Dairy Free Cashew Queso

This creamy cashew queso is a delightful plant based recipe that tastes just as good as the real thing! Made with raw cashews, nutritional yeast, lime juice, and your favorite salsa. After soaking the cashews, it comes together in just 5 minutes and is delicious served warm with tortilla chips or as an addition to taco night. It is vegan, gluten free, Whole30 compatible, and paleo friendly, too!

The best cashew queso

We’re talking cheese dip today! But not just any ordinary cheese dip.

This irresistibly creamy cashew queso is made without any dairy! Only simple plant based ingredients that come together to create a truly authentic dip that everyone will love.

We have made this recipe so many times at our house for everything from taco night to birthday parties, because queso is one of those things that can make a person SO happy. I’m talking about pure happiness in food form.

And I think we can all agree that the more happy food is in our lives, the better!

There are plenty of options for queso at grocery stores, but I stand by the notion that homemade is always better than store-bought. When you make homemade cashew queso, you can customize it to your exact preferences – controlling the spice level, texture, and the amount of zip you’d like from the fresh lime juice.

It is just the thing to dip into with your favorite tortilla chips, but the options for serving are endless! You could serve it with tacos, in burritos, for nachos, over a burrito bowl, or even with eggs.

If you’re looking for a nut free plant based cheese, be sure to check out our recipe for Nut-Free Vegan Cheese Sauce, and for some other variations on this recipe, take a peek at our Dairy Free Queso Fundido and Pumpkin Cashew Queso.

Recipe features

• Quick and easy to make. After soaking the cashews, this vegan cheese comes together in just 5-10 minutes using a blender. It’s simple enough to throw together that it can be made on a whim when you’re craving a yummy snack or have last-minute guests coming over for game day or dinner!
• A crowd pleaser. Authentic tasting without any dairy, this recipe is always a win for all ages. The spice level can be adjusted based on your preference, and it’s a wonderful appetizer to serve at get togethers.

What is cashew queso?

Cashew queso is a dairy free spin on a classic queso recipe.

When blended with other savory ingredients, the mild flavor and creamy texture of raw cashews is the perfect ingredient to use as the base for a dairy free, plant based cheese dip. Slightly reminiscent of the Velveeta cheese dips of our childhood, but infinitely better.

And it tastes so similar to regular queso that I doubt your guests would even know it doesn’t have any real cheese if they didn’t know!

Ingredients and substitutions

This creamy cashew queso dip is made in a high-speed blender with a few simple pantry-friendly ingredients you may already have on hand!

It’s seriously simple and seriously delicious.

You can find the full list of ingredients, along with measurements, in the recipe card below. These are my ingredient notes and recommendations for easy swaps and substitutions!

Raw cashews

Raw cashews are the main ingredient in the recipe -they create the cheese sauce base. When blended, soaked raw cashews become the dreamiest, creamiest sauce, providing the perfect start for a recipe like this.

Mustard

This addition may sound a bit unexpected, but since there is no actual cheese in this dip, you need some flavor boosters to get the right flavor profile. Mustard helps aid in the “cheesy” vibe that we’re going for.

Lime juice

For some bright zip and zing. You can always add a little more or less to your taste.

A simple blend of spices

Nutritional yeast is where most of the “cheese” flavor comes from. It’s commonly used in many vegan recipes for its umami-rich, super-powered flavor.

Chili powder is used to amp up the Mexican flavor, and turmeric is included to give the queso a slightly yellow hue. It’s such a small amount that you can’t taste it, but if you prefer not to use it, the recipe can be made without it.

And then, of course, salt. The amount can be adjusted based on your perference.

Hot sauce

You can use your favorite hot sauce or skip it altogether if you don’t want much heat in your queso. The naturally occurring acidic flavor of hot sauce also helps brighten up the flavor of the dip.

Your favorite salsa

Spicy, mild, or somewhere in between. This is the one ingredient that isn’t blended with the actual dip; just stirred in at the end for some extra texture and flavor. You can skip it if you don’t have any on hand, but it takes the queso to the next level!

Your preferred garnishes

We like to use a mix of whatever we have on hand – typically thinly sliced green onions, cilantro, jalapeño, and an extra swirl of salsa.

Diced red onion, black pepper, or a dash of hot sauce would also be great!

Which kind of cashews are the best for cashew queso?

We prefer to use raw cashews to make this recipe.

They soak and blend beautifully and are relatively easy to find.

If all you have is roasted cashews, you can use those, too, although you may want to soak them for a little longer to ensure a smooth texture.

Roasted cashews may also slightly alter the dip’s flavor – though I’m sure it would still be delicious!

How to make cashew queso

The primary kitchen tool that you’ll need to make this dip is a blender. A high speed blender like a Vitamix will work best, but a regular blender should also work – you may need to blend the queso a little longer.

If you’re ready to start cooking, the complete set of ingredients and instructions are located in the recipe card at the bottom of the blog post.

Step 1: Soak cashews

In a heat proof bowl, soak raw cashews in just boiled water for at least 20-30 minutes – until pale and plump.

Step 2: Blend cashews to make queso

Drain cashews and add to a blender container along with just boiled water, mustard, lime juice, chili powder, nutritional yeast, turmeric powder, hot sauce, and salt until smooth and creamy.

Step 3: Stir in salsa and season to taste

Transfer to a bowl and stir in salsa. Taste and add more salt or hot sauce if desired.

Step 4: Serve and enjoy!

Garnish with green onions, jalapeno, extra salsa, and cilantro if desired. Serve with tortilla chips or veggies for dipping, and enjoy!

Do you serve this dip hot or cold?

Right out of the blender, the queso will be warm, but not hot.

If you want to serve it hot, it can be warmed on low heat in a small saucepan, stirring frequently so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan, or in 30-second increments in the microwave, stirring between until warm enough.

Although I can attest that it’s also delicious straight out of the refrigerator!

Serving suggestions

This queso makes an excellent dip for your favorite tortilla chips or cut veggies, but the options don’t end there! It’s also delicious with tacos, in burritos, drizzled over a burrito bowl, or alondside roasted vegetables like this Mexican Roasted Cauliflower!

Storage and reheating

Storing in the refrigerator: This dip should keep in the fridge for 4-5 days.

Freezing: It can be frozen for up to 3 months, although depending on how long it’s in the freezer, it may separate once thawed. It should come back together if stirred vigorously, but if that fails, it can be blended back together until smooth.

To reheat: Can be warmed on low heat in a small saucepan, stirring frequently so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan, or in 30-second increments in the microwave, stirring between until warm enough.

Love this queso recipe? Check out these other yummy snack ideas!

• Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries
• Crispy Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings
• Dairy Free French Onion Dip
• Easy Guacamole Recipe
• Sweet Potato Hummus
• Roasted Red Pepper Tahini Dip
• Blistered Shishito Peppers
• Dairy Free Queso Fundido

If you enjoyed this recipe, we’d love it if you would take 5 seconds to rate and review it below! It’s also super helpful for other readers if you share any modifications you made to the recipe. 

Thank you for sharing your kitchen with NK. We’re so grateful you’re here!

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