Instant Pot Cheesy Buffalo Cauliflower Dip
Servings: 16
Calories: 81kcal
Ingredients
- 1/2 medium white onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 cup (140-150g) raw cashews
- 1 3/4 cups (440g) cooked cannellini beans, or 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 cups (160-170g) cauliflower florets
- 3/4 cup (180mL)* Frank’s Redhot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce or Xtra Hot Sauce**
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika or regular paprika***
- 3/4 cup (180mL) unsweetened plain almond milk or other nondairy milk
- 1/2 cup (~30-45g) 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, but it’s optional. Feel free to omit if you are oil-free.
- 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 15-20 minutes before serving.
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 thoroughly and pat dry.
- 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 diced onion and a pinch of salt and stir together for 1 minute. 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 15-20 minutes before serving
- *If you are oil-free, sauté the onions and garlic in water instead.
Video
Notes
*As noted above, 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. Or, you can even make your own hot sauce (this is a copycat recipe for Frank’s hot sauce).
*** 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.
**** If you are using grams, the reason for the variation is that there is variability between brands of nutritional yeast. For instance, some brands say 1 tablespoon = 5 grams, others say 1 tablespoon = 8 or 9 grams.