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!
We LOVE this vegan queso. Use it in nachos and air fryer fries. Good taco salad salad dressing!
Another HIT!
Thank you for your lovely comment, Melinda! It makes us happy to know that you enjoyed the recipe.
Hello! By salsa, do you mean something like the chopped veggies topping for tacos, or do you mean a sauce (pourable)? I’m always confused when someone mentions salsa in English, as that just means sauce, any sauce, in Spanish!
Thank you for sharing so many awesome recipes <3
Hi Dani, we mean tomato salsa! Chopped tomatoes mixed/blended with onion, garlic, spices, lime, jalapeno, etc! Enjoy the queso 🙂
Got it, thanks! I used a pomarola sauce and extra jalapeños, and the queso turned out awesome! We had it with bean&quinoa tacos for dinner and it was delicious.
Yay, we’re glad everyone loved the queso! That dinner sounds very tasty 🙂
Just made it today, it was so delicious!!! I just skipped the jalapeños because I don’t like it, and added a mango salsa, it turned out amazing!
Awesome, Ana. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
I used 130g cashew homemade cashew butter instead of the raw cashews. It works great i Love it !
Big UP from France !
We’re happy that worked out for you, Le!
Another absolutely delicious recipe by Nisha! This really does taste like Queso. I paired it with her recipe for Mexican black beans and made a quesadilla on an almond flour wrap with guac. I already had the beans prepared so I had a delish and oh so very comforting dinner in about 25 minutes. Love that there was enough leftovers for my lunch and another hearty serving or 2 thereafter 🙂 Looking forward to bringing this to upcoming Fall parties with some tortilla chips!
Thanks for the lovely review, Anne! It’s wonderful to hear you’re a fan of the recipe 🙂
Best cheesy sauce I’ve ever tasted! I’ve been making this recipe over and over again and never getting bored of it 🙂
Make this regularly, great recipe! Why specifically coconut yogurt? Can’t you use any vegan plain yogurt?
Hi Sheela, we’re so happy you love it! We use coconut yogurt for its tangy, light flavor that it brings to the queso. Other plain vegan yogurts may lend a slightly different flavor, but we still think it would be a nice queso since the salsa, nutritional yeast, and pickled jalapenos will offer the primary flavors.
Please let us know what you think if you try it with another yogurt!
I make this all the time, now and each time it makes me so happy. It is DELICIOUS! I have made with modifications based on what is in my refrigerator and have made it following the recipe exactly. It never disappoints. Thank you for this amazing recipe!
We appreciate your feedback and support, Robin. Thank you for leaving a review!
This was absolutely delicious! I substituted 3/4 tsp of cajun seasoning in place of 1/2 tsp chili powder called for in the recipe, everything else I left the same. Glad I made that substitute as it gave the queso a greater depth of flavor. Love your recipes Nisha, I have made many of your dishes and will continue to do so. You are always spot on with your spice levels too!
Thanks for all the wonderful compliments, Eva! We’re thrilled you love the queso- thanks for trying it and leaving a review!
This recipe is amazing. I made it exactly as is even though I’m not vegan. I made it again with dairy yoghurt and it was equally as good.
We’re delighted to hear you love the recipe, Ellie!