This creamy 3-Ingredient Healthy Vegan Queso Dip will be your new favorite party food! Ready in just 5 minutes with just three ingredients, it's the perfect topping for nachos & wonderful for dipping chips. Everyone will be asking for the recipe because it's the BEST ever!
The Greatest Part About Vegan Queso Dip
This vegan queso is ready in 5 minutes and only requires 3 ingredients. Next time you forget to make an app for the tailgate, consider it DONE with the simplest queso recipe ever. It's even faster than melting dairy cheese!
This is of course is not an authentic Mexican recipe. This simply draws inspiration from a cuisine I admire and like learning about. Similar dishes are fairly Americanized in restaurants like Moe's and Chipotle.
How can I make a queso dip without cheese?
Queso dip can be easily made vegan by substituting blended cashews for dairy-based cheese.
When cashews are blended with some salsa, water, and taco seasoning, their taste is shockingly similar to nacho cheese. I've used cashews to mimic cheese a few times before, like in recipes for cashew parmesan, cashew ricotta, and cashew cream.
I know that cashews can get expensive, so feel free to substitute another mildly flavored nut if needed. I've had success with hemp hearts and slivered almonds.
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How to Make The Best Healthy Vegan Queso
- Use a high speed blender for optimal results. I recognize that not everyone has access to one, so a food processor or regular blender will be a good substitute. If going this route, soak your cashews in hot water for 10 minutes to soften them up.
- For a more bright color, add a few pinches of ground turmeric during blending. While this does not at alter the taste of your dip, it lends that sunny hue that most of us associate with cheese
- I added jalapeños to the top of this mainly for decoration, but if you want a little bit of a kick, add a few slivers to the blender.
While I enjoy this best as a standalone dip, I believe it would be a wonderful addition to nachos or tacos. If you give it a try, please leave a comment below or let me know on Instagram what you thought!
Looking for more tailgate-ready dips? Try one of these next:
3-Ingredient Vegan Queso
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews unroasted (buying cashew pieces is cheaper than whole)
- ¼ cup chunky mild salsa red or green, not very watery
- 1 TBS taco seasoning*
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric optional, for color
- Sliced jalapeños and cilantro optional, for serving
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a high-speed blender and combine with ⅓ cup of water. Let blend on medium until full incorporated. To make even more creamy, add ¼ cup more water and blend until completely soft.
- Taste and add more seasonings as you like. If it tastes like something is missing, try adding salt first. Then feel free to top with jalapeños and cilantro to serve.
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Susannah says
Made this for dedicated carnivore crowd, and they LOVED IT. So quick and delicious, will definitely make again.
Emily says
That makes me so happy, thank you for trying this one!! 🙂