The most amazing Vegan Queso Blanco ever! Cheesy, spicy, perfectly creamy and ready in about 20 minutes. No one will believe it’s dairy free!
You are going to want to eat this vegan cheese dip with everything! Drizzle on roasted potatoes, put it in tacos or burritos, dip tortilla chips in it (of course!) and more.
I have used a mix of raw cashews and potatoes as the base of the cheese sauce. The cashews make it rich and cheesy, while the potatoes give it a little extra stretchiness and texture that you will love. Don’t worry, you seriously can’t taste the potato!
How to make vegan queso blanco
(For the full, printable recipe, scroll to the bottom of the post. This is simply an overview with photos.)
First, boil the cashews and diced, peeled potatoes in a small pot until fork tender.
Drain the cashews and potatoes, and add to a blender (high powered preferred) along with the remaining ingredients – canned green chiles, pickled jalapeños, pickled jalapeño juice, lemon juice, water and salt. So simple!
Blend until creamy and smooth. If you have a high powered blender, you can simply blend until hot and serve! Or if you have a regular blender that does not heat food, or you prefer, you can warm it in a pot on the stovetop until hot.
Tips for success
- A high powered blender is best – I have a Vitamix and love it for cashew based creamy recipes. A regular blender will have a hard time getting the nuts smooth, so you might be left with some graininess or small chunks of nuts. Soaking the cashews overnight may help, and blending longer than you need to with a high powered blender.
- Use quality canned green chiles and jalapeños – They make up a lot of the flavor in this cheese. If you don’t want the queso very spicy, make sure to use mild green chiles and jalapeños.
- Cashew allergy? You may substitute slivered raw almonds for the cashews. I haven’t tested a completely nut free version, but perhaps silken tofu could work.
What goes with queso blanco?
- Vegan Burritos
- Best Ever Vegan Taco Meat
- Vegan Nachos (instead of the nacho cheese sauce)
- Jackfruit Carnitas
- Easy Chipotle Sofritas
- Sheet Pan Cauliflower Fajitas
You may also enjoy my 5 Ingredient Vegan Queso, Vegan Cheese Sauce (Nut Free!) or Easy Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce.
Vegan Queso Blanco
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 cup peeled and chopped yellow or white potato (1-2 potatoes)
- 8 ounces canned green chiles, mild or medium
- 2 tablespoons pickled jalapeños
- 2 tablespoons pickled jalapeño juice from the jar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 lemon squeezed)
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a small pot, add the cashews and diced potatoes, then cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Drain the cashews and potatoes and add to a blender along with the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth and creamy. If you have a Vitamix or similar blender, you can simply blend it until hot, without needing to warm it in a pot.
- If you have a regular blender or prefer to warm it on the stovetop, pour the mixture into a small/medium pot and stir frequently over medium heat until hot. It will thicken as it heats up, so add more water as desired to thin the cheese sauce.
- Serve with tortilla chips, in tacos, burritos, bowls or with any other Mexican inspired meal. Enjoy!
Notes
- To serve, sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro and/or diced tomatoes, optional but pretty.
- Cashew allergy? Substitute raw slivered almonds instead. I haven't tried a nut free version of this, but silken tofu may work in place of the nuts.
- To store: Vegan Queso Blanco will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for about 5 days. It can also be frozen.
I never leave reviews but this recipe is so easy and SO good. I can’t believe how quickly it comes together and I’m grateful it doesn’t require pre soaking cashews because I often forget to do so!
Ok, like some others have said I never take the time to leave reviews, but OMG! This is sooooooo good! Thank you so much!
How awesome you loved the queso, Annelise! Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful feedback! I appreciate you taking your time to do so, and for using my recipes! Happy cooking!
Can this be served cold or a room temp? I hope so because it sounds wonderful and I want it to not be served hot.
It should be find to serve chilled or cooled. Enjoy!
Love this recipe! I put it on tacos, tostadas, baked potatoes with broccoli, veggie burgers! So delicious! My non vegan friends enjoy it too! Thank you!
You are welcome, Kelly! Thanks for your awesome ideas and review!
I have never commented on a recipe before but OMG! This is the absolute bomb!!!! I was told to go dairy free about 2 years ago for dietary reasons/health reasons but have not completely embraced that because of cheese. I love my cheese and the DF stuff just does not cut it. I was craving queso, decided to google it and found this recipe and finally said, what the heck. I had everyone in the office try it and they loved it. Thank you!
I am thrilled you got to enjoy queso! I really missed cheese and had to come up with some recipes that I could enjoy! Thank you for sharing your awesome feedback, and may you continue enjoying the queso!
Made this and had some left over so made a Spicy Mac and cheese with gf pasta !! So yummy !! Thank you !!
That sounds delicious! Thank YOU, Linda, for sharing your idea and great feedack!
Delicious! My entire family loved this. Thank you, Nora.
Delicious! I added red pepper flakes and nutritional yeast
Thank you for sharing your wonderful review! I’m thrilled you loved the queso!
This is exactly what I have been looking for! The texture and flavor were perfect. I added a TBS or two of nutritional yeast as well. Great recipe!
Thank you for sharing your fabulous review and feedback! I’m so glad you loved the queso!
So delicious!! Will definitely be making again. Love how easy it is too.
Omgoodness! We love this! Wasn’t expecting it to be sooo good. I’m a spice weeny so will 1/2 the amount of jalapeño next time. I also didn’t have lemon so I used apple cider vinegar. Will be making this alot! Have loved every recipe of yours that we’ve made 💜
Thanks so much for your wonderful feedback and review! I’m thrilled you loved the queso!
I have made this twice now. It is delicious! I did sub the cashews with sunflower kernels. I will definitely be making it again.
I appreciate you sharing your substitution, and letting us know how it turned out! Thanks for your wonderful review! I’m glad you loved the queso!
This came out so good! Great flavor, and so addicting! Thanks for another winner! Didn’t quite finish it, so I’ll try it on pasta as another commenter suggested.
Hi Emily. How wonderful the queso was great for you! Thanks for your awesome feedback and review!
This was so good!! I used it in a fajita bowl, but definitely stole some on chips because it tasted so good!!
So terrific that you love the Queso! Thanks for sharing your fantastic feedback and review!
Omg Nora!! This cheese dip is the bomb and easier than all other cheese recipes you have. It’s great on top of my rice bowls, tacos, dipping with chips, etc… love love love it! Thank you
Hi Eleisha. It’s so fantastic that you are enjoying the cheese sauce in so many wonderful ways! I’m thrilled that you love it! Thank you for sharing your fabulous feedback and review!
I love this queso. My husband loves it. My mom and sister too. We are all obsessed and have been obsessed for several months. We put it in burritos, nachos, with chips, and most recently pasta! Because I am restricting the use of tomatoes in my diet, my mom suggested I use this queso in replacement for pasta sauce. Oh my word! What a delicious combination. I’ve tried it was spaghetti noodles and Trader Joe’s vegan spinach cashew ravioli several times. It’s an amazing pasta sauce. I did leave out the jalapeño recently since I’ve been sensitive to spicy but with or without it, the queso is amazing and goes well with pasta!
Hi Nay. I’m so glad the queso is a hit with all of you! I love all the ways you are using the queso! Thanks for sharing your fantastic feedback and review! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
It was delicious! I added nutritional yeast which I usually don’t like since it tastes just like potatoes and peppers without it. I also added more jalapeños and juice. I added about three tablespoons of nutritional yeast! It was so good and would be great in enchiladas!
Alright! I’m so glad you loved the queso! Your additions are great! Thank you for feedback and ideas!
I made it with silken tofu and it’s probably thinner than it would be with cashews but it’s very good! I love all of your queso recipes!
Hi Nikki. Oh gosh, we love queso at our house as well! I’m glad you like the queso blanco! Thank you for sharing your great feedback!
Wow! My husband really loved this. I didn’t have pickled jalapenos, but used a fresh one as well as a bit of Rotel mild tomatoes with Jalapenos. Also added a touch of turmeric. Will definitely make this again!
Hi Dana. I’m thrilled you guys loved the queso! Your additions sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing your wonderful feedback!