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.
Sue hegle
I miss the white cheese dip from Miguel's, this looks like it would definitely fill that need!!!! Can't wait to make it! I would choose a moisturizer!
veggiesdontbite
Yes yes and yes!!! The Miguel's white cheese is what prompted this creation!! Please let me know if you make it! And if you win, get the atmosphere protection cream. It's amazing!
Michelle heberling
How do you think the queso would fair drizzled on top of a mexican black bean soup? I am missing the cheese and this sounds good.
veggiesdontbite
I think it would fair AMAZING!!!! You may need a bit more salt and jalapeño juice to bring out the flavor against the soup. But great idea!
Erin F
This dip looks incredible! I can't wait to try it myself. I've been craving a good, cheesy dip.
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Erin!!! Let me know if you do!
Ludmilla
I never had vegan queso dip but looks so interesting and flavorful!! Your photos are gorgeous!!
veggiesdontbite
Awe, thank you!! It's delicious!
Kaitie
What a fantastic vegan dip for Cinco De Mayo! This would be perfect for summer with guests as well!!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Katie! Yep!! It's great for all those occasions!
Renee
I'm always a little leery of vegan cheeses, mainly because I don't know what is in them. I love that this was gobbled up at a party where people didn't realize it was vegan. I'm adding this to the list of new things to try!
veggiesdontbite
That's exactly why I have created multiple vegan cheese sauce from whole foods!! Definitely give it a try! I have 2 other very popular ones on my blog too: The Ultimate Cheese Sauce, and Sharp White Cheese Sauce. Let me know what you think!
Martha N.
Who couldn't resist Ocean Lotion? All the Osea products sound wonderful! My favorite dip is Cowboy Caviar, especially when it has a lot of cilantro added.
veggiesdontbite
Oooh, now I want to create my own cowboy caviar!! Ocean lotion would be an awesome choice!
Brandon
Who would guess this is vegan?? Looks so creamy and delicious!! I would totally dip the hell out of this 😛
veggiesdontbite
Totally cracking up! Dip it like you mean it! LOL!! Thanks Brandon!
Sarah
I've Pinned this...drooled over this...and absolutely can't wait to make this delicious dip! It's going to be perfect for any and every summer party! 🙂 {Or it'll be perfect for just me!!!}
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Sarah!! Make extra, then you can share. LOL! And arugula berry salad? YUM.
Mandy
Excuse me while I pick my jaw up from off the floor and wipe the drool away....are you kidding me with this dip?! I want to dive face first and have it all to myself. OMG. I love the addition of the pickled jalapeno juice! I can see how this would become a fast favorite in our house...put it on everything from burgers to pasta, too! Ever since you mentioned OSEA I've taken some time to look through their site and I'm eyeing up a few of their anti-aging products. They look like a wonderful company! <3
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Mandy!! You would love this dip so much. And it's so easy to make! OSEA is awesome. I love the products and the glass bottles. Such a great company!! My skin has never looked better!
Thia
Sophia,
This product line looks wonderful. It was a hard choice, but I think I'd have to get Undaria Algae Oil and Ocean Lotion-Travel Size...maybe! 🙂
As far as my favorite dip...it's a toss-up between roasted red pepper dip and cowboy caviar. Kind of depends on what else I'm serving with it.
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Thia! I just got the algae oil for my upcoming vacation. I am so excited to use it! And I'll take both those dips!
Kristy @ Southern In Law
This looks amazing! I feel like I'd want to smother everything in it! 😛
veggiesdontbite
Ha! Thank you! I do!
Nicole
You are simply the best at "cheese" dips, regardless of it being an obsession :). It's actually incredibly helpful to have posts like this because most people I talk to hate the idea of giving up cheese to go vegan....they can do so happily, because of your recipes!
veggiesdontbite
Ha Nicole! Thank you so much!! Yes, this dip is definitely cheesy without the cheese. It's such a comfort food to me and I swear it hits the spot better than any cheese dip did!
Kelly @ TastingPage
Great idea to add potatoes and I'm always up for a spicy kick, so yay jalapenos! Looks fab.
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Kelly! It's actually not that spicy, the jalapeños I used were mild but you can always use hot!! It's so tasty! And I seriously want your margarita. It would go perfect with my dip!
Aimee / Wallflower Kitchen
Oh my god! I want to plant my face in that bowl! Sounds so so good 🙂
veggiesdontbite
Hahaha!!! Thank you Aimee! Plant away!