Irresistibly creamy 5 Ingredient Vegan Queso will be the appetizer or snack of your dreams! Whip up this tasty Tex Mex vegan cheese dip in just 10 minutes. All you need is a blender and 5 easy ingredients!
Giving up cheese can feel like a huge hurdle when going vegan. Thankfully, there are alternatives that will help during the transition!
Once you try my 5 Ingredient Vegan Queso, there’s no going back to dairy. This vegan cheese dip is rich and smooth, just like the real thing. It still has a cheesy flavor and is so much more fresh and satisfying than dairy versions.
Did I mention how easy it is to whip up a batch? All you need are 5 pantry-staple ingredients and a blender! Try serving it with tortilla chips, or add it to nachos and burritos.
You’re going to love this queso because it’s…
- Oh so creamy
- Cheesy and delicious
- The right amount of spicy
- And so easy to make!
Vegan queso vs. vegan queso blanco
Both vegan queso and vegan queso blanco are melted cheese dips. The difference lies in the flavor and color! Queso dip is usually made by melting orange cheddar cheese (or highly-processed Velveeta) and stirring in Ro-tel canned tomatoes and green chilies (or fresh sauteéd peppers/tomatoes/onions).
Vegan queso blanco has more complex flavors, blending together cashews, potatoes, green chiles, and jalapenos. This cheese dip has a spicier flavor and is always white.
Both dips are delicious served hot and with tortilla chips!
Ingredients you need
- Raw cashews – Use raw, unsalted cashews to avoid any disruptions to the flavor. If you do use salted nuts, make sure to test your vegan cheese sauce before adding any additional salt. You can also make my nut-free cheese sauce if nuts aren’t your thing.
- Lemon juice – Juice the lemons yourself for the best flavor, or use bottled if that’s what you have at home.
- Nutritional yeast – The golden ingredient! This is what will give the vegan queso its cheesy flavor. You can buy nutritional yeast in most major grocery stores or online.
- Canned tomatoes and green chilies – These will add texture and spice to each bite. Use Ro-tel canned tomatoes with green chilies for the best results! You could also use salsa for a different flavor, or chopped small onion, red bell pepper and minced jalapeño that have been sautéed.
- Salt – To round out the flavors and achieve balance.
How to make it
- Start by adding the soaked and drained cashews, water, lemon juice, salt, and nutritional yeast to a high powered blender.
- Drain the juice from the tomatoes and green chiles over a small bowl. Add the saved liquid to the blender. Keep the tomatoes and green chiles on the side for now. Blend on high for a few minutes until very smooth.
- Add the “cheese” sauce and the tomatoes and green chiles to a medium pot. Stir well and warm gently over low-medium heat. Stir frequently as to not burn the queso. The mixture will thicken slightly.
- Serve while warm with tortilla chips and enjoy!
Do I need a high powered blender to make this recipe?
A high powered blender, like a Vitamix, will make your life a bit easier when making this nut based dip. This tool has the power to pulverize the nuts into a creamy cashew sauce without soaking them for very long. You can use a regular blender or a food processor instead, but make sure the nuts are soaked in water for at least 4 hours beforehand. It still might not get super creamy without a high powered blender though.
How to store leftovers
This easy queso recipe can serve up to 10 people, meaning it’s perfect for potlucks, events, and parties! Store the leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container. It can even be frozen if needed, in a freezer friendly container.
The vegan queso cheese sauce will be delicious when reheated over medium-low heat on the stovetop or in the microwave for a minute or two. Add a little water if needed to thin it, as it will thicken in the refrigerator.
What to serve with queso dip
My queso will go perfectly with these Mexican-inspired recipes:
5 Ingredient Vegan Queso
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw cashews, soaked in hot water for at least 5 minutes
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice; from about 2 small lemons
- 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 28 ounce canned Ro-tel tomatoes and green chiles
- optional fresh chopped cilantro and a few diced tomatoes, for serving
Instructions
- Soak the cashews for at least 5 minutes in boiling hot water. I do this by heating water up in my tea kettle, then pouring it over the top of the cashews to cover. You can also boil in a small pot for 5 minutes.
- Drain the soaked cashews and add them to a high powered blender along with the water, lemon juice, salt and nutritional yeast. Drain the juice from the tomatoes and green chiles and add the liquid to the blender as well (don't add the tomatoes and green chiles yet). Blend on high for a few minutes until very smooth.
- Add the cheese sauce and the Rotel tomatoes and green chiles to a medium pot. Stir well and warm gently over low-medium heat. Be careful not to burn the queso; stir frequently while warming. The mixture will thicken slightly, and you can add a little water if needed for a thinner texture.
- Sprinkle with optional chopped cilantro and tomatoes and serve warm with tortilla chips. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Cashew allergy? Raw slivered almonds may work here, but if you can’t have any nuts, try making my Nut Free Vegan Cheese Sauce, and add Ro-tel tomatoes and green chiles.
- I can usually find the 28 oz cans of Ro-tel tomatoes/green chiles but if you can only find the 10 oz cans, that is fine. Simple use 3 of them, but don’t add quite all the chunks of tomatoes. Or do for a chunkier sauce! If you don’t have Ro-Tol brand, another brand of diced tomatoes with green chiles will work fine.
- For a fresher alternative to canned tomatoes and chiles, in a small pan sauté a small onion, a red bell peppers, 1-2 jalapeños that have beed seeded and diced and even a few cloves of garlic. Once sautéed, add to the final cheese sauce in the pot, or blend in for flavor and a smooth queso. You will have to add a little more water to blend though.
Delicious! Your recipes never let me down! Thanks!
Hi Ruth. Thank you for using my recipes! I’m glad you enjoy them!
This was absolutely yummy. I made it to use with vegan tortilla chips. The next day, I used it to make macaroni and cheese topped with your parmesan cheese. Today I am going to make chimichangas, using this and your refried bean recipe, both of which I already have made, to stuff the tortillas. Big smile! Thank you making the vegan way of eating so delicious!
Hi Susan. I’m so glad you are enjoying the queso! Thanks for sharing your comments, and your great ideas!
I make this ALL THE TIME. It’s bookmarked on my iPhone and posted on my fridge. No one will know it’s vegan. Trust me!
Hi Sylvia. I’m glad you are having fun with, and loving, my queso recipe! Thank you!
I have had raw cashews in my pantry for over a month but I was so scared to cook with them, fearing I would mess up. Thank goodness I tried your delicious Queso!! Now I’ve used the entire bag of cashews on your recipes!! ?
Hi Lillian. I’m glad you braved cooking with the cashews, and that you enjoyed the queso! Thank you for the great comment.
Made this today added some turmeric, smoked paprika and tapioca starch when cooking to make it a little thicker and stretchy. Yum!
Another delicious, easy recipe from you, Nora! I’m pretty sure you can do no wrong when it comes to food. Thank you so much!
You’re welcome!
Amazing queso!! My family absolutely loved it. Highly recommend. Made it with chips, salsa, guac and some vegan chorizo. It’s hard to believe it’s not a cheese. Thank you once again for a delicious recipe! I cannot wait to try another one.
You’re so welcome!
I’m unable to find raw cashews. Will roasted work or should I just order online?
Roasted just doesn’t work the same unfortunately. I know with trying to do only pick up orders I have trouble sometimes finding raw, but Amazon does always have them at a good price.
I made it with a can of diced tomatoes and a can of diced green chiles. It came out great.
This recipe sounds delish but I can’t tolerate nutritional yeast. Any substitute for that ingredient?
You can just leave it out. It should still work.
How much is a serving? Watching my calorie intake
It’s 1 of 10 servings total. You can measure it out yourself for an exact measurement, but it’s about 1/4 cup I believe.
I could eat too much. It’s addicting and so easy to make. Who needs cheese?!
I left the tomatoes out and used Silk unsweet original soymilk for a creamier consistency and it was amazing!!!!! A little on the salty side though, so I think I’ll start with half the salt next time
This was excellent! It made so much I had a lot left over. So the next day, I cooked some macaroni and used this as the sauce. OMG!! Sooooo delicious!
That sounds like a great idea!! So glad you liked it!
Oh my gosh was this good! It did make a lot. I think next time I’ll cut it in half, although I’m not complaining about having to eat all this queso deliciousness. It’s a tough job but someone’s got to do it!
I’m so glad you like it!!
I made this wrong and it still came out FIRE! Tastes just like queso, how I remember it! Oh my god, and it’s affordable. Thank you!!!! This makes so much. I accidentally drained the liquid from Rotel into the sink, and I just blended everything together, literally lol. It’s so good though! <3
So glad it’s good!
I want to try this recipe. It says 28 oz of rotel. I am used to buying it in 10 oz cans. Does it come in 28 oz size. That sounds like a lot of rotel for this recipe.
You could use either 20 or 30 ounces, it doesn’t matter that much. I usually get it in 28 ounces or 14 ounce cans. The recipe makes a lot, and it’s a chunky queso. But I don’t think it’s too much.
Could I sub chunky salsa for the Rotel? Not sure where to find that where I live.
Sure, I think that would work quite well. Or diced tomatoes with green chiles.
I can’t get Rotel tomatoes where I live. What would be a good substitute? What’s special about Rotel compared to other brands of diced tomatoes? Are they seasoned?
Really looking forward to this! 🙂
Other diced canned tomatoes and green chiles work fine, I just prefer the flavor of Rotel brand. But I have used others as well. Hope that helps!
I’m in Australia and not sure what Rotel tomatoes are…can I use a can of plain crushed tomatoes?
Rotel is canned diced tomatoes with green chiles. But you could sub any canned (diced preferred) tomatoes. Fresh tomatoes diced with jalapenos would be good as well.
If I wanted to serve this at a party would it maintain a good texture left on the warm setting of my crockpot?
Yes, that would work. Just give it a stir every now and then. Thanks!
Hey there,
I was wondering how long it stays fresh in the fridge ?
Thank you 🙂
I’d say about 4 days, maybe 5. Thank you!
Thanks for the recipe, made it last night but halved it. It was delicious! The only thing I did differently was to add a little Liquid Smoke, Diced pickled jalapeños and Gardein meatless crumbles! My husband loves the original Rotel/Velvetta dip with hamburger meat and sausage but he thought this was very good! He went back several times for more! Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome! Glad it was good!
Sooo good! It does make a lot, can this be frozen?
It freezes ok thought it’s much better fresh. But by all means if you can’t eat it all, freeze some. 🙂
Took this to a party … huge HIT! So easy and delicious.
I’m so glad!
Hoe spicy is this ? I’m a huuuge wimp when it comes to spice. Is there an alternative to the Rotel tomatoes?
It’s not very spicy unless you use the spicy Rotel, but you could use just diced tomatoes without the green chiles if you wanted.