The good news: This vegan queso is the divinely rich and creamy cheese sauce you’ve been seeking.
The better news: It’s so simple to make and naturally wholesome, there’s no reason not to indulge weekly (daily? hourly?) for the rest of your life.
With just 8 ingredients and almost zero hands-on work, you can whip up a mind-blowingly cheesy, spicy condiment that will level up your burritos, quesadillas, tacos, and nachos, or wow on its own, served hot as a dynamite dip for tortilla chips.
In this post:
Minimal effort, maximum yum
It shouldn’t be possible for something so easy to make—step 1: soak the cashews; step 2: blitz everything in a blender—to be so game-changingly delicious.
It doesn’t make sense that something made from 8 wholesome ingredients can taste like a decadent, guilty-pleasure condiment.
So yeah, this vegan queso breaks all the rules. My advice: don’t question it, just go with it.
Bonus advice: Make a batch of this during your Sunday meal prep and let it jazz up your meals all week.
Note: 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.
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. Don’t skip it!
- Vegan 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.
- 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. Chili powder, cumin, and paprika add flavor, depth, and the Tex-Mex feeling you need for a great queso.
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.
Serving suggestions
There are so many ways to enjoy this vegan queso (including straight out of the blender by the spoonful).
For starters, 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 it pairs well with virtually any taco: spoon it onto Crispy Black Bean Tacos, my Ultimate Vegan Tacos, or these Meaty Lentil Tacos.
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! Check out the first FAQ for instructions on serving it hot.
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
While the easiest way to make vegan queso is with a Vitamix or similarly high-powered blender, it is possible to make queso without one.
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.
Introducing
Big Vegan Flavor
Techniques and 150 recipes to master vegan cooking.
The Best Vegan Queso
Equipment
- High-powered blender
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 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.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love this? Leave a rating below!
Delicious!!!!! I have just been eating it plain by the spoonful 🤣 soo good.
Lovely to hear you’re such a fan of the queso, Alisa! 🙂
I have your instant pot recipe book and i made the queso version from the book and wow!!! It’s absolutely delicious. I was trying to mimic a queso that I recently had at a vegan restaurant and I remembered seeing a recipe in your book. I made it tonight and it taste way better than the restaurant version and so much healthier too! I definetly recommend your book! All of the recipes are full of flavor and are a big hit with my family and friends!
We’re thrilled to hear you find this queso better than restaurant quality, Candice! Thanks for following and trying the recipes 🙂
Excellent queso. My fmaily loves this and so it has gone into my menu rotation. Every 2-3 weeks, I top a plate of quinoa, black beans and roasted veggies with this.
Hi Deb, I love to hear when one of our recipes is added to a rotation! Sounds delicious, thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
I’ve made this a few times and I love it! Even my husband who is not vegan or vegetarian said he liked it a few times! He said it made him feel better than “regular” nachos. Thank you!
Hi Sabrina, thanks so much for taking the time to write such a lovely comment! This is one of our favorites too, so glad your husband’s stomach gives it a thumbs up too!
SO. GOOD. !! By far better than any store-bought vegan queso. I use Kite Hill vegan sour cream instead of coconut yogurt and it’s really delicious. It’s super easy to make and I use it as a substitute for cheese for several different mexican meals.
There are so many vegan cheese sauce recipes out there; this is one you want to make and keep making. I even made a sweet variation with peach puree instead of salsa and sans spices. (Tasted like a peach cream cheesy spread). Great template for a delicious consistent cheese spread. I’m going to make a ‘ricotta’ next time for vegan lasagna next week!!!! Love it!
Oooh how interesting! Thanks for sharing, Laura! 🙂
First off I would like to say thank you. I have made many of your meals and they are all amazing. I do have one problem that I do not know how to solve. I am allergic to nuts. How can you make this recipe without cashews?
Hi Ange, unfortunately this recipe requires nuts. We do have this nut-free vegan cheese sauce recipe we suggest you try out though!
Best vegan cheese recipe I’ve come across yet. I feel like most cashew cheese recipes usually taste just a little too nutty, but this one is the perfect queso. Could easily eat half the batch with just chips!
Hi Mary, we’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating alongside your review? Star ratings are big help to readers who are thinking of making the recipe. Thanks!
The only vegan cheese queso that actually tastes good! Tried this recipe over the weekend and absolutely love it!! Will be testing it dairy lovers and see what they thing, but I have a feeling they will love it!
Thank you Nisha for all your wonderful recipes. Love your stuff and how excited you are about the dishes you create. The potato salad recipe is next on my list! 🙂
Thanks for the lovely feedback, Angie! Glad to hear you’re a fan of the recipes. We can’t wait for you to try the potato salad 🙂
I had some of this hanging out in my fridge and decided to improvise. I threw some oatmilk into a sauté pan, added a few spoonfuls of the queso, and whisked until it thickened. Threw some cooked pasta in at the end and had a decadent vegan Mac and Cheese. You would swear it was made with a béchamel.
Moral of the story, make this every week to have in your fridge, it can literally be used for everything ❤️❤️❤️
Thank you so much for sharing this, it is literally changing my life 🤩
Ryley, So glad to hear you love this recipe!