Vegan Queso

4.88 from 8 votes
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This vegan queso recipe is smokey, creamy, and tastes exactly like real queso. It’s made from cashews, nutritional yeast, spices, secret roasted veggies, and hot sauce. We are obsessed!

Vegan queso in a bowl.
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Vegan queso has never tasted so good. This vegan queso recipe has the texture and taste of traditional queso, but is actually made with real, whole ingredients that are 100% plant-based!

It took us a few rounds of recipe testing to get the PERFECT spice combination for this cashew queso, and we’re so excited about how it turned out. Have you ever tried Siete Foods’ Cashew Queso? It tastes EXACTLY like that, but you can make it in your own home.

What You Need to Make Vegan Queso

The two key ingredients to this vegan queso recipe are; cashews and nutritional yeast. They are the two ingredients that make this recipe creamy and give a cheese-like consistency.

The other ingredients needed are spices and roasted vegetables.

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Looking to upgrade your blender? Check out our favorite Vitamix Blender. It’s our favorite high-speed blender perfect for making smoothies, soups, and nut butter.

Vegan queso being poured in a bowl.

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Vegan queso in a bowl.

Top Tip for Vegan Queso

Tight on time? Flash boil your cashews! Simply place your cashews in a large, glass bowl. Then, pour almost boiling water on top of them. Let them soak for 15-20 minutes and you’re good to go!

What to do with Vegan Queso?

  • Vegan Queso Dip – eat your vegan queso as a dip with your favorite chips and/or veggies.
  • Cheese sauce – top your favorite pasta or buddha bowl with your cashew queso!
  • Mac and cheese – Make a batch of macaroni noodles and toss them in this vegan queso for an epic bowl of vegan mac!

What to Serve with Cashew Queso

Serve this cashew queso with fresh vegetables, roasted vegetables or your favorite tortilla chips.

4.88 from 8 votes

Vegan Queso (Cashew Queso)

This vegan queso recipe is smokey, creamy, and tastes exactly like real queso. It’s made from cashews, nutritional yeast, spices, secret roasted veggies, and hot sauce.
By: Linley Richter
Prep: 8 hours
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 8 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 6
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Ingredients 

  • 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water overnight and rinsed*
  • 1/2 large red pepper, chopped
  • 1 large carrot, cut into coins
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
  • 2 tablespoons shallot, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1.5 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons hot sauce

Instructions 

  • First, place cashews* in a large bowl and completely submerge them with water. Soak cashews overnight or for 12 hours so that they soften. Once softened, drain the water and set aside
  • Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
  • Next, add the pepper, carrot, garlic, and shallot onto a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss
  • Place baking sheet in the oven and bake at 425ºF for 25-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to prevent burning.
  • Remove from oven and place veggies in a large food processor or Vitamix. Add the rest of the queso ingredients into the food processor (including the soaked cashews) and blend on high until smooth. Remember to scrape the sides of the food processor frequently as you blend to make sure all ingredients are combined. If the queso is lumpy and thick, add an additional teaspoon of water at a time until queso is smooth.
  • Serve with chips, vegetables, or even over rice or noodles.

Tips & Notes

  • Cashews: alternatively, you can flash boil the cashews by bringing a pot of water to a rolling boil, turning off heat, and add cashews to the water. Let soak for 15-20 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 /6, Calories: 161 kcal, Carbohydrates: 11 g, Protein: 7 g, Fat: 11 g, Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 4 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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About Lee Funke

Lee is the founder of Fit Foodie Finds and based in Minneapolis, MN. She started this website in 2010 as a way to share her love for real food and wellness. The internet has changed so much since then and so has Fit Foodie Finds. Today we're a female-run recipe website publishing hundreds of tried and true recipes developed and tested by our team.

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Mel
Mel
April 3, 2022 11:08 am
Recipe Rating :
     

5 stars
This is BY FREAKING FAR the most delicious and amazing queso I have ever made/had. Just made it this morning, and im about to devour it on some french fries. Thank you for this recipe! 😍😍😍😍

Emily Richter
April 6, 2022 10:51 am
Reply to  Mel

Mmmm french fries with this queso would be a DELISH COMBO!

Mel
Mel
April 6, 2022 11:09 am
Reply to  Emily Richter

It’s fantastic! And even better in a black bean taco salad. Omg! Amazing!

Emily Richter
April 6, 2022 11:39 am
Reply to  Mel

YUM!

Wayne
Wayne
January 2, 2021 9:45 am
Recipe Rating :
     

5 stars
I have to share that this queso is AMAZING.
I’ve made it pretty much weekly for about two months, and never tire of it.
Have shared with friends who love it too.

I put it on everything. Great dip fir veggies. Smash a hard boiled egg with it and put it on toast for breakfast. On baked potatoes instead of butter. Chips of course too.
Try this. A healthy alternative.
Happy 2021🎉🎉🎉🎉

Simon
November 12, 2020 2:11 am
Recipe Rating :
     

4 stars
Looks so yummy, curious about it’s taste.

MeLissa
MeLissa
February 2, 2020 1:59 pm

Question – what do you recommend doing if the queso is too liquid (runny?)?

cupcakes
August 13, 2019 6:18 am
Recipe Rating :
     

5 stars
It looks really good recipe. Thanks for that.

Melissa
Melissa
July 24, 2019 2:24 pm
Recipe Rating :
     

5 stars
Made this queso for philly cheese steak bowl, and I am sold! I can’t wait to make this for my son, he is vegan. I think anyone would love this!

Alicia
Alicia
October 21, 2018 3:51 pm
Recipe Rating :
     

5 stars
Amazing! I subbed pickled jalapeño juice for the vinegar and hot sauce (I actually added 4 T instead of 2). Game changer for this vegan!

Emily Richter
October 22, 2018 10:11 am
Reply to  Alicia

Oo love it! That substitution sounds DELISH 🙂

Beth
Beth
October 20, 2018 6:58 pm
Recipe Rating :
     

5 stars
I’m seriously impressed! This is so so good. ???

Emily Richter
October 22, 2018 10:12 am
Reply to  Beth

Ahh thank you! We can’t get enough of this queso either 🙂

Caitlin
October 10, 2018 11:33 am
Recipe Rating :
     

5 stars
Made this last night! It was really tasty!!

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