This Instant Pot Cheesy Buffalo Cauliflower Dip is one of the best inventions ever. I don’t know if recipes qualify as “inventions,” but let me tell you, you’re gonna love this recipe SO much.
Why you’ll love this buffalo cauliflower dip
Easy
This might be the easiest recipe on my blog. All you do is dump 10 ingredients into the Instant Pot, give it a quick stir, and turn on the Pressure Cook setting. When the time is up, perform a quick pressure release, and add the contents to a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy, and voila!
Seriously, that’s it. No hands-on cooking.
Quick
As you can imagine, this recipe is also quick. The only prep work involved is cutting up some cauliflower into florets, and chopping up half an onion and a few garlic cloves. This should take no more than 5 minutes.
And then the you pressure cook it in the Instant Pot for 7 minutes! Of course, it does take some additional time for the Instant Pot to build pressure, but since there’s minimal liquid in this recipe, it comes to pressure pretty quickly. And then you perform a quick pressure release (no waiting time there), and it takes a minute to blend.
That’s just 20 minutes, start to finish! And unlike many vegan sauce/dip recipes that use cashews, you don’t even have to soak the cashews in this recipe! The high pressure of the Instant Pot will soften those babies up on its own!
10 Ingredients
Yes, there are only 10 ingredients in this recipe, and nothing is an exotic or difficult-to-find ingredient!
Healthy
I know, something that has CHEESY BUFFALO in the title doesn’t sound healthy, but it is! It’s vegan, gluten-free, and even oil-free! It’s made with cauliflower, onions, garlic, and gets thick and creamy from a combination of cashews, cannellini beans, and plant-based milk.
Disclaimer: while this recipe is, in my opinion, healthy, it is fairly high in sodium, almost exclusively due to the buffalo hot sauce. If you are on a very low-sodium diet, this might not be the best recipe for you, or limit yourself to just a spoon or two.
Also, as I mention in the Tips section below, this dip is quite spicy as written, so you can always reduce the amount of hot sauce, and that will also reduce the overall sodium content.
PS: Looking for more buffalo flavored snacks for game day? Try these Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower bites!
Introducing
Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
Instant Pot Cheesy Buffalo Cauliflower Dip
Ingredients
- A drizzle extra virgin olive oil (or neutral oil)
- 1/2 medium white onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 cup (140g) raw cashews
- 1 3/4 cups (440g) cooked cannellini beans, or 1 (15 oz/425g) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 cups (160-170g) cauliflower florets
- 3/4 cup (156g) Frank’s Redhot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce or Xtra Hot Sauce (see Note 1)
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika or regular paprika (see Note 2)
- 3/4 cup (180mL) unsweetened plain almond milk or other nondairy milk
- 1/2 cup (40g) nutritional yeast
Optional Toppings
- Chopped cilantro and/or green onions
For Serving
- Tortilla chips or crackers
Instructions
Instant Pot Directions
- Lightly grease the inner pot of the Instant Pot with a bit of oil or cooking spray. This is to make cleanup easy and prevent sticking.
- Place the chopped onions, chopped garlic, cashews, cannellini beans, cauliflower florets, hot sauce, coconut sugar, paprika, almond milk, and nutritional yeast in the inner pot of Instant Pot and stir well to combine.
- Secure the lid and set the Pressure Release to Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook/Manual setting and set to high pressure for 7 minutes.
- Once the 7-minute timer has completed and beeps, perform a quick pressure release by switching the Pressure Release knob from Sealing to Venting and open the pot.
- Open the pot and, and carefully transfer the mixture to a blender. Be sure to remove the center cap from the blender lid to vent steam, but cover the hole with a kitchen towel. Blend until the dip is smooth, thick, and creamy. Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender, but it will take several minutes, and the texture will be chunkier and not as smooth.
- Allow to cool for at least 15 to 20 minutes before serving. Top with chopped cilantro and scallions, if using, and serve with tortilla chips or crackers.
Stovetop Directions
- Soak the cashews. Cover the cashews in boiling water and soak for 1 hour. Alternatively, you can soak them in cold water overnight or for 8 hours. Drain and rinse with fresh water.
- Sauté the onions and garlic. Heat a nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add 2-3 teaspoons of olive oil or cooking oil of choice. Once hot, add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the onion has softened. Add the garlic and stir frequently for 2-3 minutes to prevent the garlic from burning. Turn off the heat.
- Steam the cauliflower. Bring about 1/4 inch of water to a boil in a large frying pan. Then add the cauliflower florets. Cover the pan and steam until very soft and tender, about 7-9 minutes. Drain any remaining water to prevent the dip from becoming watery.1. You can also steam cauliflower in the microwave or in a steamer basket. For the microwave.
- Assemble the Dip. Place the sautéed onions, soaked and drained cashews, and steamed cauliflower in a blender. Add the remaining ingredients—drained cannellini beans, hot sauce, sugar, paprika, plant-based milk, and nutritional yeast. Be sure to remove the center cap from the blender lid to vent steam, but cover the hole with a kitchen towel. Blend until the dip is smooth, thick, and creamy.
- Allow to cool for at least 15 to 20 minutes before serving. Top with chopped cilantro and scallions, if using, and serve with tortilla chips or crackers.
Video
Notes
- If you are sensitive to spicy food or trying to reduce sodium intake, use less hot sauce, about 1/2 cup (120 mL). If you can’t find Frank’s hot sauce, you can use Cholula, Tabasco, or any hot sauce of your preference, though it will have a different flavor.
- The smoked paprika brings a very subtle smoky flavor, but I’ve also made this recipe with regular paprika and it’s great either way.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Love this recipe! BUT Second time making it and having the same problem as I did the first….. the dang burn message! I’m following the message to a T and still seem to hit this speed bump. Last time I just ended up using one of the other settings so cook lid less (instant pot if that wasn’t obvious lol) Any idea how to correct this problem for the inevitable 3rd time make? 😀
Hi Kristen, I’m glad you love it, but sorry you’re experiencing the annoying burn notice. The only thing I can think of is – are you adding a bit of oil to the bottom of the pot before adding the other ingredients? Instant Pots can be finnicky, and the longer you use the pot, the more it wears down and things are more likely to stick unless you grease the pot before pressure cooking. Another question – what kind of milk did you use? There’s some variability in the textures of plant milks (e.g., almond milk is thinner than coconut or oat milk), and while it usually doesn’t make a difference, it could be that your milk is quite thick and triggering the instant pot burn notice.
Hi Ramya here,just came across your blog and videos in YouTube. They are just awesome. Your recipes are bursting with colours. Is there any link/video where I can access your hummus recipe?( the orange one).Thank you.
Hi Ramya, I am so glad you enjoy my videos and content 🙂 Are you talking about the carrot hummus from my school/work lunch video? If so, it’s in the description box of this video under "recipe #3"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q26BTWaBCg&feature=youtu.be
AMAZING recipe!! You’re so right – this is such a delicious recipe, and you can’t even tell it’s vegan! I love the cheesy taste and also the kick from the hot sauce! Thanks Nisha!
Yay, so glad to hear that Maneesha! Thank you for stopping by and letting me know. I love the kick from the hot sauce too!
Just made this dip and it’s delicious! Great flavor and texture!
So nice to hear you think so! Thank you Amy! Enjoy it 🙂
I wish I could post a photo! Came out looking great. I made a board to take into work with this dip, flat bread (thank you Larissa for that suggestion), tricolor baby carrots, white and blue corn tortilla chips, bell peppers, celery, and cucumbers. My coworkers and I do tend to agree that the word “cheesy” really doesn’t apply, but calling it a buffalo cauliflower dip is more apropos to ingredients, taste, and consistency. It certainly was just as easy as it claimed to be. I feel like too many recipes will make lofty claims to the length of time required, and it takes me twice as long, but this was incredibly quick and easy in addition to vibrantly colored and very flavorful. Thank you for posting this recipe.
Hi Melanie, so happy to hear that you enjoyed it and awesome you got to bring it into your coworkers. I’m glad the buffalo flavors shone through. And yes, this is probably the easiest recipe I’ve developed. It really requires so little work! Cheers!
Hi Nisha,This looks wonderful. Can it be made ahead without losing any of it’s deliciousness? I’d like to make it 1-2 days ahead. Also, I only have a 3 quart IP – should I make any adjustments? It seems like the full amount of ingredients should fit. Thanks!
Hi Barb, yes it can be made ahead! leftovers stay good for a few days so totally okay to make ahead. The recipe isn’t too voluminous so you should be able to make it in the 3 quart without any adjustments. Hope you enjoy it!
Tried this over the weekend and it was oh-so-good! It keeps really well, and makes the best leftovers, too! I served it with some flatbread, sliced bell peppers, carrots and celery and it was a total hit! Will be making this again soon.
Hi Larissa, so nice to hear that you enjoyed it! I love the leftovers too 🙂 I bet it is so delicious with flatbread, must try that next time!
Hi Nisha! I don’t have an instant pot and really want to make this dip. Do you think it could work in a crock pot if cooked for a longer period of time? Thanks!
Hi Brooke, I’ve never used a crockpot so I have no idea, but the ingredients are all pretty simple and the only items that need to get cooked are the onions, garlic, cauliflower, and cashews – so if you’ve ever made a soup with similar ingredients, it would probably work here.
That said, I can’t say for sure, but I did provide stovetop instructions if you’d like to use those 🙂
This looks delicious!! My boyfriend is allergic to nuts and dairy. Since this is vegan, it’s great..but is there a substitute for cashews I could use? Perhaps seeds? Not sure if you have any ideas for alternatives to nuts. Thank you!
Thanks, Josh! A russet potato would probably thicken this up really nicely! You could try 1 medium russet potato, peeled and chopped. Hope that works 🙂
Oh perfect. I will try that. Thank you!!
OMG. This. Is. Phenomenal. I’ve never found a vegan queso that tasted this this good – both flavor and texture. Using a potato instead of nuts worked perfectly. Thank you!!!
Hi Josh, yay! So happy you love it, both texture and taste wise. So happy the potato was a good sub. I’ll update the blog post to include that as a nut-free option 🙂
I made it for superbowl. I misread the ingredients..only used 1 clove of garlic. I might ho 2 next time..but it was awesome. My din was curling his lips as I offered him a chip I watched my finiky son…get up a dip a few more!It was delicious as are all your recipes!Love u!!!Linda
Hi Linda, so happy to hear that the dip was a hit for the super bowl, especially great to hear that your finicky son enjoyed it too 🙂 Thank you for the love and support 🙂
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