This pumpkin cashew queso is a creamy and flavorful dairy free snack that is easy to make with the help of your blender. Made with plant based ingredients like raw cashews, canned pumpkin puree, fresh lime juice, and a variety of spices.
If you’ve been following me for awhile it will come as no surprise to you that I have big LOVE for dairy free cashew cheese. There are many types of dairy free cheese out there, but based on my experience I’m pretty certain that cashew cheese is the best.
I’ve shared a classic Cashew Queso Recipe on NK in the past, along with a warm Queso Fundido with Ground Beef, but this fall I was inspired to create a THIRD vegan cheese recipe with PUMPKIN because whyyy not.
I’m pretty sure more queso is never a bad thing.
And y’all I am SO excited to share the recipe with you! The pumpkin lends a nice rich sweetness to the cheese dip that is absolutely phe-nom-e-nal.
And with the holiday season upon us it would make the perfect addition to any party snack platter! One bite and I know you’re going to love it as much as we do.
Ingredients
This creamy pumpkin cashew queso is made with a few simple plant based ingredients in your high speed blender. Seriously simple and seriously delicious.
To make this recipe you will need:
- Raw cashews – This is the main ingredient in the recipe. When blended, soaked raw cashews turn into the dreamiest creamiest sauce that provides the perfect base for a recipe like this.
- Hot water for blending with the cashews
- Pumpkin puree – Adds a festive flair and a nice bit of richness to the dip.
- Mustard (both dry from your spice cabinet and dijon mustard work) – I know this ingredient sounds 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.
- Chili powder – Just a little to amp up the cheesy-mexican flavor.
- Smoky chipotle powder – Chipotle powder is essentially just smoked red jalapeño. Just a smidge of this spice adds a hint of smoky flavor & a little bit of heat. If you don’t have it you can easily skip it – the chili powder alone will add enough spice to the cheese dip.
- Nutritional yeast – This is where most of the “cheesy” flavor REALLY comes from in this queso. Commonly used in a lot of vegan recipes for it’s flavor boosting super powers. Nutritional yeast has a savory, nutty, and definitely “cheesy” flavor profile.
- Hot sauce – You can use your favorite hot sauce, or skip it all together if you don’t want much heat in your queso. But it does also help brighten up the flavor and add an extra layer of zip to the dip.
- Salt to taste
- Red onion + cilantro – For garnish! Because they’re pretty and also add some nice fresh bite.
How to make pumpkin cashew queso
This queso is SO easy to make. The only advance planning you need to do is to soak your cashews for at least an hour before starting.
Then everything except the garnishes is thrown into a high speed blender and blended until smooth and creamy as can be. Warm it up a bit if you like, top with the garnishes, and get to DIPPING!
Serving suggestions
You can serve this dip with your favorite chips, cut veggies, or even alongside your favorite tacos!
What does pumpkin cashew queso dip taste like?
This creamy cashew queso dip is…
- Extremely flavorful
- A little spicy
- Creamy + satisfying
- Authentic tasting without being too heavy
- Perfect for dipping all the things
- 100% dairy free
- Easy to make
A few notes on the recipe
- This vegan cashew queso needs to be refrigerated after making. It will keep in the refrigerator for about 5-6 days.
- It can be eaten cold or warm.
- To reheat, gently warm on the stove top in a small sauce pan, stirring frequently to keep it from sticking to the pan. It can also be warmed in the microwave but it’s a little bit trickier to do. If you warm it up in a large chunk of time the texture will get a little weird around the edges. So, for the best result warm it in 20-30 second increments, stopping to stir in between. A little tedious, I know – but you’ll thank yourself when you have that perfect first bite!
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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Pumpkin Cashew Queso Dip
- Total Time: 1 and 5 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
This pumpkin cashew queso is a creamy and flavorful dairy free snack that is easy to make with the help of your blender. Made with plant based ingredients like raw cashews, canned pumpkin puree, fresh lime juice, and a variety of spices.
Ingredients
For the cashew queso
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in just boiled water for at least an hour
- 1/2 cup just boiled water
- 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 teaspoon dried mustard OR 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked chipotle powder (optional)
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- about 1 teaspoon – 1 tablespoon of your favorite hot sauce – (for a whole30 / paleo friendly recipe read your hot sauce ingredients!)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
To garnish
- chopped red onion
- fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Soak raw cashews for at least an hour, or up to overnight.
- Drain and rinse cashews and add to blender along with just boiled water, pumpkin puree, mustard, lime juice, chili powder, chipotle powder, nutritional yeast, hot sauce, and sea salt.
- Blend on high for a minute or two, until very smooth and creamy. If the mixture is too thick to blend, add more boiling water a little at a time until it blends smoothly, but is still quite thick.
- Once fully blended, taste and add more salt or hot sauce if desired.
- Top with chopped red onion and fresh cilantro and serve warm with chips or veggies for dipping!
- Will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for about 5-6 days.
Notes
This vegan cashew queso needs to be refrigerated after making. It will keep in the refrigerator for about 5-6 days.
It can be eaten cold or warm.
To reheat, gently warm on the stove top in a small sauce pan, stirring frequently to keep it from sticking to the pan. It can also be warmed in the microwave but it’s a little bit trickier to do. If you warm it up in a large chunk of time the texture will get a little weird around the edges. So, for the best result warm it in 20-30 second increments, stopping to stir in between. A little tedious, I know – but you’ll thank yourself when you have that perfect first bite!
To keep this dairy free cashew queso Whole30 and paleo friendly make sure your hot sauce does not contain any soy or added sugar.
- Prep Time: 1
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: snack
- Method: blender
- Cuisine: mexican
debbie says
this is so delicious thanks – great on everything – can’t wait to make your other recipes
Nyssa Tanner says
So happy to hear you enjoyed it! Happy cooking 🙂 – Nyssa