5-Minute Vegan Cashew Queso

I’m going to start off by admitting that I am not vegan. I love my cheese. My sister is vegan and shared this with me. I like trying new things. I gave it a try tonight. It took a bit extra water and nutritional yeast to get the consistency desired.
I don’t like it on its own but it made a great addition to my tacos!
I will try this again. I think part of my issue with consistency was that I used a food processor and not a blender.

Commenting to help those who only have a food processor! At first, I was afraid that it would not be smooth enough so I blitzed the garlic and cashews together first to get them into a pulpy texture. I scraped down the sides and then drizzled in hot water as the food processor was running. Once it was runny, I added the remaining spices and harissa and then let the machine rip for a few minutes. Smooth queso achieved! The flavor is VERY good. I ate it with cucumber slices and pita chips. But unfortunately it can not beat nuked velveeta + rotel (the gold standard for Texans like me), but at least I do not feel like a garbage monster after eating it!

I used homemade chili oil (dried chilies, fried garlic, peanut oil, salt blended up) instead of harissa, and that was a solid substitution. I actually thought 2 tbsp of nooch was a bit much; before I overpowered it with other spices (cumin, more chili oil), I found it overpowering. I also thought the recipe really needed some acid, so I added some apple cider vinegar. All in all I thought the recipe was a good springboard for making a queso I liked, but I didn’t care for it as written.

I was skeptical, but pleasantly surprised! I soaked the cashews for seven hours, used a Vitamix and added more nutritional yeast—so yummy!

My dad ate half the batch with a spoon so I guess you could say this was a big hit :) I notched up the chili powder and hot sauce for more heat and it was great!

I love how quickly this can be whipped up (5 minutes, one dish!) and how yummy this comes out! It’s delicious! I used it to top a baked potato with wilted spinach and broccoli. Tastes great just as written, I also tried mixing in extra salsa and that was delicious as well. Thank you for this fast, easy recipe!

Just made this cashew queso! today was an assembling of ‘mexican bowls’ with roasted veggies, tomato quinoa, avocado sauce, and this amazing queso!….
i added more chili powder to give more depth, more nutritional yeast, and about 1/4 teaspoon of tumeric powder–just to add some more nutrition as if this bowl didn’t have enough…
this recipe goes into the “Keep” folder right away : )
xo eva

I was trying all your queso recipes to see which one we liked the best and this one won the vote!! I like all of them, but this was the favorite! I also love how quick it is to make and it only takes one dish!!

Delicious! So good and does indeed take 5 minutes! I used a food processor and it took a few minutes to get smooth but it was great. Will make again!

I was looking for a fast queso recipe as I was short on time and hadn’t soaked the cashews prior. I found your recipe and I must say it came out AMAZING!! I put this on my tofu and veggie stir frys, game changer for sure!!!

I am new to this way of eating and have been trying to find a vegan queso that was good. Well, let me tell you what……I don’t have to look any further! This seriously reminds me of the cheese dip my mom used to make when I was a kid. Soooo delicious!

I was sooo skeptical because I’m a cheese addict but this is way better than any regular nacho cheese!!!

This recipe rules- it’s sooo quick and easy, and the flavor is better than the expensive store-bought cashew nacho cheese I’ve been splurging on lately!! I started with 3/4 cup hot water as directed and felt like I could even have used a little less as it turned out on the liquid-y side. I didn’t have to tweak the flavors at all; it’s perfect.

This recipe is a total game changer. I cut meat out of my diet over a year ago and have been striving to go vegan ever since. Queso has been a downfall, until now. This is hands down the best queso recipe. All the other ones I tried weren’t quite right. This queso is better than the “real stuff.” Thank you SO much for sharing.

I am new to making vegan cheese at home but I don’t think I need to look any further! This was delicious!!

I love this recipe- I love to add leftover taco “meat” to make a cheeseburger queso type of dip

Delicious!

This is so delicious! Since I found the recipe I’ve made this once a week. I haven’t been able to eat dairy for 6+ months and this definitely hits the spot, even for some of my dairy loving family. I found the harissa at Trader Joe’s, sometimes I add a little less cause it is on the spice-y said. I also usually add a little more nutritional yeast for extra cheesiness. I

This was super quick and easy. I skipped the cumin and chili powder in favor of one chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. Soooooo good!!

This queso is sooo good! Tried it warm right out of the blender, and I’m so impressed that it’s healthy because it tastes so rich, creamy and satisfying! I used franks red hot buffalo hot sauce. The only thing is I found the colour of it not amazing… kind of browny-yellow but the taste makes up for it! Will definitely make it again!

I have long been on the quest for a decent vegan queso, and I am just in awe of how yummy this is! It’s a great consistency (reminds me of the queso at Chili’s) and it’s definitely a good base recipe that you can play around with. I used the chipotle pepper in adobo sauce which was a little sweet for my taste but I can’t wait to experiment more with this recipe! Thanks so much for sharing!

I am UNSTOPPABLE now with this recipe! Really achieves the queso effect, and I almost always have these things in my cupboard. So easy!

Love how quickly this queso comes together. I found the flavor a little flat, though, so I added about a tablespoon each of red and white miso, and wow! Those additions gave the queso a salty, umami, cheesy flavor.

I have a ton of unsalted roasted cashews so that’s what i used instead of raw and it still tastes amazing. I think the roasted cashews even helped with the smokey flavor!
I’ve used it as a dip and plan on putting it in my burritos! Thank you so much for this recipe :)

This dip is delicious! Love making a batch and keeping it in the fridge to throw on black bean burgers, tacos, or as a dip. It’s all I can do to keep myself from devouring it with a spoon! Sooo tasty!

Best recipe ever!!! I had time before hand so I soaked my cashews and kept adding spices cause I love that spicy food and my gosh! I am in love! Best queso I have ever tasted and it made so much!!! Defs gking to be using this one alot now!

I think this queso might change my life!! Sooooo good. Super easy and so much flavour. This will be a staple at our house now, for sure.

Have made this a few times now. So delicious 😍!!

OMG this was so EASY!!! delicious recipe, I used the pepper in adobo sauce and It was phenomenal. Thank you for your simple and concise recipes 🙏🏼🙏🏼

Five stars! I whipped this up with a single chipotle in adobo instead of hotsauce/harissa, which was a great suggestion. I almost always have things I’d tweak about recipes, but this one is spot on as written (per usual with Minimalist Baker). Quick, easy, and delicious.

This queso is amazing!! I’ve made it few times already. I usually use less hot sauce and more nutritional yeast. Really good with bell peppers and cucumbers.

Thank you for creating such a delicious dish!!!

I got all the way to a set table before realizing I didn’t have shredded cheeze to go with the tacos. I looked up this recipe and we will never go back! “So good it must be bad for you,” according to my husband. I used half the chili powder and mild salsa instead of harissa for the kids’ benefit, but it was perfect. Everyone loved it.

Seriously so good and so easy to make! I’ve made this at least 6 times and each time I think, “Why am I not making this ALLLL the time!” I have found that if you use water that is just off boil and let the cashews soak for a few minutes, it turns out even smoother.

OH MY GOODNESS! It’s Holy Week for eastern orthodox christians, and a lot of us follow a mostly vegan diet during lent. Which means no cheese. I’ve been craving queso like crazy as we near the end of the fast…and THIS IS LENT-FRIENDLY! This is becoming part of our everyday, non-fasting lineup as well.

Easiest addition to a dairy-free taco night. Really only takes 5 minutes using a Nutribullet – no need to chop anything! I’ve made it many times using chipotle adobo sauce and it always comes out great! Thanks for another great dairy substitute!

So this is amazing. I’ve made some weird vegan quesos before that took far more effort with disappointing results. This is delicious and while I wouldn’t say it took 5 minutes, it definitely took less than 15. I used chipotles in adobo plus a touch of hatch green chile for good measure. I will definitely be using this recipe again! My hubby and I are very happy with this delicious quarantine queso!

I am making this for the second time this week. We are pairing it with the ever so humble rice and beans ?

I am shook! This sauce is so creamy and flavorful. It doesn’t bother your stomachs with such beautiful ingredients. I don’t have harissa so I put some smoked paprika and cayenne pepper. My 8 and 5 year old girls loved it as well ??

Cheese is irrelevant once you try this recipe. I was seriously blown away by how easy it was to make and how much flavor punch it packed! I followed the recipe nearly to the letter, except I used roasted and salted cashews and Ro-Tel for spice because that’s what my hubs bought. It keeps great in the fridge and reheats like a dream! This will be a regular repeater for sure.

Best queso dip I have ever made! It was so easy, simple, and I love that I didn’t have to soak the cashews before. I saved it to make leftover taco salads for lunch the next day (with the quinoa taco meat recipe by Minimalist Baker as well). Highly reccomend!

I just made this recipe, and it is the best! Love the spice and the creaminess. Luckily, I had everything in my pantry when i got started. Now, I am out of harissa so will have to stock up to make it again soon!

I add about a 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast (just because I want it as close to cheese as possible) and this recipe is divine!! Who needs queso when you have this savory nut butter??

This queso was amazing. I didn’t truly believe it could be this easy, so I waited almost a week after buying the nutritional yeast to give it a go. Sheltering-in-place and taking classes online, I knew it was time to give it a try. So all I have to say is “wow.” I adapted it with chipotle chili pepper and salsa, and then, voila. I literally couldn’t believe how easy this was to make, or how incredibly delicious. My husband is off to write a FB post, and said, “This is the best thing I’ve ever eaten.” Thank you!!

Easy and yummy! I used roasted and salted cashews and it was awesome!

I love this recipe! I did not have harissa and have used cayenne pepper instead. The taste still is amazing. Thanks for sharing.

I just made this and it is so so good! I added jalapeno slices into the blender since I didn’t have cumin or hot sauce and it gave it the perfect spice! I can’t wait to mix this in with my grits and pasta!

Wow! This is a life-changer! Easy and quick to make and incredibly delicious! Thank you!!

I love this recipe – it was a wee bit bland but that’s likely cause I skipped the harissa – so I added a lil bit of roasted red pepper from a jar, 1 more garlic clove, 1 more tablespoon of nutritional yeast and a lil bit of chipotle. Yum!

This was delicious. I didn’t add hot sauce because I’m kind of a baby, but I kept everything else the same. It was soooo good. I’ll keep this one in rotation for sure.

Just made this with my Vitamix on the dips/spreads setting and it turned out perfectly smooth, creamy and hot! I used 3/4 tbsp hot sauce in place of the harissa. Love the taste with tortilla chips but am going to try it with Philly soft pretzels next time!

SOOO good! I had some time so I soaked my cashews before blending. I also added 1/4 tsp of apple cider vinegar…this is such a simple recipe but SO damn good! Thank you!!

This is the best vegan cheese sauce yet! Unlike some of the starchy ones using things like tapioca or potato, it doesn’t “set” – just stays creamy. (There’s nothing worse than desperately trying to scrape vegan cheese sauce over your nachos or vegetable bake in record time before it turns to glue.)
If you are disorganised like me, you can just boil the kettle and soak the cashews for 30 minutes. I do this while I mess around getting the rest of the dinner ready.
Also, my flatmate is on a low-carb fad so I replaced half the cashews with macadamias and this worked fine.

Luv it

Omg….this is the best “cheese” I have ever had. I couldn’t add salsa or harrissa due to allergies and it was amazing.. I am eating it out of the bowl with a spoon. I wonder if you can spread out on a sheet and bake to make crackers…

YUM….this is some tasty stuff! I added an extra tablespoon of nutritional yeast and stirred in a few tablespoons of mild salsa after blending since I’m sensitive to heat.

I made it but didn’t pre-soak. ? It came out okay. I also added smoked paprika and a jalapeno to it.?

This recipe is AMAZING!! I’ve made it twice now (once with the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and the other time with harissa) and both times my dairy-loving friends did not believe that there was no queso in my queso. One friend called it voodoo cheese sauce because she could not stop scooping it up with chips. This is definitely THE queso to make if you’re craving chips and queso.

Omg this is sooo amazing! I am trying to incorporate more plant based meals, and this is my first experience with a cashew “cheese” sauce. I only had diced green chiles, but they worked great. Even the husband said it was delicious. Thank You!

I’m trying to eat a more plant-based diet and this was my first experiment with vegan queso. I made it exactly as described and the texture was perfect. I did add a little more salt and nutritional yeast to taste a little cheesier.

I’m surprised at how easy and delicious this recipe was! Thank you so much!

Holy Cow sooooo easy and sooooo delicious A definite KEEPER.
Thank you, my husband would thank you too except I can’t get him out of the Queso Bowl lol
Blessings Dana

This queso is so easy and SO delicious! I’ve been vegan for about 3 months now and hadn’t found any decent cheese alternatives until this queso recipe. I’m seriously obsessed! I ate some leftover queso this morning for breakfast (it reheats really well) and whipped some more up a few minutes ago for a late night snack. This amazing and amazingly simple recipe has curbed any desire I had to “cheat” on my new vegan diet.

I love this recipe so much! I’ve made it countless times and put it on EVERYTHING. I normally don’t have harrisa, so I add in some chipotle powder, and it turns out delicious! Thank you!

My first time went well. I give it 4/5 just because I will tweak a few things to get it to 5/5 for my tastes. I used extra nutritional yeast, will cut cumin down next time and roast garlic to cut a bit of the bitter. I used a couple dashes of Frank’s hot sauce. Pretty easy and tasty regardless, and I am not a vegan currently.

i am not sure what i did wrong, followed recipe exactly..more like hummus.

The best vegan queso!
Thank you so much!
Blessings!

I love this queso dip! I always double the amount of nutritional yeast though (I’m addicted) ?

I made a double batch of this today because I just needed queso, you know. It’s so good. I don’t have a really expensive blender, so I always cover my cashews with water and cook them in the microwave for 10 minutes so they will blend easier. This is my favorite queso recipe (even the guys at work eat it and they don’t know it’s vegan). Thanks for the recipe!

Amazing. So much flavour. I used Chipotle Paste instead of Harissa and it worked amazingly. It gives the dip an nice smokiness.

This was so delicious. We used it for soft tacos. ?

I tried this recipe this morning to go along with a breakfast burrito. I’m so, so happy with it! I can’t wait to try some of the other vegan cheese recipes.

We love this recipe!! We make it all the time. Even my real cheese loving friends like it. It’s the best alternative to queso I’ve ever had! Also so quick and easy to make. It’s just a tiny bit crumbly when you reheat it but still good for left overs the next day!

I made this tonight to put on nachos along with some guacamole, pico, and jalapenos. I used chilula hot sauce since I could not find harissa. I was so good even my significant other who is not vegan INHALED it! Will be making this many more times!!!

This is the queso recipe I keep coming back to. It’s so delicious! Every time I’ve made it, it turns out perfectly. I use extra nutritional yeast. I’ve used both raw and roasted cashews and both work as long as you account for the salt. We love it on broccoli and baked potatoes and it’s perfect for nachos.

Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe. It’s the best cashew queso I’ve ever had, and I’ve made many different cashew-based quesos. I think the tablespoon of hot sauce is key. We used Franks Hot Sauce and it’s perfect! ????

This was so yummy! Thank you for the recipe! I used 3/4cup boiling water and it turned out great!

Super Yummy!!!! Thanks

Super delicious! I’ve made this twice now…awesome both times. I used boiling water and substituted garlic powder (1/2t) for the fresh garlic. (I’m always afraid fresh garlic won’t completely blend properly.)

My only complaint is that it doesn’t make enough!

Amazing queso! My husband was craving queso and I didn’t want to wait to soak cashews, so I tried this recipe — and I’m so, so glad I did.

Thank you so much for sharing! My very picky dad, who is allergic to dairy, tried it reluctantly. Immediately, he took two more spoonfuls because he loved it so much.

Oh. My. Goodness! This was unbelievable! So easy, so quick, SO delicious! My only problem, I immediately needed to make more!! Next time i’ll quadruple the recipe if I want to share!

The flavour was on point but the texture was off/I couldn’t get it to blend to be smooth. Although probably very much my own fault for using a food processor and then switchingto a Ninja but it still came out gritty. I also had soaked raw cashews on hand (after making banana ice cream) and used those instead of dry raw ones and lessened the water. I think next time I’ll try it with a proper blender to achieve a smoother texture.

This was better than I expected. I usually make a more labor intensive cashew queso and this is just as good. I used ghost pepper salsa and next time I might squeeze a bit of lemon juice in. Thanks for sharing!

Love it!
I double and triple spices and the nutritional yeast.

This recipe literally took me 5-minutes and it’s GOOD!! We couldn’t stop eating it on corn chips and it barely made it to the dinner table on the tacos it was intended for. Do yourself a favor and try it!

Didn’t bother with the chips, this was good enough straight from the blender ??

THIS IS SO TASTY! I omitted the garlic because of a sensitivity and it was still SO DELICIOUS! creamy, full of flavor, and doesn’t make your belly hurt afterwards. the hot water hack in the blender worked well. thanks for a great recipe.

LOVED it!!! I used chili garlic sauce instead or harissa, and turned out better than I could have imagined! Thanks for another wonderful creation!

Delicious… We make this quite often in our house as half the family is vegan and the rest are mostly vegetarians. I call it cashew sauce because the non-vegans object if I use the word cheese… but they all love it. We pour it over broccoli, potatoes, nachos, and anything else around.

Hi Dana!
I discovered your blog sometime ago but forgot about it. When a co- worker was eating a quinoa, sweet potato casserole recipe of yours I had to have a bite. Delicious!!! Tasty food just makes me so happy!
I made a version of this awhile ago and I mixed it into some kale that I had massaged with a little salt and lemon juice and a touch of raw sesame oil. It was the best kale salad I ever had. So easy to take to work for a filling lunch!
I can’t wait to make your sunflower seed dip with dill and garlic. I plan to make a collard green wrap with it and add arugula, spinach, shredded raw beet and carrots.
I’m trying to eat mostly raw these days and it seems these days there are so many great recipes!! Thanks!

Giving it a 5 for what it is bc it tastes good but as a non-vegan the people commenting make it obvious they haven’t had real cheese, much less real queso in awhile lol! It is appealing but now I need to find something to put it on. Thinking about dipping veggies or on meatballs.

GENIUS. The only way I’m making cashew queso ever again.

This was really good! I added half a jalapeno and some cilantro though. It needed some freshness.

I am making an enchilada casserole and had some leftover chipotle peppers in adobo. I remembered this recipe and decided to make a batch while the casserole is in the oven.
Why? What has it taken me so long to make this again?!?! So amazing! So easy! So tasty!
I only hope there will be some left by the time the enchiladas cool…

The easiest and most delicious vegan queso! Thank you for this :)

This was the quickest and easiest recipe! And the taste is fantastic. Will definitely continue coming back to this recipe!!

Simply amazing.

Thanks from Italy for sharing this! Great flavour and very easy to make!

This is the second time I’ve made this. Didn’t use harissa either time and just subbed some spicy salsa in which is perfect! Love this simple, easy queso.

I’m always skeptical about dairy alternatives since discovering that I’m lactose intolerant. Since I only discovered this intolerance in my twenties, I’ve spent many years enjoying the real deal cheeses and sometimes nothing beats the real thing. However, this queso was a game changer. It’s super creamy and so flavorful. I added chipotle powder to mine for that little extra kick I live. This is definitely a 5 star recipe!

I’ve now made this 3x. OH.MY.GOODNESS. The most perfectly amazing, and easy, addition to so many dishes!

Adding my rating!

Oh man, so good! So I really like the jalapeno flavor in my cheese dip, so, I replaced 1/4 cup of the water with jalapeno juice, and of course added jalapenos too :-) Delish!

Forgot to rate! It was great!

I’ve made this three times now, so easy and yum! First time I did with harissa and we liked it but it wasn’t “nachoey” enough. Second time I added some lemon and pickled jalapeño. SO GOOD. Tonight I subbed the harissa with Valentina hot sauce and the family gobbled it up! So versatile and fast… thanks for the great recipe!

This recipe is awesome! I love the cashew-less queso recipe (with eggplant) and actually haven’t made a cashew-based cheese sauce yet though have eyed the super expensive ready-made brands. Queso was once of my favorite snacks as a non-vegan but I always hated how I felt afterward. This dip tastes super creamy/cheesy and is warm enough from the hot water to use right away. I used it for nachos and it was so delicious. I forgot to put garlic in it but had a bunch of garlic in the nacho toppings so it wasn’t a big deal though more garlic would make it even better.

My variation of this recipe was: Trader Joe’s hot pepper sauce, chili lime seasoning, paprika, chili powder, a TBS of Trader Joe’s tomatillo salsa

My nachos consisted of Trader Joe’s unsalted tortilla chips drizzled with the queso and topped with sautéed red bell pepper, soyrizo, black beans and crimini mushrooms topped with chili lime seasoning + fresh cilantro with the tomatillo salsa on the side.

This review is in no way sponsored by Trader Joe’s.

I’ve made several versions of vegan queso from different books and blogs including some of your other queso recipes and this one is by far my favorite and the easiest too! Double win! We made it with the adobo peppers and it was super tasty with a great consistency. Definitely will be making this more often…you rock as usual!

THIS! WAS SOO GOOD! Honestly, this was perfect. We devoured it. Thank you!

Hmmm, so delicious – I made it for a Mexican salad and it was so yummy, could hardly stop myself from eating all the queso sauce before adding it to my sald❣️❣️

I made this last night & it was a hit with the whole family! We poured it over roast potatoes, alongside cajun-spiced roast cauliflower & green beans. Later, my son was seen disappearing into his room with the rest of the queso…and it was never seen again… Thanks for the great recipe x

This was really great! The consistency was amazing and I doubled up on Chipotle peppers to add smoke. Delicious!!

Excellent and so easy.

Hey Dana I’m making this right now and I know it’s gonna turn out awesome. I’m using a mix of alderwood smoked salt and pink salt and roasted black garlic in it! I just wanted to say I have been following your blog for many years, since you had only a dozen or so recipes, and I was vegetarian and then vegan for a really long time. As of last month I decided to add (wild caught/hunted) animal protein (not dairy!) back into my diet (once or twice weekly) for similar reasons to you and I am feeling better so far. Still totally open to going back to being vegan-ish. The labels are such a pain! I have used honey this whole time and find it no less disturbing than drinking tree blood, aka, maple syrup and it does save the bees in our human-altered world. I also have leather hiking boots because I work in the realm of forestry and have to be around very hot fire and other things that require leather. Besides, what’s better for the environment, leather or (current) synthetic materials? ANYWAYS that was a tangent, but it brings me so much relief that you told a publicist that you eat a diverse diet without labels. That gives me so much courage to be open about my own diet when others ask. I know they are not entitled to an answer but I don’t want to feel like I have to lie anymore and your response is so helpful to me. Vegan meals are still totally awesome and the major component of my diet and I am excited to see what you’ve got cooking for the future :-) thank you!

Easy and so delicious! Thank You for creating this; my craving for dairy cheese has finally been taken care of.

Easy and great! Will double the batch next time! Too good not to have MORE!!! Bam

Just yummy ?

We liked it a lot!
I will do the regular quick soak next time because it didnt blend as smooth as I should have liked it. Delicious! Thanks Dana! ?

Absolutely so easy, quick AND divine! Thank you! I want to put on everything!
Left out the Chili powder as did not have, and used chipotle in adobe, was plenty flavorful.
I’m another person that agrees on a squirt of lemon for tang and a fresh note to add balance.

Made this tonight. I had never used Harissa before, picked some up yesterday and the sauce is delicious!! So easy, can’t believe how good it is. Thank you!!

Wow this was delicious and easy to make! I had hot salsa on hand so used that and it was fantastic. Once mixed I added another tablespoon of so of salsa for texture and added flavor. I will definitely be making this again. I may try with macadamia nuts like some of comments suggested just to experiment with. Thanks for the recipe.

Yummo! I added a squeeze of lemon juice for a bit of tang?

We made this last night with tacos and it was delicious! We tried to make them like the cheesy gordita crunch or double decker, where you wrap the soft shell around the hard shell for the taco and we used this cheese to stick them together. It was perfect for that and the leftovers were great as a dip.

This was really simple and delicious! Took just a minute to grab the ingredients from my pantry and throw them into my little blender. We poured it on top of a savoury potato style meal loaded with yummy stir-fried nuts, seeds and peas. I’m imagining using this in place of sour cream in the future too.