This easy vegan cashew queso dip recipe has the spicy, cheesy flavor you crave. It's made with 9 simple ingredients powdered by raw cashews, nutritional yeast, and your favorite Mexican hot sauce.
Perfect for dipping tortilla chips, grilling over refried bean tostadas, and fabulous bean burritos.

I resisted vegan queso because so many plant-based recipes I found required many ingredients, some of which I couldn't access, or the flavor wasn't what I wanted. But darn it - I made a bowl of frozen raspberry salsa, and Instant Pot refried pinto beans. Queso was needed!
Sometimes, the simplest is the best. And that's what this recipe is all about.
Table of Contents
Recipe Ingredients and Notes
Cashews. I only use raw cashews for vegan sour cream, garlic aioli, and other dairy-free sauces. If the package says roasted, don't buy them. The taste is definitely not the same. In fact, it's grim, quite grim. How can you tell? Raw cashews (even though they are lightly roasted during processing) are white. Roasted cashews (which often contain added oil and/or salt) are light brown. Blanched almonds (skins removed) are a good substitute.
Hot sauce. Use a Mexican-style hot sauce. My favorite queso sauce is Cholula. I once used Tom's Buffalo sauce leftover from a batch of air fryer spicy tofu. It works great, too. No hot sauce or need more spice? Try using a spicy chili powder blend, or for a smoky flavor, add chipotle chili seasoning.
Nutritional Yeast. Cheesy and salty nutritional yeast is a vegan cheese maker's dream. But if you don't like or have it, there are substitutions for nutritional yeast. For this recipe, I'd recommend Dijon mustard.
Mustard powder. This is my wildcard ingredient for making cheesy sauces for casseroles like baked scalloped potatoes or no-tuna noodle casserole. It adds color and zest to vegan cheese.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions.
Recipe Variations
- For nut-free queso, substitute sunflower seeds for cashews. After experimenting with sunflower sour cream, I recommend grinding seeds rather than soaking them. Because the seeds' flavor is strong, you may need to increase the rest of the ingredients.
- I can't find them in Scotland, but a can of green chiles is always great in queso. Season with a little cayenne pepper for more flavor if you like.
- Want to cut the fat of cashews? Try mixing ½ cup of cashews and ½ cup of white beans.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Cover the cashews in boiling water and soak for 15 minutes.
Step 2: Drain the cashews and add them and the remaining ingredients to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth.
Pro Tips
I have tested this thousands of times - if you want a creamy texture, soak cashews. Even with a high-speed blender, the texture is always better.
Help! My cashew cream is gritty
You soaked the cashews, and still, there is cashew grit. Let me help you solve that.
- Add a little bit of hot water. Yes, that works.
- Scrape the sides and bottom of the blender.
- Keep blending. I'm not minimizing the problem, but that's what works for me.
Denise's Tip. Taste test before transferring the dip to a bowl. I started with 2 tablespoons of hot sauce and ended up with 4.
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Serving Suggestions
- Serve cashew queso like traditional queso - with a bag of chips. The perfect dip for the big game or Netflix's series.
- It's also a great recipe as a topper for black refried beans or creamy black bean dip.
- Garnish this tasty cheese dip with pickled jalapeños, additional hot sauce, chopped cilantro, or diced red onions.
Storage Suggestions
Leftover queso can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 days. It's great with baked sweet potatoes and black beans. You can freeze queso for 3 months. It will be a little watery after thawing but still delicious as a cheese sauce for vegan mac.
Frequently Asked Questions
Queso fresco is a type of fresh Mexican cheese traditionally made from a combination of cow and goat milk. It has a unique, sharp flavor and white color. There is also a Purevan version of queso fresco.
If you heat cashew queso, it will soften and get melty, like processed cheese, without the added oil. Grilling is a great way to melt and slightly broth cashew cheeses like vegan mozzarella, pizza cheese, and spicy queso.
The best way to heat queso is in a small saucepan over medium-low heat or in the microwave on low. As it heats, queso will get thinner and more melty. This is different from other cheese recipes that use tapioca starch or other thickening agents.
If you don't have a high-speed blender, you can still make creamy vegan queso. I've successfully used a spice grinder for smaller batches and an immersion (stick) blender. The key is to pre-soak the cashews.
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👩🏻🍳 Recipe
Easy Vegan Cashew Queso Dip Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2-4 tablespoons hot sauce
- ½ - 1 cup water
Instructions
- Add the cashews to a small bowl and cover them with boiling water. Soak them for 15 minutes.
- Drain the cashews. Add them, plus the nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of hot sauce, and ½ cup of water. Scrape the sides and bottom of the blender to catch any small pieces of cashews. Blend until smooth, adding more water as needed.
- Taste and add more hot sauce as needed.
- Transfer the dip to a bowl and enjoy.
Notes
- For best results, soak the cashews, scrape the sides of the blender, and add enough water to create a smooth texture.
- Cashew cream thickens as it sits. If you store it in the refrigerator, stir it and add a little lemon juice or water to thin it out if needed.
- For nut-free vegan queso, use ground sunflower seeds.
- Store leftover queso in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5 days. It can be frozen for 3 months but maybe a bit watery; suitable for a cheese sauce, but not so much for a dip.
- To serve as a hot or warm dip, heat queso in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir frequently to avoid scorching. You can also add queso to nachos or tostadas and heat them in the oven.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
Michelle Duran
I must try this for my dairy free diet! I just need the yeast! ❤️
Denise Perrault
It's really yummy and you'll find nutritional yeast - it's a great ingredient and adds a hit of B12 too. 🙂
Denise Perrault
A delicious spicy dip that's great for dipping and tacos. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.