A delicious vegan queso dip made with sautéed cauliflower, raw cashews, and nutritional yeast. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips for a healthy vegan alternative.
Do you know what we could all use a little more of right now?
Positivity.
Okay, true. Do you know what else we could use a little more of?
Queso.
Yes! And you know what will happen if you make and eat said queso?
You will positively be glad you did.
And so, to answer all the world's problems (or perhaps just one very small, inconsequential one), I bring you a delicious and simple vegan queso recipe - a cheesy, flavorful dip that will both satisfy your craving and provide you with the healthful benefits from my friends, cauliflower and nutritional yeast.
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Oil - I recommend avocado oil.
- Yellow Onion
- Garlic
- Jalapeño
- Cauliflower
- Vegetable Broth
- Non-Dairy Milk – I recommend a full-bodied, subtle flavored milk like cashew, soy, or macadamia nut milk. Whatever you use, make sure it’s unsweetened.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- Cashews - Raw and soaked for at least 1 hour.
- Nutritional Yeast - Nutritional yeast is a common food additive made from deactivated yeast and is common in vegan cooking. Read all about it below.
- Spices - You will need cumin, chili powder, turmeric, salt, and pepper.
Recommended Equipment
For this recipe, you will need a saucepot, skillet, basic kitchen utensils, including a chef’s knife, a high-powered blender, and a colander. (<<affiliate links)
Check out the full list of my recommended kitchen tools and gadgets.
What is Nutritional Yeast?
It’s only yeast in that it comes from the same fungi family; it does not taste, look, or work like baker’s or brewer’s yeast. Rather, it is bold in color and flavor. It comes in yellow flakes (see picture above) and has a DELICIOUS nutty cheesy taste. But that’s not all. It is also highly nutritious as it is full of B-vitamins, including the hard-to-get B12 vitamin.
Nutritional yeast is commonly added to foods to give it that nutty cheesy flavor such as popcorn, tofu pasta, cheese sauces, and nut-based cheeses. You can often find nutritional yeast in the bulk section of well-stocked grocery stores or you can pick some up online. (<<affiliate link)
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
How to Make Vegan Queso
A few months back I made this Fettuccine Alfredo Sauce with my favorite new vegetable. That was the beginning of a beautiful relationship between me and cauliflower. Ever since then I have been having much fun experimenting with this vegetable, as those of you who follow along have probably noticed.
This vegan cauliflower queso is very similar to the Alfredo sauce recipe. I made a few adjustments and changed the seasoning but used a similar method for a quick and healthy recipe you will surely love.
Step One - Sauté Veggies
In a large skillet, sauté the onions, garlic, and jalapeños for 5-7 minutes, until the onions are translucent and fragrant. Remove about half of the onion/pepper mixture and set aside.
With the other half of the onion/peppers still in the pan, stir in the cauliflower and vegetable broth. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer, simmering for about 15 minutes until the cauliflower is tender and the broth has absorbed.
Step Two - Blend until Smooth
Place the cauliflower in a high-powered blender along with remaining ingredients, including the cashews. Blend until completely smooth. Add extra milk, about 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary.
Pro Tip: If you don’t have a high-powered blender, you can soak the cashews for about 6 hours ahead of time and they will blend up fairly well.
Step Three - Assemble and Serve
Transfer the queso to a serving dish and stir in remaining onions and jalapeños. Top with fresh jalapeños slices and serve with chips or raw veggies.
Serving and Storing
Serving - Serve this vegan queso warm with chips or raw veggies. Serve this vegan queso alongside some homemade nachos, fully loaded quesadillas, or as part of your Cinco de Mayo celebrations.
Storing - Leftover queso can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To reheat, gently reheat in the microwave or oven.
More Vegan Dips and Spreads
- Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Smoked Jalapeño Cheddar Cheese
- 5-Minute Homemade Salsa
- Restaurant Style Guacamole
- Roasted Garlic Hummus
Vegan Queso
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon vegan butter or coconut oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 jalapeños, seeded and minced
- 4 cups cauliflower florets
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- ⅓ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
- 2 sundried tomatoes
- ¼ cup raw cashews, soaked in hot water for at least 1 hour
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Soak cashews in hot water for at least 1 hour before making the queso. Once soaked, drain and rinse. Set aside.
- In a large cast-iron skillet, heat vegan butter or oil over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, and jalapeños and sauté for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly brown and fragrant. Remove about half of the onion/jalapeño mixture and set aside.
- Leave the other half of the onions/jalapeños in the pan, stir in cauliflower and vegetable broth. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until cauliflower is tender and broth has absorbed.
- Add to a high-powered blender along with remaining ingredients, including the cashews. Blend until completely smooth. Add extra milk, about 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary.
- Transfer to a serving dish. Stir in remaining onions and jalapeños and top with fresh jalapeños. Serve with chips or raw carrots.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Dipti says
I want to make this tonight but do not have sun dried tomatoes. Any suggestions for a replacement? Would it be ok just to skip it? Thanks!
Rachel says
I had a half a head of cauliflower I needed to use and happened to also have the rest of the ingredients so I whipped it up this evening and it was SO tasty! I used about a half a teaspoon of the salt. I will definitely make this again. Thank you!
Cris says
Is there any way to replace the cashews, with something else? Hopefully it be just as creamy as the cashew consistency . I have a nut allergy in the family.
Sarah says
If you need to replace the cashews, I'd just recommend a different recipe: https://minimalistbaker.com/cashew-less-vegan-queso/
Julie says
hi! how long will this keep in the fridge?
Sarah says
About 3 days.
Marina says
I have Diabetes and want to change my eating habits