The best vegan queso recipe made with dairy free ingredients for that perfect creamy cheesy tangy flavor. It's so easy to make and loved by everyone!
This queso recipe reminds me of the one I get at Mexican restaurants, except it's made without the dairy so doesn't leave me feeling bloated and yuck! It uses 9 simple easy to find ingredients and a much healthier version.
This recipe was originally published on May 2, 2016.
If you love Mexican cheese dip you will absolutely love the taste of this vegan queso! It's a white queso easily made in a blender. If you prefer an orange Mexican cheese then try out my vegan nacho cheese sauce!
Ingredients
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 (or gluten-free as some recipes use flour). Everyone stuffed their face and it was glorious.
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 green chiles
- Mild pickled jalapeños
- Pickled jalapeño juice
- Seasonings and spices
How to Make Vegan Queso
This queso blanco dip is incredibly easy to make. Throw it all in a blender and BOOM. Bathe worthy dip at your tongue tip.
- Blend all ingredients until smooth. Pulse in the extra pickled jalapeño slices for some texture .
- Pour into a pot and heat over medium-low heat so it doesn't burn until thick and melty.
- Pour into a bowl and serve with everything!
What to Serve With Queso Blanco
As much as I'd love to eat this dairy-free Mexican white cheese 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
- Crisp veggies like celery, carrots, peppers, or jicama
- Vegan Nachos
- Vegan Taquitos
- Mexican Rice
- Pinto Beans
- Breakfast Burritos
- Loaded Vegan Burritos
- Refried Bean Burrito
- Veggie Burrito Bowls
- Crispy Potato Tacos
- Soft pretzels or pretzel chips
- Oven Baked French Fries
- Crusty bread
- Baked Potato
- Vegan Scrambled Eggs
- Mix with pasta
I also like to use leftovers of this vegan cashew queso to mix into other recipes. You could mix it into a filling for enchiladas, burritos or even taco meat.
Try mixing in things like tomatoes and black beans for a loaded version of this cheesy dip!
Preparation Tips
When making this vegan queso dip recipe 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.)
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
- To prepare this dip ahead of time, roast the garlic, cook the potato, and soak the cashews (if needed) up to 3 days in advance.
- This vegan queso blanco dip will keep in the refrigerator for up to one week.
- You can also freeze for up to 3 months!
- To reheat, 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.
- Sometimes freezing can change the texture, simply give it another blend in the blender and you're good to go!
Common Questions
This vegan queso recipe is made from all whole food, amazing ingredients! The creaminess is a combo of potato, cashews and cashew milk, with flavor coming in from all of the other ingredients including jalapeños and jalapeño juice.
Because this dip is made from simple whole food ingredients, it is much healthier than traditional queso dip.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week, or freeze for 3 months. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave, whisking often to get to that creamy texture.
Most queso dip is made with white American cheese, but sometimes cheddar, mozzarella, or cream cheese is used as well. This queso blanco recipe avoids all of that for a healthier version!
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
Also check out these other vegan cheese recipes:
The Best Cream Vegan Queso
Equipment
Ingredients
- 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.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Kandace
This is, hands down, the BEST queso I have ever had! Even my non-vegan husband prefers it over regular queso now! We've used it in place of shredded cheese in crunch wraps and on nachos and enchiladas, and of course loved it as a dip. I've also subbed half the pickled jalapenos with regular sliced jalapenos for an extra kick!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you so so much!! I am so happy you like it as much as we do!
Amy
Mine turned out on the watery/soupy side. What do you think I did wrong?
veggiesdontbite
Hi Amy! I think you simply need to heat it more. It will reduce the longer it cooks and you can keep cooking until you get the consistency you like!
Lyn
Looks fantastic as usual. I don't understand this sentence:
"You can boil, microwave or bake the potato but keep in mind if you boil it the moisture so you will need to let it cook longer"
What do you mean "the moisture so you will need..."?
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Lyn!! So weird, some of the words must have gotten deleted at some point. I just went in and fixed it! It was supposed to say to keep in mind if you boil the potato there will be more moisture in it so you will need to cook the dip a little longer to thicken it. Thanks so much for letting me know!
Karen
We just went plant based and my 10 year old daughter and I loved it! It was just a bit too spicy for her...not sure if I did something wrong but I just plan on making a second unseasoned batch and adding it to the mixture. Thank you!!
veggiesdontbite
So happy you liked it!! If you want to make it mild, make sure you are using mild nacho slices (they make them in mild and spicy version). Also make sure your chopped chilis are mild. I make it with the mild often and it isn't spicy at all.
Ruth
Sounds wonderful. What would you think or what would you use to sub out the cashews?
veggiesdontbite
Hi Ruth! Thanks so much! Unfortunately cashews are the creamiest way to achieve a fully creamy result. If you are allergic, I have had a few people sub them using more potato, some cauliflower and/or white beans but the end result will definitely not be as creamy. I have seen sunflower seeds as well but the flavor will come through some. Let me know if you try it and how it turns out!
Karen Haworth
I made this dip for a Chili party at my meat eating friend’s house. Everyone loved it! This is the best vegan queso dip I have ever made/tasted. I did not have fresh garlic (I know, how could this happen?) so I used 1/2 tsp of Gallic granules. I skipped the cashew milk completely by accident but it wasn’t missed! Because the color was a little greenish, grayish, white I decided to add some beta carotene to make it the traditional queso color. It took about 8 capsules. I clipped the top off of and squeezed out the contents. Bonus, it made the dip even healthier & did not change the flavor at all! This dip is amazing cold or hot. It is seriously the best! It reminds me of the cheese dip in a jar or the stuff you get at sporting events (except it’s heatlhy). Thanks for a winner! You have a new fan!
veggiesdontbite
I am so happy you liked it Karen! It is definitely one of our favorites too! I am thrilled to have you and hope you find other recipes you love!
Mary Beth Kiser
We are new to dairy free cooking and my family loved this recipe! Mine was more green than the picture, but it was wonderful! I used unsweetened almond milk and it worked out great! Thanks for sharing!
veggiesdontbite
That's so great to hear Mary Beth!! I am thrilled you guys liked it. Thanks for being here!
Exotic Fruits
Thank you so much for this recipe! I made it for a party at a friend’s house, and it was a hit. All the people there were vegan, and one is gluten-free, so it was so great to come across this very easy and quick recipe!. Since a 15-ounce can of Hatch enchilada sauce was what I had on hand, I used that and added a little vegan sour cream to the cream cheese mixture to make up for the fact that there was a little more sauce. All my friends want the recipe, so I will send it to them.
veggiesdontbite
So happy you liked it!!!
KT
Should I peel the potato before adding it to the blender? Thanks! So excited to try this.
Sophia DeSantis
Hi! If you don't want to see the specks of the skin in the dip then yes peel it. But I have done both ways and it tastes the same!
Vanessa
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
veggiesdontbite
Hi Vanessa! You're welcome. It keeps in the fridge if you don't eat it all and you can always reheat it.
Suzanne
This looks great! What a great one to bring to a party so everyone can enjoy queso!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Suzanne! It's a great party dip!!
Jody
I never rate or comment!!! This one gets 5 stars from me all the way. It’s so good and it’s one of the things I miss most about my childhood in alabama, Mexi cheese dip! I am delighted to add this recipe to my vegan index. Thank you!!!! Now I will continue stuffing my face with this deliciousness
veggiesdontbite
Hahaha!!! I am so happy you like it! Stuff away!
T
Very good but I don't think it tastes at all like cheese. What could I add to make it cheesier?
veggiesdontbite
Hi! This is meant to be a queso dip, a creamy tangy Mexican white cheese type dip. It isn't meant to be like a melted cheese. Cheesy dips come in all kinds of flavors and types so it really depends on what you were expecting. If you followed the instructions as written then the flavor you got is the flavor I meant for it to have. I know some people add nutritional yeast to their cheese dips because they think it makes them taste cheesy but it's not for me, and to me it doesn't taste cheesy. But since we all have different preferences you may like it!
Wendy
I just made this for a food day at work tomorrow (it’s on the stove reducing right now). Holy wow, it’s so good!!! I used spicy jalapeños (bring on the heat!), and plain unsweetened Silk soy milk because it’s what I had. In case anyone was wondering, it’s perfectly delicious with the substitutions. 😋
veggiesdontbite
Yay! I am so happy you like it Wendy!
Kierstin
I can't have potatoes 🙁 Is there a substitute you recommend that will give me the same result?
veggiesdontbite
Hi Kierstin! I'm so sorry you can't have them, unfortunately they are the base of this recipe. The potatoes help give it the structure and texture of a creamy queso like sauce. You can try taking them out, adding more cashews, maybe some white beans or cauliflower? I can't vouch for that however because I haven't tried it. If you do let me know if it works!
Julia
Should I soak cashews? Or will the heat from the stove be enough? Can’t wait to make this tomorrow!!
veggiesdontbite
Hi Julia! If you do not have a high speed blender, either soak the cashews overnight, boil them for about 30 minutes, or use a coffee grinder to grind them dry! I can't wait for you to make it!
Lue
Another scrumptious recipe! I made it today with spicy jalapeno slices (I like heat). I can see using this not only as a dip, but also over taco or burrito bowls (stashed some dip in the freezer for that). Super creamy. I also tried it over macaroni noodles. Wow. It's gonna be a new fav!
veggiesdontbite
YUM! I love the spice as well! Sounds perfect. And yes I love it over so many things!!