Say hello to the vegan queso of your dreams! Once you try this queso, you’ll want to make it weekly and pour it over everything.
With only eight ingredients, this recipe could hardly be easier. All you need to do is soak your cashews, blend them with the remaining ingredients, and voila! A bowl of the most addictive cheesy, spicy vegan goodness known to man.
It’s like a party in your mouth with its rich and creamy texture that perfectly complements burritos, quesadillas, tacos, and nachos. And the best part? It’s made with wholesome plant-based ingredients, so you can indulge in your cravings without any of the guilt!
Table of contents:
1. Why you’ll love this recipe
2. Ingredient notes
3. Step-by-step instructions
4. Tips for making this recipe
5. Frequently Asked Questions
6. Serving suggestions
7. Recipe card with notes
Note: This recipe contains cashews. If you’re looking for a cheese sauce recipe that does not use nuts, check out my nut-free vegan cheese sauce!
And for even more options, check out my complete guide to vegan cheese! It covers the best vegan cheese recipes to use for every situation (including my Vegan Feta and Vegan Cashew Cheese) and reviews the best vegan cheeses you can buy at the supermarket.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Ridiculously easy. There are effectively only two steps in this recipe. Step one, soak the cashews. Step two, blitz everything in a blender. How easy is that?
Minimal ingredients. This recipe requires only 8 ingredients, many of which you probably already have in your pantry.
Wholesome but indulgent. This queso brings a decadent cheesy creaminess to your burritos, quesadillas, tacos, and nachos, but it’s made with wholesome plant-based ingredients.
Make ahead. Many readers report making a big batch of this on a Sunday as part of meal prep and using it in several different ways throughout the week. It stays good in the fridge for at least a week and you can even freeze leftovers if you have extra.
Ingredient notes
Cashews. The base of our vegan queso. They add creaminess and body but have a mild flavor.
Nutritional yeast. For those cheesy vibes.
Coconut yogurt. A good coconut based yogurt gives our vegan queso some tang without contributing any coconut flavor. My favorite brands are Culina, CocoYo, or GT’s. Can’t have coconut? Kite Hill makes a thick Greek Almond Milk Yogurt that could also work. A thin yogurt just won’t work here!
Salsa and pickled jalapeños. We need some heat and these two work perfectly together. The pickling liquid from the jalapeños give the queso a mouthwatering tart flavor that will keep you coming back for more.
Spices and nutritional yeast. Chili powder, cumin, and paprika add flavor and depth while nutritional yeast provides cheesy vibes.
Step-by-step instructions
Soak the cashews in hot water for 15 minutes.
Add the drained cashews and all the remaining ingredients to a high-speed blender. If you’re using a food processor, see the Tips section for how to soak your cashews.
Blend until thick, creamy, and smooth, scraping down the sides as you go. Taste for seasonings, adding salt as needed.
Tips for making this recipe
How to soften raw cashews
There are a couple of different ways to soften raw cashews, depending on how much time you have and how high-powered your blender is.
- If you have a high-powered blender like a Vitamix, you can soak the cashews in boiling water for as little as 15 minutes.
- If you don’t have a high-powered blender, soak your cashews in cool water overnight.
- Regardless of what blender you have, you can also add your cashews to a saucepan, cover with water, and boil for 15 minutes. Boiling is the quickest option and works great to fully soften the cashews.
As spicy as you like
I think the recipe is perfect as-is; it has some spice but it’s by no means overwhelming. However, I also recognize that spice tolerance is deeply personal.
If you love spicy food, I suggest using a hot salsa and adding more pickled jalapeños to taste. If you’re sensitive to spicy foods, you can try adding fewer of the pickled jalapeños and choosing a mild salsa.
Note: It’s easier to add additional heat to this recipe than take it away, so if you’re not sure, add fewer jalapeños than you think you need initially. You can always taste the queso, then add more later if need be.
Frequently Asked Questions
While the easiest way to make vegan queso is with a Vitamix (affiliate link) or similarly high-powered blender, it is possible to make queso without one.Â
The key is to make sure you cashews fully soften. For the best results, boil your cashews. Simply add your cashews to a sauce pan, cover with water, and . You can also try soaking your cashews overnight, though they might not pulverize quite as easily.
Vegan queso can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
If you are serving the queso as a dip, it’s even better served warm!
All you need to do is add it to a small saucepan and gently heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes. If it seems too thick, add a splash of plant-based milk or water and stir to incorporate.
Serving Suggestions
There are so many ways to use this vegan queso!
For starters, you can try it in buffalo chickpea quesadillas, vegan crunchwrap supremes, breakfast burritos, or burrito bowls.
It’s also the star of these epic loaded vegan nachos.
And if you want to keep it more casual, you can always use the queso as a dip with tortilla chips. It’s something we do not infrequently in my house!
Okay, that’s everything. If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram – I love hearing your feedback.
The Best Vegan Queso
Ingredients
- 1 cup (~130g) raw cashews
- 1/2 cup (~112g) vegan coconut yogurt (unsweetened, plain)
- 1/2 cup (~120g) of your favorite salsa
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Several cracks of freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons pickled jalapeños + 2 tablespoons of the pickled jalapeño brine
- Kosher salt or sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Add the raw cashews to a saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes. Drain the soaked cashews. Alternatively, you can soak the cashews in cool water overnight.If you have a high-powered blender like a Vitamix, you can soak the cashews in boiling water for 15-30 minutes.
- Add the drained cashews to a high-powered blender. Add the yogurt, salsa, water, cumin, chili powder, paprika, black pepper, nutritional yeast, pickled jalapeños, and pickled jalapeño brine. Blend until thick, creamy, and smooth. Taste for seasonings, adding salt as needed.Note: the pickled jalapeños are decently salty, so I don't add much salt, but if you skip them, be sure to add salt (1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt).
- To serve warm, add the queso to a small saucepan and gently heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes. If it seems too thick, add a splash of plant-based milk or water and stir to incorporate.
I made this yesterday and it really is cheesy. Other vegan cheese sauces that I’ve tried tend to get a bit sour after some time in the fridge, so I can’t really use them for meal prep. This one definitely doesn’t and I’m so happy. I used Forager unsweet cashew yogurt and La Preferida mild salsa. Thanks for another great recipe!
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Sarah!
Best vegan queso ever! I’ve tried several recipes but I’ve found my keeper. Wrapped up with black beans, avocado, lettuce, red onion and tomato in a whole wheat tortilla was the best taco I’ve had in a very long time! I didn’t even need salsa s because the queso was spiced perfectly. Another hit from
Nisha.
When I tell you this is one of the best things I’ve ever eaten…not lying! I’m newly vegan and love queso dip. This cheese sauce is beyond anything I could’ve imagined and so easy to make. I was shocked when I tried it out of the blender. Only change I made was vegan sour cream instead of yogurt because I was out. Seriously, this recipe will be a staple in my kitchen going forward. Amazing!!
Awesome, Josh. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
I do not know why I took so long to try this. I will never need to make another queso again. First time, and this is now my go-to queso for any occasion. Easy to modify spice, smoke flavor, etc. So good!
Chris, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
Can I use a different nut that is similar to cashews, like walnuts for instance?
Hi Michael, you should be able to use walnuts! If you do, please let us know how it turns out!
I LOVED this queso. I’m super picky. I even swore of nutritional yeast because I thought it smelled and tasted like feet. BUT I love your videos and decided to give this a try. W O W! My life has changed! I always make my own salsa so that is what I used. I made it with crushed tomatoes and it ended up being too sweet, so I’ll modify that in the future and use salsa with diced tomatoes instead. Regardless, it was AWESOME and I’ll be using this as a staple. Thank you!
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Leigh-Ann!
Holy moly, this queso is to die for, Nisha!
I have made it a couple of times now (the first time I ate the whole batch in a couple of days!!!) I’m going to try and pace myself with this batch… but no promises!
It is so creamy, flavourful and easy to make, I HIGHLY recommend anyone checking out this recipe to just go ahead and make it, you won’t be disappointed!
Keep up the great recipes and content, Nisha, you are a breath of fresh air!
Love, from your fan in South-Western Australia xxx
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Stacy! We are thrilled you love the recipe :)
I just discovered your YouTube channel the other day and I am hooked!!! You are so relatable and I can’t wait to try more recipes! This queso is AMAZING! We didn’t have the jalapeños but some Frank’s gave it the kick I was looking for! This is the second time I’ve made it this week. This time I got smart and doubled the batch! Thank you!
Erin, So glad to hear you love this recipe!
I tried making your vegan que so recipe from your cookbook. It’s a serious hit in our house. Does it freeze well?
This recipe is easy and delicious!! Love it!!
Awesome, Heather. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
I have tried some others that I like but this one is really delicious. Thank you
Greg, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
What could I substitute the yogurt with? Thank you for all this yummy recipes!!!!
I make this queso way too regularly, it’s so yummy! I have found myself without any yogurt to make it a few times and I subbed like 1/2 cup of white beans (northern or cannelini) and it turned out just fine.
Thanks for sharing, Meghan!
Hi Janice, I’d say coconut cream or canned coconut milk would work great. Might need a squeeze of lime juice to add some tanginess to compensate.
This vegan queso is SOOOO good! I’ve only been vegan for about a year and, until now, struggled to find a decent cheese sauce. I tried a couple recipes that used boiled vegetables as a base and they were barely edible, and store bought options left me underwhelmed. So grateful I found this recipe! It truly is delicious.
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Caitlin!
I’m not vegan, but I tried to eat this way several times a week. The best vegan queso I’ve ever made! Even my completely carnivorous husband loves this one!
Awesome, Beth. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
Second time I’ve made this. We are not ‘spicy’ people and I only used the brine of the jalepinios, doing so only the first time. The second time I left it out and wished that I had used it after all. Keeping it in a squirt bottle for quick access and frequent use.
Awesome, Robin. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
Super easy, suuuuuper good! Thanks, Nisha!
Hannah, So glad to hear you loved this recipe! :)
Love it! I used thick soy yoghurt instead of coconut yoghurt and it tasted amazing. Thank you for this delicious recipe :)
Glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Dominique!
Why does this have to be so delicious 🤤 I am blown away Cheese has been my crux. I love it and I find it really hard to give up This makes it a wee bit easier 😊 love your recipes
Kristy, So glad to hear you love the recipes! :)
Amazingly delicious! It’s my go to queso sauce now! Thanks!
Awesome, Michelle. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
Loves it! Do you have a brand of nutritional yeast you prefer or recomend?
Hi Thomas, we like using Bragg’s, Anthony’s, or Frontier Co-op brands.