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

Vegan Queso Dip

  • Author: Lexi
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Soaking Time: 1 hour
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 8-10 1x
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

Our vegan queso dip recipe is creamy, savory, and perfect for your next party or for watching the game with your family. Pair this dip with some tortilla chips and guac and you instantly have a crowd-pleasing appetizer on your hands.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups raw, unsalted cashews, soaked in water for ~2 hours
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, plus 1-3 tsp of adobo sauce
  • 1 tsp agave nectar
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup olive oil

Instructions

  1. 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.
  2. Add all of the ingredients to a blender except for the olive oil and blend for about 30 seconds, until mostly smooth. 
  3. While blending, slowly stream in the 1/4 cup of olive oil and continue blending until the queso is perfectly creamy and smooth. Depending on your blender, this could take a minute or two and you may need to scrape the sides down a few times. Taste and adjust spices as needed and serve with tortilla chips.

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. 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. 

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. 

Storage: store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. 

  • Category: Dips
  • Method: Blender
  • Cuisine: Tex-Mex

Keywords: vegan queso dip

Find it online: https://www.crowdedkitchen.com/vegan-queso-dip/