Vegan Queso is naturally dairy-free and tastes like the popular dip made with melted Velveeta and Ro-Tel tomatoes. You can whip it up in just minutes for an easy appetizer!
Why You’ll Love It
It’s delicious. If you need a dairy-free alternative, this easy vegan queso dip tastes a better than any of the store-bought options. My taste testers couldn’t even tell that it wasn’t made with cheese! (But be sure to let others know that it’s made with cashews, just in case of nut allergies.)
It’s quick to prepare. Just toss a few ingredients into a blender to make the cheese sauce, then stir in the diced tomatoes with green chilies. It’s ready to eat in less than 10 minutes, and you can warm it up just like real queso!
It’s multipurpose. This queso recipe makes a delicious appetizer dip, but you can also serve it over tortilla chips to make dairy-free nachos, or drizzle it over a burrito bowl, tacos, quesadillas, and more.
It’s easy to customize. If you don’t have diced tomatoes with green chilies, you can stir in a cup of prepared salsa instead. Use red or green salsa, depending on your preference! If you don’t love chunks of tomatoes in your queso, you can also briefly blend those in, for more of a pulverized texture. See the FAQ below for more substitution ideas.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Raw cashews provide creaminess in this recipe, without adding a strong roasted flavor, but you can use any variety you have on hand. If you don’t have a powerful blender, I recommend soaking the cashews in the hot water for at least 15 minutes before blender, to help them soften up.
If you want to add extra spices to your queso, feel free to add a pinch of chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, or cumin, for more of a taco seasoning. (A tiny pinch of cayenne pepper will help add spice, if you like a little heat.)
How to Make The Best Vegan Queso
1. Blend.
Place the cashews in a bowl and cover them with the 6 tablespoons hot water to help them soften up. This step is optional if you have a high-speed blender, but it can help them break down faster.
While you wait, measure the lemon juice, nutritional yeast, turmeric (for color), and salt, and add them to the blender. Open the can of diced tomatoes with green chilies, and drain their juices directly into the blender, to help add more flavorful liquid for blending.
Then, add the cashews and their soaking water to the blender, and blend until the mixture is totally smooth, about 60 to 90 seconds. Stop and scrape down the sides of the blender as needed.
2. Mix.
Pour the blended cheese mixture into a bowl, and stir in the diced tomatoes with green chiles. You can adjust any flavoring to taste, adding more salt or spices, as you like.
3. Warm it up.
You can serve this dip at room temperature if you like, but it tastes even more authentic when you warm it up. Transfer the dip to a mini crockpot if you have one, to keep it warm for serving at a party, or you can quickly warm it up on the stove top using medium-low heat.
Keep in mind that this cashew cheese sauce will thicken when heated, so keep the heat low, and add a splash of water to help thin it out again, if needed.
Leftover queso can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It will thicken when chilled, so let it come to room temperature again before serving, or warm it up with an extra splash of water to help thin out the texture. (The microwave may be another quick reheating option, but I haven’t tested that yet!)
Frequently Asked Questions
I haven’t tested an alternative to using cashews yet, but readers have reported using macadamia nuts and blanched almonds with success. Hemp hearts make a great alternative to cashews in my vegan ranch dressing recipe, so they might work here, as well.
Yes, of course! The turmeric in this recipe doesn’t add much flavor, just a bright yellow color to make it more cheese-like, but you can use paprika instead for more of a reddish color. If you don’t have diced tomatoes on hand, I also love making more of a plain nacho cheese sauce using pickled jalapeños for flavor.
Try Sweet Potato Queso instead!
Looking for more dairy-free dips? Try my creamy Spinach Artichoke Dip, Vegan 7-Layer Dip, and Bean Dip for more delicious options.
Vegan Cashew Queso
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews , soaked for up to 4 hours and drained
- 6 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1.5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies
Instructions
- Place the cashews in a bowl and cover them with the 6 tablespoons hot water to help them soften up. This step is optional if you have a high-speed blender, but it can help them break down faster.
- While you wait, measure the lemon juice, nutritional yeast, turmeric (for color), and salt, and add them to the blender. Open the can of diced tomatoes with green chilies, and drain their juices directly into the blender, to help add more flavorful liquid for blending.
- Add in the cashews and their soaking water to the blender, and blend until the mixture is totally smooth, about 60 to 90 seconds. Stop and scrape down the sides of the blender as needed, and add an extra splash of water to help facilitate blending, if you need to.
- Transfer the cheese mixture to a large bowl, then stir in the can of diced tomatoes and green chilies. At this point, be sure to adjust any flavors to your taste, then warm the dip using a small crock pot, or by heating it gently over a stove top. As the dip is warmed, it becomes even more authentic. Serve with baked tortilla chips and fresh sliced veggies. (Note: The sauce will thicken as it warms up, so feel free to add an extra splash of water, as needed to thin it out again.)
- Leftover queso can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. It will thicken when chilled, so let it come to room temperature before serving, or warm it up with an extra splash of water to thin out the texture again.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this vegan queso recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it.
Is nutritional yeast ok to use if you have candida?
Many sources claim that nutritional yeast does not feed candida, because it’s deactivated.
Thanks.
You are a life saver. Being dairy intolerant and paleo anything cheesy is not an option. Unfortunately cheese is one of the best tasting foods on the planet. Thank you so much for giving me an alternative that won’t make me sick for days. This dip is truly delicious and you can’t even tell it’s not the real thing!!
Hi Megan, you mention heating dip but is it actually served warm? Also, is the heat generated by Vitamix enough? Xx
I usually serve it in a mini crock pot, which does warm it up, but if you blend it in the Vitamix long enough, that would generate heat, too.
Excellent recipe- took it to a party and it was gobbled up by all- thanks for your awesome site- has quickly become a favorite.
Tried this today and it was really good. I made a mistake and got the tomatoes with a milder chile. I think I’ll actually go for the Ro-tel tomatoes next time. I am not a cook, so I only have a Ninja type food processor, so mine was a little gritty, but still quite tasty. I mixed it with the Creamy Spinach and Avocado dip. The combo is similar to something I used to get when I lived in Florida.
Yum.
Do you have a suggestion to substitute the nutritional yeast? I do not have that on hand.
Thank you
The nutritional yeast is pretty key for a “cheesy” flavor, and I don’t know of anything that tastes like it (other than cheese). You could try to just leave it out, but it will definitely affect the resulting flavor.
Few questions- regarding soaking nuts?
soak in water? covered or uncovered? how much water?
Also where do you buy the following?
nutritional yeast
turmeric
Thank you,
Kimberly
To soak nuts, you just cover them with water– no need to cover the bowl.
You can find turmeric in the spice section of any grocery store. Nutritional yeast can be found in most natural grocers, or you can easily order it from Amazon.
I just made this last night and when I first stuck my finger and tasted it, I literally screamed,”Shut UP! Shut UP! Shut UP!” I could not believe how amazing this dip tasted! I love it! I took it to work to share and people were very inquisitive because they know I’ve been trying all kinds of new vegan/vegetarian recipes. But then, they tasted it … and loved it! I am loving all your recipes and so happy to have found this site!
This is legit stuff! Awesome! 🙂
This was AMAZING!!! Everyone devoured it!!! Sooo good! Thank you!!!
Coming from a Southern-raised Mexican food lover, ew. Not at all like the real thing. Nothing dairy-free that I’ve tried this far even comes close to real queso. 🙁 Good try–cashews work great in your amazing coleslaw and cheesecake recipes; it just doesn’t work here. Thanks anyway.
do you have to use tomatoes from a can?
A bet a homemade salsa would work well, too!
This dip was very tasty but nothing at all like queso..I’m not sure if I did something wrong but the consistency was more like hummus..I kept having to add water because it was so thick and grainy. I ground up the cashews in the food processor…any tips on how to make this more cheesy would be much appreciated.
Sounds like it might have needed even more time in the food processor, shanna — or perhaps, a longer pre-soak for the cashews? The amount of time they need to soak can vary depending on how long they’ve been sitting on the shelf.
I’m guessing you didn’t soak the cashews long enough or at all. I find an easy alternative is to steam the cashews for about an hour and a half. Works like a charm for me!
do you know the fat content of this recipe? Curious because of the cashews. Sounds like an amazing “trick” dip!
I’m not sure, but you can always calculate any nutrition info you need using a free website like Fitday.com or MyFitnessPal.com.
Someone may have already said this, but this recipe makes an awesome kale chip mix-in, too — just stir it into the raw leaves, then oven-dry or dehydrate as usual. 😀
You did it again, Megan! My hubby and I love your recipes, and I wrote a blog post about trying this queso dip the other day and how much we liked it! 🙂 Here’s the post! http://rachelsnourishingkitchen.wordpress.com/2014/10/05/elevate-your-tailgate-queso-dip-thats-good-for-you-dairy-free/
I just made this recipe yesterday, after seeing your post with the sweet potato version. Since I can tolerate cashews I went for this one and it was AMAZING! I brought it to my parent’s house as a snack and you wouldn’t have known there was no cheese in it…even my Dad was surprised. I finished the leftovers today and I’m still craving it. WOW!! This will be my new go-to for a party. Love it! I’m sending links to my Mom so she can try out some recipes. I was looking at the one for the spaghetti squash casserole…wow, that sounds great too. I just started eating vegan, so we’ll have to see about the cheese and yogurt, but a little won’t hurt. I just need to find the goat variety. : )
I used ground mustard seed instead of turmeric when I made this and it was absolutely fabulous, nonetheless… I also used lime juice instead of lemon… I just went with what I had on hand.
Sounds really good. Do you need the Tumeric? It doesn’t agree with me.
Nope, you can definitely leave it out!
I am not vegetarian or vegan but I do like to eat vegetarian some days of the week. I am also pretty skeptical of “mock” meat/cheese foods. However, I made this today after soaking my cashews overnight and it was delicious over my veggie burger. A little grainy by itself (I used a food processor as I do not have a vitamixer) but the flavor is definitely there! Would be great with black bean loaded nachos!
Can I replace the lemon juice with anything but lime? Orange juice or citric acid perhaps?
No, I think the other citrus fruits would negatively affect the flavor. Maybe try a small dash of vinegar, instead?
No, I think the other citrus fruits would negatively affect the flavor. Maybe try a small dash of vinegar, instead? Or maybe just extra salt?
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
WOW!!! I have been dairy free for going on 2 years… Actually, gluten, dairy, and soy free… And my biggest craving is always cheese. You have hit it right on the money, girlfriend! I am so glad I found your website!!! I have a 2 month old son and we are currently working out even more intolerances than previously mentioned. The first recipe I tried from your site was the Raw, Date-Sweetened Caramel Dip. I liked it so much that I made it twice in one week… and made it a double batch the second time! Then I came across this recipe and made it last night. I have a potluck to attend tomorrow and I will be making more of this goodness as well as some of your Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies (I can’t wait to try them!) There are so many good resources on your site. I cannot rave about you enough!
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
WOW! And my vegan MIL loved it too! She’s so amused that many of the things we enjoy in our Paleo lifestyle are also ones she can enjoy in her vegan lifestyle. Thank you!!!!!
This is my go-to vegan queso recipe (especially since my husband demands it quite often!). I love that you don’t have to add corn starch and cook to thicken it. I’ve used it as the base for macaroni and cheese and on nachos as well.
My minor revision is that I REALLY squeeze all the liquid out of the can of tomatoes and only use that as the liquid to blend (no water). I figure there is plenty of liquid in the can and I want to make sure that when I add the tomatoes in the end, it doesn’t make the queso too runny. I’ve skipped the lemon juice when I don’t have a lemon on hand and it still tastes great.
I bet this would be amazing poured over roasted vegetables or a baked potato…!
Hi!
Do you know if the yeast used in this recipe is ok when dealing with candida?
Thank you <3
This is inactivated Saccharomyces which is an entirely different organism from Candida. Only related in that they’re both fungi. You’ll be fine.
Can I use cashew butter..it’s already creamy
I really enjoyed this, and so did my husband! However I took it to a New Years Eve party and no one was convinced this was actual queso lol! I think maybe if I had said its spicy cashew dip or something. Thank you for the recipe and I will make it again for my husband and me!
Can you have nutritional yeast if you have Candida?
This is inactivated Saccharomyces which is an entirely different organism from Candida. Only related in that they’re both fungi. You’ll be fine.
Made this for Super Bowl today! Was a total hit!!
This is now my got to queso!!! 😉
This is, and forever will be, my absolute favorite queso dip!! Slight changes I’ve made include doubling the cashews and keep the rest the same (too much nutritional yeast lends a chalky texture in my humble opinion) and blend up the tomatoes just a tad because I’m not the biggest fan of the things. Even the boyfriend loves it, and he’s relatively difficult to please when it comes to my allergy-sensitive “concoctions” in the kitchen, he raves to his family about it (big ol’ win!!)!
I made this a few days ago and it was amazing!!! I can’t believe how delicious. I just ran out and need to make more. Also I just made your Everyday Basil Dressing, and even though I’m not always a big fan of basil, I loved this dressing– so fresh and clean tasting!
Made this today. It was delicious. Quick and easy to make too once the cashews are soaked. I soaked for two hours only and it worked just fine. I added some hot sauce. Yummy.
Hi, I’m from UK and we don’t have cans of tomato and green chili mixed together (at least not where I’m from). Could you estimate the proportions please so I could make my own version? Any additional tips would be welcome. Thanks
This is my go to for parties. I make a quadruple batch (which my husband insists should just be called a batch, bc it’s necessary to make that much) with a lb of cashews, and it always gets gobbled up. Although I do save a bit for cheesey potatoes for breakfast the next day. Anyone who says this isn’t like actual queso isn’t doing something right. It’s better than queso, it’s full of real food and its good for you!!! <3 thanks so much. (i generally soak cashews 8+ hours and have a vitamix. I also use rotel as the tomato)
I can’t wait to try this! We make rotel at Thanksgiving every year for the appetizer table. And I am so excited to have something that won’t make me feel sick!
Do you use the water the nuts are soaked in?
This is great! I was a little skeptical, because I figured it wouldn’t taste like real queso dip (and it doesn’t, but it also doesn’t give me gas, so that’s a plus), but it tasted soooo good with these paleo nachos I made. I was very pleased!
Is there a good substitute for cashews? I really want to try this and we are looking to avoid wheat, dairy and cashews; this recipe is so close!
This dip is so delicious! And easy to make. And healthy. What more can you ask for. I doubled cashews and kept everything else mostly the same. I may have increased water and nutritional yeast a bit. I have a Vitamix and it became creamy in seconds. I think having the right blender is key to creating the right consistency. Thank you!
So amazing! You never disappoint!
Love, love, love!!! I’m loving every recipe! Thank you so much for sharing these!
This dips is amazing. If you’re getting hummus consistency or something other than cheese sauce, more than likely it is user era. We make this all the time and it is super creamy. Add more liquid to the blender if needed.
I followed this recipe to a T and it turned out perfectly. I just made this recipe and it is delicious. The creamy texture and the spicy flavor is going to enhance many of my southwestern dishes. Thanks Megan, I scored brownie points with my vegan daughter. A special shout out to my friend Amy who got me hooked on to Detoxinista. Thanks to this website I am eating healthier and enjoying guilt free food.
Hi, Megan!
I made this dip today and it is super yummy (even though I accidentally blended in the tomatoes and green chilies and bought a smaller can by mistake).
Both my roommate and I were skeptical at first because of a vegan French onion dip recipe I had tried with cashews in the past. I’m vegan and she isn’t, but we both will be having this again!
Thank you for sharing! I hope you are having an amazing day. 🙂
recently turned vegan (trying but it’s a bit difficult). i had already given up meat, but not dairy products. i’ve been having issues with my tummy and doc said I need to stay off dairy and fried foods. guess this is as good a time as any to go vegan. 🙂
Omg THIS IS SO DELICIOUS!!!
I tried 3xs MAKING this and finally got it at best! 2 other times my fault. But this time I soaked drained and dried. Deliciius and big hit!!
Im looking for a vegan sauce for my enchiladas, can this sauce be warm up?it wont brake up with the heat ?
it warms well. the edges my become dry so just stir it up after heating and then top it over your enchiladas!
I have made this several times and shared the recipe with friends. Queso and chips are my absolute favorite and this satisfies my cravings for “cheesy” goodness.
Thanks so much!