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Genuinely couldn’t believe this came together so easily and was so good. I was a little in shock and a lot of in love! Thank you
Amy
We are just on a ROLL here with the easy, no-cook recipes, right? I love it. A true sign of the end of August.
This vegan queso came into my life last year sometime when our shoot assistant Krista was like: “Hey, you know what’s really good? Adding a can of green chiles to your basic cashew sauce.”
And we were all like, “WOW THAT IS SERIOUSLY REALLY GOOD.”
None of us are vegans. All of us love regular cheesy queso. But this combo was so life-changing that our entire team would willingly opt in to a nacho sesh involving this 3-ingredient vegan queso anytime it made an appearance in the studio kitchen.
How To Make Vegan Queso:
It is much easier than one might think, and contrary to popular opinion, I believe that you don’t need special ingredients (looking at you, nutritional yeast).
Basically, you’re going to blend:
- cashews (unsoaked! I’m breaking all kinds of rules here)
- some taco seasoning (I usually buy a salt-free spices-only blend to control the saltiness)
- a can of green chiles
- and some water.
And that’s all.
You’re done.
You’re a miracle worker.
You could have gone for the fancy vegan queso (is there such a thing?), but you have better ways to use your time such as EATING A LOT OF CHIPS AND QUESO. Yep. I am right there with you.
Ways I like to use this vegan queso are WIDE and VARIED, but here is a small sampling:
- Vegan Walnut Chorizo Tacos
- Vegan Chipotle Burrito Bowls
- Vegan Nachos
- Just a standard chip dip!
- Crunchwraps (including the vegan crunchwrap!)
Vegan Cashew Queso, we love you!
Watch How To Make Our Vegan Queso:
3 Ingredient Vegan Queso
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 1/2 cups vegan queso 1x
Description
This creamy vegan queso is SO LUSCIOUS! It’s made with just three ingredients: cashews, green chiles, and taco spices.
Ingredients
- 1 cup cashews
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 ounce can diced green chiles (or less, to taste)
- 1 teaspoon taco seasoning (add a pinch of salt if it’s unsalted)
Instructions
- Blend on a high setting until you get a very smooth and creamy texture. Taste and adjust to how you like it.
- Use it as chip dip, a sauce for roasted vegetables, or just smother it on your tacos, burritos, and crunchwraps.
Notes
Some recipes I saw recommended soaking the cashews, but I found that I was able to get a really smooth and creamy result with NO soaking! And I’m all about the easy. If you have a good blender, in my experience, you don’t really need to soak them.
A high-speed blender (Blentec, Vitamix, Ninja, or similar) would be best here! If you don’t have one, I think it could still work, but A) you might get some nutty texture to your queso (not necessarily a bad thing, it still tastes great) or B) you might find a benefit to soaking the cashews.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Blend
- Cuisine: Vegan
Keywords: vegan queso, vegan queso dip, vegan cheese
We have a Blendtec AND a Vitamix and love them. We’ve used both for this and they’re game-changers for getting this queso super creamy smooth!
Note: links are affiliate links.
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our collection of best healthy snacks. Check it out!
I have been using this recipe for years and its so amazing!!! It is delicious on vegan crunch wraps! For the taco seasoning, I use a homemade recipe from another creator. I have also found that raw cashews work best. Thank you for the recipe!
This 3 Ingredient Vegan Queso is a game changer! So creamy and flavorful, and I love how quick and easy it is to whip up. Perfect for snacking or as a topping for tacos! Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe!
This queso is amazing! I love how simple it is to make and it tastes so good. Perfect for dipping or drizzling on nachos. Thanks for sharing such a delicious recipe!
Skeptically tried the vegan queso today – and was pleasantly impressed!! I added a touch of chipotle sauce (leftover hanging out in the fridge like tomato paste used to) and it was just the right spicy pinch! Thanks for the ease and tastiness of this recipe – keeping it in rotation considering it comes together in a blink!
I’ve been using this recipe for years it feels like and I just realized I’ve never rated it! Terrible, I know. I use this recipe ALL the time. It is THE BEST, like every other recipe on this site. So easy, so delicious, so amazing for a cheesy-type element that isn’t dairy. I choose this over dairy recipes very regularly, especially on nachos.
I am non-vegan and found this recipe through your Cauliflower Black Bean Tostada recipe. Decided to make in the spirit of eating more plant based this year – it’s delicious and so easy to do! My husband and kids also approved. I happened to have nutritional yeast on hand, so added 1-2 tsp as well. I did not soak the cashews and used a Vitamix. Will definitely make again.
OMG! This is hands down the best tasting cheese recipe I have ever made! (And I have made a lot)
Look no further and put this on your rotation ❤️ I did add some miso paste and. nutritional yeast (I got from another comment) and some garlic and onion powder
FABULOUS. Thank you !!!!!!
I am currently doing Veganuary, and I was suddenly craving queso. This was the first recipe that popped up in my search for a vegan queso with nutritional yeast (I don’t mind the taste, but the smell makes me sick). It took about three minutes to make and it is AMAZING!!
(I use garlic powder, onion powder, chilli powder, red pepper flakes,and cumin as my taco seasoning. Just a bit of each!)
This recipe is awesome!! I’m sensitive to dairy AND yeast so this recipe is a godsend! Vegan queso recipes usually have nutritional yeast in it…. and I’m so thankful this one does not! AND IT TASTES JUST LIKE REGULAR QUESO!
I made it for my daughter’s birthday party today and everyone loved it! Even the people who can eat dairy! 😉
Hello. Any nut substitution suggestions for people with cashew allergy? Thanks!
Hi! We haven’t tested this queso with any other nut, so it’s hard to say. I’m not sure that any other nut provides such a creamy texture. Walnuts, pine nuts, or almonds may work.
I’m not vegan, but I like to dabble, and I can say with complete confidence this does not taste vegan and it’s absolutely delicious. I make it every other week and am just obsessed. Well done!
are you spuopous to refiregerate the qusoes
Yes, you should refrigerate any leftovers!
Excited to try this one! I have a basic blender and I don’t trust it! If I were to soak, how long would you recommend? Thanks!!
We’d suggest about 2 hours.
My wife is allergic to cashews, what nut or seed would be a good substitute?
This particular recipe requires cashews, but here’s a nut-free vegan queso to try. 😊
I tried this recipe to put on my steak tacos and OMG best decision I made. I am obsessed. Thank you!! Because there was no cheese or dairy, after my tacos I was full, satisfied, and not bloated.
Perfect for steak tacos!
I’m curious if anyone had had success with a different nut? Maybe macadamia?? My sister is vegan but also allergic to cashews (very sad I know!) so I’m curious about a different but. I’ve made this with cashews and it’s amazing! Just hoping to share something similar with her!
Hmmm we’d really recommend cashews for this particular recipe because they lend themself to the creaminess of the queso. This recipe here is a good nut-free alternative though. Enjoy!
Absolutely amazing! Much prefer this to vegan mayo and much healthier! I’ve just made another batch and this time blended in a few Brazil nuts too for a bit of extra nutrition and it’s amazing. Creamy, spicy goodness. Thank you so much for your amazing recipes 😋
Glad you enjoyed this queso, Julie!
Is this a hot or spicy sauce?
We wouldn’t say it’s very spicy because we used mild green chiles here. You can always adjust the green chile peppers to taste too.
Just a tip. I’ve made this twice; once boiling cashews for a good 5 min and the second time no soaking. There is a pretty big difference in texture. Boiling for a few minutes made it so smooth and velvety.
Thanks for sharing, Rossana!
Wow. Great base recipe! I’m not vegan, but am hosting a party tomorrow with a nacho bar and many friends are dairy free.
Sounds weird, but I added miso, some soy sauce, and some dried mushroom powder for that umami-cheesy funk. Also lots of Cholula for a nice tang and kick. I’m amazed honestly!
Sounds yummy!
So I don’t comment because I just don’t usually commit that hard. But your blog is THE BEST SET OF RECIPES I HAVE EVER FOUND. I love everything I have ever made from your site. And I have honestly probably made 20 things you have here. This sauce is the MOST DELICIOUS. We are working on going more plant based, and your recipes are making it a total breeze. Although the struggle is read because we did eat the entire bowl of this last night when I made it. 🙂 Thank you so much for your delicious genius!!! This is REALLY GOOD with hint of lime chips.
So glad to hear this, Brande!
how long would this last in the fridge as left overs????
Hi, Aleksandra! For optimal freshness, we’d recommend keeping it in a sealed container in the fridge for about a week.
Hi, I do believe this is an excellent blog.
I just made this!!!!! It is amazing and I am thrilled!!!!
Thank you so much for sharing❤️
Glad you enjoyed the queso, Jamie!
First, there is not a recipe of yours I do not like. They are all delicious! Thank you. Thank you.
Second, I know ads make it possible for you to share these scrumptious recipes with us.
BUT now the ads are popping up in the middle of the print version so that the recipe is split onto two sheets. Waaaaa 😩