or stock.
• Leave out the turmeric and the tomato and chile can for vegan queso Blanco. However, the little can of green chiles should still be used!

Vegan Queso

This is the finest vegan queso recipe I’ve ever tried; it tastes exactly like the genuine thing! This miraculous combo of potatoes, cashews, and nutritional yeast does not taste dairy-free, paleo, or vegan — but it is!

Ingredients

• 1 cup boiled potato about 2 medium yellow or red potatoes, see note for Paleo
• 4 garlic cloves peeled
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ¾ cup raw cashews soaked overnight if not using a high-speed blender
• 1 cup vegetable broth see Note if not vegan
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup coconut milk unsweetened, full fat, from a can
• 1 4-ounce can chop mild chiles
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 4-ounce can chop pickled jalapeños divided and drained (reserve juice)
• 1 tablespoon pickled jalapeño juice
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon tapioca starch optional
• 1 dash turmeric is optional, for color
• 1-2 teaspoons of salt
• 1 can tomatoes and green chiles like Rotel, drained, optional
• fresh cilantro chopped, for garnish, optional

Equipment

• high-speed blender

Instructions For Vegan Queso

1. In a high-powered blender, combine everything except the 14-cup chopped pickled jalapenos and the can of tomatoes and chilies. Begin with one teaspoon of salt. Blend until it’s completely smooth.
2. If the mixture does not heat in the blender, transfer it to a saucepan and heat over medium-low heat on the stove. Heat until desired consistency is reached, constantly swirling to avoid scorching.
3. If desired, season with more salt. Pour the queso into a serving bowl and add the pickled jalapenos, tomatoes, and chilies. Serve with a garnish.

Notes

• If you’re not strictly vegan, you can substitute chicken stock for the veggie broth.
• Replace the potatoes with 1 cup mashed, cooked cauliflower if you’re following a strict Paleo diet or must avoid nightshades.
• Keep leftover queso refrigerated for up to 5 days in an airtight jar.
• If the queso is too thick, add unsweetened almond milk to thin it up. Reheat until just warm on the stovetop or in the microwave.

This recipe serves around 12 people. Your desired portion sizes will determine the number of servings.

The nutritional values provided are for one serving out of 12 using the ingredients indicated. The exact macros will vary depending on the brands and types of ingredients utilized.

Prepare the recipe as directed to get the weight of one serving. Weigh the final recipe, then divide the weight (excluding the weight of the container in which the food is stored) by 12. The weight of one serving will be the result.
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Nutrition Information

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 111kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 311mg, Potassium: 271mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 88IU, Vitamin C: 9mg, Calcium: 23mg, Iron: 2mg, Net Carbs: 8g