Vegan Queso Recipe
Jun 19, 2020 (Last updated Nov 20, 2023) by Hannah Sunderani
Vegan Queso Recipe
Today I’m sharing a quick and easy 5-minute vegan queso recipe with you. Made with cashews and nutritional yeast, the ingredients are blended together until it’s a creamy, fiery, and cheesy dip that you can enjoy for dipping tortillas and fresh veggies. Or, stuff into vegan tacos, burritos and my all-time favourite, slathered into a vegan crunchwrap supreme!
You won’t believe how delicious this cheesy vegan queso is given how little effort it takes to come together. Let me tell you exactly how to make this 5-minute recipe.
Vegan Queso Recipe
The ingredients
The ingredients for this recipe are so simple and straight forward, and if you’re used to cooking vegan, it’s likely you already have them in your pantry.
Here is what you’ll need:
- raw cashews
- garlic
- nutritional yeast
- cumin
- chili powder
- onion powder
- hot sauce
- sea salt
Typically, you can find these ingredients at most generic grocery stores. However, if you’re struggling to find nutritional yeast than I recommend a visit to an organic grocers like Wholefoods or Trader Joe’s.
Make this recipe with me!
See just how easy this vegan queso comes together on my YouTube Channel!
In this episode, I teach my husband how to make a Vegan Crunchwrap Supreme featuring this delicious vegan queso! (It’s the recipe that convinced my husband to go vegan!)
Vegan Queso Recipe Notes & Tips
The raw cashews and nutritional yeast are what makes this vegan queso so cheesy. I love using raw cashews for cheesy sauces and spreads like my vegan cashew cheese.
Typically, I recommend soaking cashews in advance before using in sauce recipes. But to make this recipe faster, we’re omitting the soaking and adding hot water to the blender with the cashews. The heat will help break things down for a creamy and smooth blend. This way you can make your vegan queso recipe in just 5 minutes. Perfect for when you need a last minute creamy and cheesy dip.
As for the nutritional yeast; this is the secret ingredient that vegans use to achieve cheesy and savoury taste. I use nutritional yeast in so many of my recipes for bold cheesy flavour and umami taste. Certainly, it’s a pantry staple for a plant-based diet.
In addition to its taste, nutritional yeast has tons of health benefits. I guess you can say the truth is in its name. Check out Medical News Today to see just how nutritious nutritional yeast is.
You can find nutritional yeast at most general grocery stores. But if you’re having trouble finding it than I recommend to try an organic grocers like Wholefoods, Farm Boy or Trader Joe’s. Or, order it on Amazon.
Other recipes you might like:
If you’re digging this recipe, you might also like these:
- Melty and stretchy vegan mozzarella
- Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas
- Homemade Enchilada Sauce
- Vegan Alfredo Sauce
So there we have it! A simple and easy 5-minute vegan queso recipe that you can enjoy as a cheesy dip, or lathered into tacos and burritos. It’s creamy and smooth, cheesy and fiery. I think you’re going to love this vegan queso recipe as much as we do!
And, if you do make this recipe please let me know in the comments below what you think! I love hearing from you. And of course, tag me on Instagram with the hashtag #twospoons. Nothing makes me happier than to see your recreations.
5-Minute Vegan Queso Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 3/4 cup hot water , splashes more if needed
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp hot sauce
Instructions
- Toss everything into a high-speed blender, and blend until smooth and creamy. (Add up to 1/4 cup more hot water, in splashes, if needed to thin for blending.)
Watch The Video
Notes
Approvals
Nutrition
See more step-by-step instructions by visiting the recipe story here!
LEAVE A COMMENT
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This is great and super easy! I added a squeeze of lime at the end and used this sauce in crunch wraps.
Great idea with the lime Rach! This Queso is so yummy in my Vegan Crunchwrap Supreme, so happy you enjoyed it.
This is “THE BEST & EASIEST” queso dip! My 8yr old is such a picky eater & he Loved this. He ran across this video on YouTube. This recipe was so good I subscribed to your newsletter & channel & I plan on purchasing your cookbooks, God willing. Thank you for such an amazing recipe & for sharing your story.
Tiffany you made my day with this comment! Thanks for the very kind review and for all the love and support! Really glad that you enjoyed this queso so much! We love it in our home too – it never gets old!
A substitute for nutritional yeast?
The nutritional yeast definitely adds a nice cheesy and umami flavour! If possible, I would try and keep it in – but you could still make this queso recipe by omitting the nutritional yeast altogether.
I have made your recipes before so I was excited to try this one out and it is so good!
Hi Henna – you are incredibly sweet! Thank you for the very kind comment. I am so glad that you enjoy this queso recipe as much as I do. 🙂
I just made this in preparation for crunch wrap supreme. Wow. It’s deeeeelicious. I can’t wait for dinner… I’m excited.
Oh this makes me so happy Lori! I just made another batch this weekend. We love it so much! Thanks for the sweet reply. 🙂
This is our all time favourite recipe! We put it on tacos and burgers!
I’m so glad you love it as much as we do! It’s truly perfect for tacos and burgers!
I have always eaten the Siete cashew queso, and wanted to find a more affordable way to fuel my habit… this is it!! Took less than 5 minutes, and it is SO delicious.
I added some cayenne for some more kick, but besides that I followed the recipe to a T.
Hi Brittany, I’m so happy that you found this easy alternative to the Siete queso!! It’s such a good one. And I’m happy to hear that you spiced it to taste. 🙂 enjoy!