Creamy Vegan Queso
The best vegan queso recipe—it's incredibly creamy, yet made without processed ingredients! Everyone loves this healthy dairy-free nacho cheese sauce.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 5, 2024
Queso! I adore it, but I always overdo it, and waddle out of Mexican restaurants with a belly full of cheese. Unfortunately, my queso-digesting powers seem to be diminishing rather than improving with age. So, I decided to come up with a dairy-free version to rival my favorite restaurant’s.
This stuff is remarkably queso-like. You can serve it in a bowl or drizzle it over nachos, burritos, or maybe even French fries. I won’t judge. I aimed to create the tastiest vegan queso, not the absolute quickest queso, which usually just consists of cashews blended with spices. For mine, you’ll build flavor on the stovetop, then transfer everything to a blender. It’s totally worth the effort.
Let’s talk about the ingredients inside my queso. It starts with sautéed onion, like all delivious savory recipes. Then, russet potato comes into play, which has a magical tendency to become silky smooth, creamy and a little stretchy once blended. I grated the potato, which is faster than chopping it, and it cooks very quickly that way.
Fresh garlic and dried spices offer some complexity and familiar queso flavor. I included onion powder and garlic powder, which might seem redundant, but the combo makes this sauce taste irresistible—that’s a little trick I learned from Serious Eats, along with the potato factor.
Then, add raw cashews for more body and creaminess, and some water, which finishes cooking the potatoes and softens the cashews so they blend more easily. Once cooked, transfer everything to a blender (my Vitamix handles this queso like a champ).
Nutritional yeast offers some umami and “cheesy” flavor/color, and sun-dried tomatoes provide another little umami boost. Vinegar, hot sauce and salt round it out. Once blended to creamy oblivion, stir in some fire-roasted tomatoes, which are infinitely better than Ro-Tel.
Voilà (or the Spanish equivalent)! You have the best vegan queso, which is so good that my cheese-eating girls’ night crew couldn’t stop going back for more. My best friend from childhood is coming to town soon and I’ll make her some, too. We’ve eaten a lot of queso in our years together, but she has realized that dairy doesn’t agree with her skin, so this queso will be the perfect alternative.
Watch How to Make Creamy Vegan Queso
Creamy Vegan Queso
The best vegan queso recipe—it’s incredibly creamy, yet made without any dairy or processed ingredients! This healthy dairy-free nacho cheese will satisfy the diehard cheese fans in your life, too. Recipe yields about 3 ½ cups queso.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 cup peeled and grated russet potato (4 ounces, about 1 small or ½ medium potato), preferably organic
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt, more to taste
- 1 cup (5 ounces) raw cashews*
- 1 ½ cups water, more as necessary
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon rinsed oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce (I used Chipotle)
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar or distilled white vinegar
- ⅔ cup well-drained fire-roasted tomatoes (I recommend Muir Glen brand) or chunky salsa
- 2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapeños, optional
- Optional toppings: additional fire-roasted tomatoes or salsa or chopped fresh tomatoes, chopped fresh cilantro, thinly sliced fresh jalapeños or pickled jalapeños, and/or finely chopped red onion
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until the onion is tender and turning translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the grated potato, garlic, paprika, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder and salt. Stir to combine, and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes to enhance their flavors.
- Add the cashews and water, and stir to combine. Let the mixture come to a simmer. Continue simmering, stirring frequently and reducing heat as necessary to avoid a rapid boil, until the potatoes are completely tender and cooked through, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Carefully pour the mixture into a blender, but keep the pot handy for later. Add the nutritional yeast, sun-dried tomatoes, hot sauce and vinegar. Blend until the mixture is completely smooth, about 2 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary. If the mixture won’t blend easily or if you would prefer a thinner consistency, add water in ¼ cup increments, blending after each one.
- Taste, and blend in additional salt until the queso is utterly irresistible (I typically add about ½ teaspoon more). Pour the mixture back into the pot and add the tomatoes or salsa and jalapeños, if using. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is very warm.
- To serve it as a dip, transfer to a serving bowl and top with any garnishes you’d like. Or to make nachos, drizzle it generously over a bed of tortilla chips and garnish as desired. Serve immediately. Leftovers taste even better the next day! Store cooled leftover queso in a bowl, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Gently reheat on the stove or in the microwave, stirring frequently, until warmed throughout.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Serious Eats and my vegan chipotle carrot queso.
*Raw cashew notes: Most recipes like this suggest soaking the cashews for 4 hours in advance to make them easier to blend and to digest. I honestly never soak mine since I have a powerful Vitamix that blends them right up. The cashews in this recipe are cooked in hot liquid, so they’re softer and even easier to blend. However, if you don’t have a great blender or if you’re concerned about the digestibility factor, go ahead and soak them in advance.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Love this! It is now my go-to queso recipe.
Love it, Aimee!
Absolutely love this recipe! I make something quite similar with roasted red peppers instead of fire roasted tomatoes – the potato was a new twist!
Thank you, Ali! Happy to hear that.
You have so many creative and fun recipes! I hope you put together another cookbook soon for all your fans out there :)
Thank you, Kaitlyn! I will keep that in mind. :)
My family LOVES LOVES LOVES this Vegan Queso!
Maybe Beer Cheese is next? :)
I will think about it! Thank you for sharing, Jessica!
I’ve made this three times for Football Sunday, and it’s SO good! I’ve made other vegan “cheese” dips and they’ve been mildly edible, but would also make a good wallpaper paste in a jam. This one is a winner!!! Thank you so much for the recipe! Please keep the vegan “cheese” recipes coming. You’re the best!!!!!
Thank you, Rachael!
What’s the shelf life though
Hi Harvey! I typically try to include storage information in the last step or recipe notes. Store cooled leftover queso in a bowl, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Gently reheat on the stove or in the microwave, stirring frequently, until warmed throughout.
Store cooled leftover queso in a bowl, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
********** TEN STARS!!!! I’m usually not a commentor…..BUT IN GRATITUDE for this recipe, it was the LEAST I could do!
I have been vegan for 5 years now….previously I grew up like a lil danish cheese head….so to say I missed cheese is a drastic under statement! Sure in my years of VEG I had tried a few cheese sauces and alternatives here and there with just medium enthusiasm :/ Until YOU and this glorious recipe came into my life!!!! CHEEZZZY HEAVEN! My hubby about died and went to vegan heaven the first time. We first put it on tacos, enchiladas, burrito bowls, then loaded baked potatoes, and of course NACHOS! We now make mac and cheese, and sometimes for a quick meal just microwave it into some leftover rice (takes me back to childhood eating rice-a-roni!) I’m serious…it’s CHANGED our lives!! THANK YOU!!!!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! I make it weekly and always try to have it ready to go in the fridge for a quick fam meal addition that took our VEG eating experience to ANOTHER LEVEL!! Who knew topping baked potatoes (and everything else ) with potatoes could be SOOOOOO DELICIOUS!
– Sincerely your nacho dipping friend-Lisa
I love the enthusiasm! If only 10 stars was a thing, but I will take it!! You’re welcome. I’m so glad this ended your search for the perfect vegan queso!
I was searching for vegan recipes to prepare for some friends that were visiting. We’re not vegan and I didn’t know where to begin. We wound up ordering in for lunch, but I made this “queso” and it was a big hit! It took me a minute to get used to the texture being a little different, but the flavor was great. I was skeptical to say the least. I had no idea how those ingredients would taste anything like cheese—they did.
I’m so glad I stumbled upon your site and this recipe. Thanks!
I’m glad you stumbled, too! Thanks for letting me know you loved it, Cindy.
I LOVE THIS QUESO!!! I took this to a pot luck type party, and it was a HIT! I am a vegan and my friends aren’t, they were so impressed and asked for the recipie and for me to make it agian! Thanks for this great queso alternative!
Creamy queso for the win! Thanks for sharing, Katelyn.
So delicious! I am not a vegan, nor is my husband (he is a die hard Taco Bell fan), and we both devoured this. Great recipe!
That’s wonderful, Margaret! Thanks for your feedback and review.
Okay…here’s the realz… NEVER, EVER, EVER thought this would be what it claims. I practically made it out of a sense of feeling dared to try. Holy shizzle…A. MAZ. ING. I had to comment and rate this recipe. Kate, this was superb. Made it exactly as stated, save the liquid smoke…just couldn’t find it…don’t think I need to now. The newly-plant-based-diet, cheese-lover inside of me is asking for your hand in marriage…lol. It convinces me of the flexibility of cashews in my newly chosen way of eating. I’ll tweak this and make an Alfredo sauce for pasta, with cashews and noosh as the base. Such a gift, Mama! Gracias!!! :) XO
I’m so glad you did! Thank you for trying it. Cashews are like magic sometimes!
O.M.G!!! This sauce is beyond amazing!!! We’re not vegan but dairy-free and I so wanted to find a great non-dairy cheese sauce! This is sooooo good! My hubby (a hard core cheese lover ans carnivore LOVED it)! And it makes a TON!! Enough for Mexican breakfast tomorrow + dip for snacks + maybe even Mexican Mac and Cheese for kids this weeks (obviously I left out jalapeños lol)! I will definitely be making this again and again! Thank YOU!!
I’m happy to hear you think so, Erin! Thanks for your review!
This was very good, we really enjoyed it, but it was not close to queso either in taste or consistency. Maybe it was because the Cuisinart did not pulverize the cashews as much as your Vitamix however, I have a hard time believing that would make a huge difference. I am still rating it high since it was good.
The blender does need to be really high powered to get the cashews to a creamy consistency. Possibly try and soak your cashews for a few hours to soften them up next time. Thanks for the feedback and letting me know you still liked it!
Can’t wait to try it this weekend! Thanks!
Let me know what you think, E.K!
What a fantastic recipe. Made it tonight and served it with chips, delicious flavor and great consistency. I will definitely be making this again
YASSSSSS!!!!!! Finally a dairy free queso recipe that is DELICIOUS! Thank you!!! Looks like I’m a little late to the party with this one but, better late than never :)
I’m so happy you finally tried it and loved it! Thank you, Sandy.
Kate,
Baby vegan here. Just made this last night for the fam and I removed the spicy components, put it over whole wheat elbows and put some crunch on top and threw it in the oven….pure yummy goodness.
I thought I wouldn’t be able to survive without my baked mac and cheese….
until now.
Thanks for the amazing queso recipe! We loved it! No leftovers!
Thank you for sharing, Michelle! Try my amazing vegan mac & cheese, too!
Soooo good!! Made it tonight and sat on the couch with a bag of Tostito’s haha! I didn’t have the yeast, so googled a substitute and saw Parm cheese could work… doesn’t help the vegan factor but still delicious and amount is small enough :) Thank you again, Kate. I love how your recipes include something unexpected like the potato here or the beans in your tomato soup (amazing!) that make them soo good.
Thanks for commenting, Tracy!
OMG, this recipe is insanely good. I can’t stop eating it ! Thank you very much, i will surely make it again!
Love to hear that, Alex! Thanks for your review.
This was incredible. Thank you for your recipes!
You’re welcome, Kristy!
Made this tonight. Very delicious! The only thing I changed was that I added some lemon juice at the end to brighten it up a bit. We ate it mixed with salsa and chopped pickled jalapeños.
Thank you for sharing, Jennifer! I appreciate your review.
Went to vegan restaurant & was served excellent queso, came home made yours & am very pleased. Quick easy & if you need a bit more kick then app the chili powder. Great resource. Really appreciate the hard work.
Thank you, Tami!
What other hot sauce would you recommend? I have sriracha so I’m guessing I’d use less of it? Maybe a couple teaspoons ?
O…M…G!!!! I made a batch this morning to take to work because we are celebrating National Payroll Week and they are having chips and queso. It is SO GOOD!!! the non-vegans were killing it!! I will make over and over again! I don’t have a super high powered blender so I soaked my cashew. It was amazing!
Noice!
Superb
Omg. I can’t even!! Sooo good-thank you!!
You’re welcome, TS!
I made this tonight, but used a sweet potato instead of russet & did not add the tomatoes or jalapenos at the end b/c my husband doesn’t like tomatoes. I was skeptical but it was soooooooo good!!!!!! Both my queso loving husband & son absolutely loved it!
This is fantastic! I did double the nutritional yeast and add a bit more hot sauce. Otherwise kept to the recipe. Thank you for the post!
This queso is SOOOOO good! I love it even more than the traditional dairy queso.
That’s fantastic! Thank you, Laurie.
Do you think this would work with oat milk? I usually don’t keep almond on hand. Sometimes oat milk gets weird when cooked, so I’m a bit nervous to try. I have almonds and could make almond milk tomorrow morning though ♀️
You could try it, but I’m not quite sure of oat milk here.
This was so good!!
I didn’t have any tomatoes on hand, so I used chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. My recently vegan boyfriend is surprisingly okay with this delicious dip (sorry- I just can’t call it queso) and we’re planning on using leftovers for enchiladas tonight.
I get it, cheese lover myself! Thanks for your comment and review, Christie.
I brought this to a Halloween party last night. Only 3 vegetarian/vegans in the whole place. But everyone was raving about it! I added more hot sauce and the brine from the pickled jalapeños at the end. Thank you so much!! I use your recipes a good bit and you’re becoming one of my favorites. Keep doing what you do!!
This for me turned out more like a Mexican potato soup than a sauce. It didn’t pair well with chips. I’m going to thin it out with stock to actually make a soup as not to waste it. It tastes nice, just not for the application of a cheese sauce.
First let me say I’m no vegan and holy crap this dip is good. I just made it and I am in awe! Thank you!
I’ve tried several vegan queso recipes, and this one is definitely the best. I didn’t have oil-packed sundried tomatoes, so I used the kind in the bag. Also, i added black beans at the end cuz I had a lot on hand. Delicious !
Thank you for letting me know you love it, Karen!
This was absolutely delicious! I was licking the spoon, and then I made a quesadilla! I think this would be a great soup base! Long time fan Kate. Thanks for all the great recipes
OMG amazing!!! I am in love ❤️
Great to hear, Lisa!
My 10 yr. old is off gluten & dairy for health reasons, and not being a very adventurous cook, I find it challenging planning & preparing dishes that he can eat (and like!). I really wanted to make a good queso dip that he could enjoy on Super Bowl Sunday. When I came across your recipe, saw how amazing it looked & did not appear too complicated to make, I decided to give it a try. We aren’t fans of “nooch” (whoever said it’s a good Parmesan replacement, sprinkled over spaghetti…lies! All lies. ), so in all honesty I was skeptical that it would impress both my dairy-eating husband & my (picky) nondairy-eating son. Wow! Like Kathy mentioned previously, mine wasn’t quite the vibrant golden cheddar color yours is in the photos (very close though), but I was really impressed with the flavor & texture. I was amazed at the layers of flavors; they really built upon & complimented one another. My dairy eater devoured it & my nondairy eater switched to salsa after a few bites; ha! I’ll be making it again though, and I can’t wait to try some of your other recipes. Thanks Kate! Go Chiefs! {KC>
I’m glad you found it so all could enjoy and you loved it! Yes, Go Chiefs!
Overall a good recipe. I doubled the nutritional yeast to give it a sharper cheese flavor and doubled the amount of potato to up the creaminess of it. Also thinned with cashew milk instead of water. Good flavor and will fix a craving in a pinch!
I am about to try to make this queso, and couldn’t be more excited!! Do you think a ninja would work for the blender part?
Hi Jessie! I hope your ninja will work well enough. I’ve never worked with one. Soaking the cashews in advance would definitely help.
Tried your creamy vegan queso recipe today. It is so yummy! I tried another version as sensitive to dairy. This one is my favorite and I don’t feel cheated. Going to serve to our Life Group tomorrow as I’ve heard it’s a crowd pleaser. Thank you! I’ve also enjoyed several of your healthier recipes as on an eat to beat cancer diet. I’ve had two cancer free lab test results now surprising my Oncologist!! I’ve beat the odds even after refusing the second 3 cycles of chemo. The first 3 cycles made this rather healthy senior sicker than ever. God is so overwhelming in blessing me to be my own advocate to not give in to Dr pressure that I would die in less than a year w/o more chemo. I’ve past the year. Your healthier recipes are a blessing!! Thank you for being so kind to share. God bless you!
Thank you for sharing! I’m happy to hear you are loving it.
I just love your recipes, love your Website…..loved everything I tried so far. I am just recently going vegetarian with a vegan tendency and you inspire me! Thanks Kate!
Hi! This is amazing! Do you know if it freezes well?
Hi Sarah, I haven’t tried it. Based on the ingredients, I don’t think it would freeze well. Sorry!
Hello :) I made your queso last night and it was delicious! I am going to eat it again for lunch! Thanks so much for sharing. You have so many great recipes.
Great to hear, Libby! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
This recipe is absolutely delicious and a great alternative for those of us who are not able to eat dairy! I did not have any cashews on hand so instead, I used cashew butter which was any easy substitute. Thanks, Kate for always making my stomach so happy!
This is amazing!! I’ve made this a few times and my non vegan husband requests it. This time I was out of nutritional yeast so I left it out all together and it was still a hit. Thank you for another great recipe
I never leave comments on recipes I make because I always forget to go back after it’s made. On this, my fourth time making this deliciousness, I feel I need to comment. My GOODNESS this stuff is magic! I’ve taken it to a party as a Mexican pasta salad and I’ve used it as cheese on tacos, as a delicious dip for my tortilla chips, and drizzled onto eggs after cooking for a Mexican Benedict. It takes a bit of time to make so I always double the batch and just indulge alllllll week. I’m not a vegan and it’s absolute perfection when I’m worried about dairy upsetting my tummy but neeeed a creamy cheese sauce. YUMMMM!!!
Made this tonight for vegan nachos. Complicated, but worth the effort! The flavors meld so well together, and the consistency is exactly what I was looking for. I added extra nutritional yeast to give it more “cheesiness” and left out the fire roasted tomatoes since I was putting tomatoes both in the guac for the nachos and more fresh tomato toppings. It was enough for two large plates of nachos, with a jar left over that will be used for burritos this weekend.
Wow. This is wonderful and life changing for this vegan. I’ve made it twice – once using salsa and once using Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes with chiles. Loved it with the whole can of Muir Glen and lots of jalapenos. Making it again this weekend. Thank you!!!