The Best Vegan Queso Recipe

This white vegan queso recipe is out of this world amazing. Reminiscent of the one you get at a restaurant but way healthier and even better!

This recipe was originally published on May 2, 2016.

I love a good cheese dip. White Mexican cheese dip has always been one of my restaurant faves. But unfortunately they make me feel like Cr@p after. So I had to perfect one at home, and omg I really hit the spot with this recipe!

I brought this vegan queso blanco to a party, slipped it on the table and watched as it was devoured. No one knew it was vegan. Everyone stuffed their face and it was glorious.

Share the love and make this for your favorite people, or just for yourself, I won't judge!

Ingredients

With the right blend of foods, you can create the most amazingly smooth queso dip, without any cheese! My dirty little secret is the pickled jalapeño juice, it gives it that true white queso dip flavor: creamy, cheesy, with the jalapeño tang! Here's what you need:

• Cooked potato 
• Roasted garlic 
• Raw cashews 
• Veggie broth 
• Unsweetened cashew milk
• Mild chiles 
• Mild pickled jalapeños
• Pickled jalapeño juice
• Seasonings

How to Make Vegan Queso

This dip is incredibly easy to make. Throw it all in a blender and BOOM. Bathe worthy dip at your tongue tip.

1. Blend all ingredients until smooth. Pulse in the extra pickled jalapeño slices for some texture .
2. Pour into a pot and heat until thick.
3. Serve with everything!

Serving suggestions

As much as I'd love to eat this dip like a soup, I usually try to use some self control and pair it with other tasty foods either as a dip or topping. Here's some of my favorites:

• Homemade Oil Free Tortilla Chips
• Vegan Taquitos
• Mexican Rice
• Pinto Beans
• Vegan Burritos
• Crispy Potato Tacos

Tips and tricks

When making this vegan queso dip over and over and over again (because you will!) make sure to keep these suggestions in mind:

• Add in some extra flavor by mixing in some vegan chorizo, Mexican salsa, or tomatillo salsa verde.
• If you are not using a high speed blender, you can soak the cashews overnight, boil them for 30 minutes or grind the dry cashews into a fine powder using a coffee grinder in order to help get them smooth.
• You can boil, microwave or bake the potato but keep in mind if you boil it there will be more moisture in the potato so you will need to let the dip cook longer to thicken. 
• I used red potatoes but any starchy potato will work, just don’t use sweet ones.
• I used a veggie broth without tomato in the base. You can sub water for the broth but the flavor will change a bit and you may need more salt.
• This dip is best enjoyed hot, serve it in a slow cooker on low. (High will likely burn it.)
• To prepare this dip ahead of time, roast the garlic, cook the potato, and soak the cashews (if needed).
• This queso dip will keep in the refrigerator for up to one week.
• You can also freeze for up to 3 months! To serve, take out of the freezer the night before and slowly defrost to room temp. Then heat in the microwave or stove top on low heat whisking well until the smooth creamy texture returns.

Common Questions

More Vegan Mexican Recipes

If you're like our family and need Mexican food on a regular basis, you need a variety of recipes to choose from!

All of these plant based dishes are made from only whole food ingredients making them a healthy choice for your family (to learn more about how to figure out what is in those store bought varieties check out this guide on reading food labels):

• Healthy Crunchy Taco Cups
• Vegan Mexican Chili Cheese Dip
• Mexican Tequila Lime Chickpea Soup
• Vegan Enchilada Casserole 
• Cinco De Mayo Roundup

The Best Vegan Queso Recipe

Sophia DeSantis

This white vegan queso recipe is out of this world amazing. Reminiscent of the one you get at a restaurant but way healthier and even better!

4.89 from 17 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Total Time 35 mins

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 6

Calories 114 kcal

Equipment

• Blender

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 1 cup cooked potato , about 1 medium sized potato (see note)
• 4 cloves garlic , roasted (add up to 4 more for extra garlic flavor)
• ¾ cup raw cashews , see note
• 1 ½ cups veggie broth (use low sodium to keep the salt low)
• 1 cup unsweetened cashew milk (almond would work too)
• 4 ounces chopped mild chiles (one small can)
• ½ cup jarred mild pickled jalapenos , divided
• 1 tablespoon pickled jalapeno juice (juice from slices above)
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt (see note)

Instructions

 

• Place all ingredients except for ¼ cup pickled jalapenos into a blender and blend until smooth.
• Add last ¼ cup jalapenos and pulse until chopped. You can also just add them at the beginning but I liked the flavor of some chopped jalapenos in the dip.
• Pour the liquid into a pot and heat over medium low heat on stove until it reduces and gets nice and thick and gooey. Depending on your stove, you may need to up the heat to get it to thicken nicely, even bring it to a boil then reduce the heat. 
• Stir frequently to prevent sticking. It took about 10 minutes for me to get the right consistency but you can make it however you prefer it. Serve hot!
• Serve with everything!

Notes

• Makes 3 cups. Serving is ½ cup per person
• If you are not using a high speed blender, you can soak the cashews overnight, boil them for 30 minutes or grind the dry cashews into a fine powder using a coffee grinder (do not boil them for this method).
• You can boil, microwave or bake the potato but keep in mind if you boil it there will be more moisture in the potato so you will need to let the dip cook longer to thicken. 
• I used red potatoes but any starchy potato will work, just don’t use sweet. It also won't work to substitute with something that is not an actual potato (such as another root vegetable). 
• I used a veggie broth without tomato in the base. You can sub water for the broth but the flavor will change a bit and you may need more salt.
• The amount of salt needed may vary depending on the sodium in your broth.
• If you freeze this, and you can, take out of the freezer the night before and slowly defrost to room temp. Then heat in the microwave or stove top on low heat whisking well until the smooth creamy texture returns.

Tips to prep ahead: Soak cashews if needed. Roast garlic. Boil potato.

Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.

Nutrition

Calories: 114kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 4gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 489mgPotassium: 199mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 24IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 20mgIron: 2mg

Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.

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