Best Vegan Queso

The Best Vegan Queso Recipe

Today we are making the best vegan queso! Bag of chips? Check Rich, cheesy, stick-to-the-roof-of-my-mouth? Check! A dip with a cheesy flavor can do no wrong. Push aside the bottles of Cheez Whiz stored in your cabinet – we have a new dip in town (an easy and very healthy one at that)!

So there isn’t one story that can trace back the origins of this dip. One version follows a Mexican restaurant owner in the 1900s in San Antonio, who created the model of the first Tex-Mex restaurant (which became one of the most thriving Mexican restaurants in Texas)! One of the most popular dishes on the menu was … chile con queso! The original recipe is not around anymore (apparently it got lost), so it isn’t clear what type of cheese was used in it.

Traditional Queso

But traditional queso in the USA has typically been made with processed american cheese, at least since the invention of Kraft cheese. Remember those Kraft cheddar cheese slices that used to go into your grade school lunch-time sandwich? Well, James L. Kraft invented processed cheese in the 1910’s, and it shot to fame ever since. His method involved heating cheddar cheese to 175 degrees while continuously whipping air into it. This allowed it to become more shelf stable in order to be shipped nationwide.

Up until the 1940’s, it was hard to make chile con queso at home without fresh chiles. Most American recipes used powdered hot spices, such as cayenne and paprika. In 1943, a farmer by the name of Carl Roettele opened a cannery in Texas where he produced a blend of tomatoes with spicy green chiles. He called this Ro-Tel.

During its marketing stage, the focus of the Ro-Tel blend was to encourage buyers to use it to make the popular cheese dip, queso. From there, it became a popular party dish, which is what it’s known as to this day! Read more about the history of queso here!

Vegan-izing It

To veganize this, I didn’t buy vegan cheese. I usually try to avoid buying the more “gourmet” vegan food items. It makes it easier so you don’t have to go and buy a specific brand of cheese that may not be available in your grocery store. Instead, I used a little trick known to the vegan community: the main ingredient is cashews! Raw cashews give a creamy texture that you can’t believe until you try it out for yourself. I use this everywhere I want to make something creamy – ice cream, cheesecakes, sauces, dips and more! Tapioca starch is also used when making cheeses, but the cashews work as the thickener here so the starch is not needed. Use this dip as a sandwich spread, a dip for chips or veggies, or literally eat it straight out of the blender. I know I did!

Why You’ll Love This Best Vegan Queso Recipe

Potluck Dip: This is the perfect dip to make for a party, game day (football anyone?). Or maybe a potluck or whenever you want to bring a quick dip with easy ingredients to any gathering. No buying gourmet vegan cheese or anything, and it’s relatively easy to make too.

No-Cook, No-Bake: No waiting for the cheese to thicken by constantly stirring it on the stovetop! No monitoring the cheesy dip to make sure it doesn’t burn or that it’s the right consistency. This is a time saving dish!

Healthy Cheez Whiz: It isn’t the real thing, but this is a healthier, whole foods version of Kraft’s Cheez Whiz Spread. You can sit there eating tortilla chips 99% covered in cheesy dip and still feel good afterwards! Cashews, paprika, onion, red chili powder, garlic, nutritional yeast, plant based milk, olive oil, black pepper and turmeric for color are on the ingredient list here. It’s also versatile so you can easily add in more flavourings or spices and blend it up again. For example, add a bit of liquid smoke for a BBQ cheez whiz, how about that?

Substitutions

Cashew Milk: I chose cashew milk because we are already using cashews in the recipe. That way, there shouldn’t be any detectable aftertaste of the milk. However, feel free to try another neutral plant-based milk, such as unsweetened almond milk. Be wary that some brands of the same type of milk can widely vary in taste and texture though! If the milk tastes great (and neutral) when drinking it straight out of the fridge, it should taste okay in the recipe.

Nutritional Yeast: This ingredient canned be substituted due to the unique cheesy flavour it lends. I have found this at all major grocery stores in my area, and I live in a small town. If you can’t find it in your grocery store, you can order it on Amazon! This is the brand I like to use. It’s also a great ingredient because it’s full of B Vitamins, which are important to get on a vegan diet.

Raw Cashews: Silken tofu (not firm) may work in a 1:1 ratio, but I can’t say for sure because tofu is so different from cashews. However, it has a mostly neutral flavour like cashews do, so it could make a creamy base. No other nuts should be substituted other than cashews (or if you try the silken tofu substitute).

Best Vegan Queso Recipe Notes

• Add in onion powder, hot sauce, liquid smoke, lemon juice, green chile peppers, sun-dried tomatoes or other add-ins to change up the flavour.
• Make burrito bowls with this cheesy dip! Smear sauce on the base of your burrito bowl and add rice, black beans, sweet potatoes and other veggies on top, since it is a thicker sauce. Alternatively, top this cashew queso on vegan nachos!
• What to do with the leftover queso? Slather on french fries for vegan cheesy fries, topped with green onions and red bell pepper for color!

More Plant-Based Dips You’ll Love

Baked Pizza Dip

Dill Cream Cheese

Cranberry Parsley Cheese Ball

Spinach Artichoke Dip

If you make this Best Vegan Queso Recipe, leave a comment and star rating! Don’t forget to tag your photos @peanut_palate on Instagram. Enjoy!