Vegan Queso is my new favorite appetizer and I am so excited to be partnering with my friends over at Califia Farms to bring you this new recipe to you! It is cashew-based and I used Califia Farms Unsweeteend Barista Blend Creamer to get just the perfect texture! Love that it has no-added sugar, but all that creamy goodness (I love cooking with it!).
THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY:
This post is sponsored by Califia Farms, the opinions are my own.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Dairy-Free – I love that we can still enjoy a queso dip that is dairy-free!!
- Quick – other than letting your cashews sit in some hot water for a bit (which helps soften them so they blend easier) this recipe is incredibly simple and quick!
- Appetizer – looking for a yummy appetizer? This is for you! Simple, easy and a crowd-pleaser!
What You Will Need
- Raw cashews – this is the base of our queso! I love the consistency of cashew cream -I use it in so many of my dairy-free recipes (like this popular one).
- Califia Farms Unsweetened Barista Blend Creamer – we are blending this with the cashews to thin them out a bit so it is creamy and smooth.
- Nutritional yeast – this is where the “cheesy” flavor comes from!
- Spices – there are lots of fun spices in here! Feel free to adjust as necessary!
- Garlic – always adding in that fresh garlic!
- Tapioca Starch – this also helps with the consistency.
- Can of tomatoes and green chiles – this would be a can of Rotel or something similar. You can also add in extra green chiles.
How to Make Vegan Queso
Add drained cashews, creamer and nutritional yeast to bender.
Blend until smooth and creamy.
Add tomatoes and green chiles to bowl.
Combine with cashew cream sauce.
Serve and enjoy!
Other Recipes You Might Like
Vegan Enchiladas
Delicious Strawberry Smoothie
Easy Vegan Burrito
Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip
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Vegan Queso
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: Approx. 3 cups
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: Mexican-Inspired
Description
Vegan Queso – a delicious, dairy-free version of your favorite queso dip!
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups raw cashews
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons Califia Farms Unsweetened Barista Blend Creamer
- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more or less as desired)
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1–2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon tapioca starch
- (1) 10oz can tomatoes and green chiles, drained
- (1) 4oz can green chiles, drained
- (optional) 1 roma tomato, diced
- (optional) 2-3 tablespoon sweet potato puree
- Toppings: fresh jalapeño, fresh cilantro, additional fresh diced tomato
Instructions
- Bring 2-3 cups of water to boil on the stove-top. Place cashews in a heat-safe bowl and pour boiling water over top. Let cashews soak for 10-15 minutes and then drain.
- Place cashews, creamer and nutritional yeast in a high powered blender. Blend on high until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Add salt, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, cumin, turmeric, cayenne pepper, red chili powder, garlic powder, minced garlic and tapioca starch (and sweet potato puree, if using). Blend on high until smooth, scraping down sides as necessary.
- Taste the cashew mixture and adjust any seasoning, as necessary.
- Place tomatoes and green chiles in a bowl and add cashew mixture. Stir to combine.
- Add additional diced tomatoes and stir to combine.
- Serve with sliced jalapeño and fresh cilantro.
Notes
- High-Powered Blender: If you don’t have a high powered blender soak your cashews in water overnight.
- Nutritional Yeast: Make sure your nutritional yeast is nice and fresh, the flavor is so much better!
- Sweet Potato Puree: I love the little bit of sweetness the sweet potato puree adds to this dip, but I also know how annoying it is to have to potentially buy a whole can of sweet potato puree just to use a few tablespoons. So if you want to use it – great! If not, no worries, it will still turn out!
- Serving Suggestions: You can serve this immediately (room temp) or you can easily warm it up in the oven (about 350 in a baking dish until it has reached your desired temp).
Angelie says
I made this for the family this past week. I was a little nervous because they are queso fans and my 8 year old would probably be a 1* Yelp reviewer if she was on the internet. But everyone said it was great. So pretty happy with that. We didn’t add any of the optional ingredients. Just kept it simple.
Jess says
This looks delicious! I am going to make it this weekend! I’m having trouble finding dairy-free creamer at my local store. Could dairy free milk, coconut cream, or something else be used as a substitute? Thanks for your wonderful recipes!!
Erin says
Hi, Jess! Yes, you can actually just use regular unsweetened almond milk and it works perfectly!
Kelly says
Hi Erin! This looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it since I recently went df. Just out of curiosity what is the purpose of acv in this? Also wondering how it would be if refrigerated and the reheated. Thanks!
Erin says
Hi Kelly! Thanks 🙂 The ACV is just another way to round out the flavor with some acid. I like using both lemon juice and ACV because I feel like it results in a better depth of flavor. I think it should be fine refrigerated and reheated, but if it isn’t as creamy after reheating I would simply add a splash of unsweetened almond milk to help thin it out just a bit! I always find that to be the case when reheating cashew cream-based recipes!