Vegan Queso Dip (Easy Recipe)

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Our easy vegan queso dip (aka vegan nacho cheese) recipe is creamy, savory, and perfect for your next party or for watching the big game! This recipe is easy to make and comes together quickly in a blender. Pair this dip with some tortilla chips and guac and you instantly have a crowd-pleasing appetizer on your hands.

person dipping tortilla chip into vegan queso dip.

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Why We Love This Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
Step-by-step Instructions
Video Tutorial
Expert Tips and FAQs
Related Recipes
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Why We Love This Recipe

Dairy free but still cheesy: We use cashews to provide a creamy, rich texture and nutritional yeast to provide that addictive cheesy flavor.
A bit of spice goes a long way: Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, paprika, and cumin add a great level of spice and complexity to the dip, making it a perfect companion for tortilla chips. It's not too spicy, but it definitely has a bit of a kick that will have you coming back for more!
Versatile: Works great with chips, or as a dip for fresh vegetables. You can also add a dollop to a burrito bowl, tacos, or use on nachos!
Vegan and gluten free, but even the non-vegans will go back for seconds! This dip is so creamy and delicious – our whole family adores this recipe and there are never any leftovers.

Ingredients

Here are the key ingredients you'll need to make this vegan queso dip:

Ingredient Notes

Cashews: Make sure to use raw, unsalted cashews here, *not* the ones that are roasted and salted. It's important to soak the cashews in water for at least 30 minutes-1 hour (2 hours is best) before blending. This softens them significantly so they can blend into a super smooth, creamy sauce.
Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce: These spicy peppers add a smoky, rich, delicious flavor to this vegan queso dip. You can usually find these in the Latin American section of your grocery store. We typically use these Embasa chipotle peppers, but there are other brands that will work just as well. Please note that the adobo sauce we refer to in the ingredients is the liquid from the can of chipotle peppers, not a separate adobo sauce.
Nutritional yeast: this is a must-have pantry ingredient for vegans! It adds a delicious savory, cheesy flavor to this dip and is absolutely essential in this recipe. We typically use this one from Bob's Red Mill. (Bonus: nutritional yeast is a great source of vitamin B-12!)
Turmeric: if you don't have any - don't worry. Turmeric is mostly used here for color, so feel free to leave it out.
Paprika: we used regular sweet paprika here, but for extra flavor, you could also use smoked paprika.

Step-by-step Instructions

(1 & 2) Soak the 2 cups of cashews in room temperature water for 2 hours. Drain and rinse well after soaking. (If you're short on time, soak for at least 30 mins in hot water.)

before and after soaking cashews in water and draining.

(3) Add all of the ingredients to a blender except for the olive oil and blend for about 20 seconds. So that's: the 2 cups of cashews from step 1, ¾ cup water, 4 tablespoon nutritional yeast, 3 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon turmeric, 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce plus 1-3 teaspoon of adobo sauce, 1 teaspoon agave nectar.

(4) On pureé or a similar setting on your blender, slowly stream in the ¼ cup of olive oil into the blender until the queso is perfectly creamy. Depending on your blender, this could take a few minutes and you may need to scrape the sides down a few times. Taste and adjust spices as needed.

before and after blending ingredients for vegan queso dip.

Serve with tortilla chips, fresh vegetables, etc.

Video Tutorial

Expert Tips and FAQs

Adjust the spice level: The more of the liquid from the chipotle peppers you use, the spicier the dip will be, so adjust accordingly. (Same goes vice versa – for a less spicy dip, use less of the adobo sauce.)
Serving: We love using this queso dip on nachos, in burritos/burrito bowl, tacos, and just about anything else taco-inspired. It's also really great as a dipping sauce for roasted potatoes!
Topping: this vegan queso dip tastes fantastic plain, but you can also dress it up with toppings like salsa, pickled jalapeño, avocado and cilantro.
Storage: store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

close up overhead view of vegan queso dip in a bowl with tortilla chips around it.

Will this taste cheesy?

It won't be a perfect 1-for-1 for regular cheese, but the cashews and nutritional yeast team up to provide a cheesy texture and taste.

How spicy will this be?

That all depends on how much adobo sauce you add to the mixture, but we've found even at the high end of the range, the spice is more about flavor rather than heat.

Can you serve this dip hot?

Yes, although it tastes equally delicious at room temp or even chilled. If you want to heat it up, do so in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently, until just warmed. If it's over-heated, the sauce will thicken up too much, so keep a close eye on it.

overhead view of vegan queso dip in a bowl with tortilla chips around it.

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