Vegan & Gluten Free Creamy Queso Dip

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Velvety, Delicious, and Guilt-Free: Meet Your New Favorite Vegan Queso Dip

Who says indulgence and healthy eating can’t go hand in hand? This vegan queso dip is here to prove otherwise. Creamy, savory, and irresistibly cheesy, it’s the perfect companion for tortilla chips, fresh veggies, or even as a topping for your favorite Mexican dishes. But what makes this dip truly special isn’t just its rich flavor—it’s what’s inside.

Crafted from wholesome ingredients like cashews and nutritional yeast, this plant-based queso is not only dairy-free but packed with health benefits. The cashews lend their signature creaminess while providing healthy fats, magnesium, and protein to keep you satisfied. Nutritional yeast, often called “nature’s cheesy seasoning,” adds that irresistible umami flavor while delivering a hefty dose of B vitamins, including B12, and a boost of plant-based protein.

Whether it’s for Taco Tuesday or Super Bowl Sunday, I hope you and your family enjoy this delicious queso dip as much as we do!

Ingredients Needed to Make Vegan Queso Dip

• Cashews: raw and unsalted
• Water
• Diced tomatoes and green chilis: I use a large 28 oz. can of Rotel, feel free to use mild or spicy according to your preference.
• Nutritional yeast
• Onion powder
• Salt
• Lemon juice: fresh or bottled
• *Blender: while a high powered blender is very helpful, I’ve also used my Granny’s 1960’s blender to make this as well and it turned out equally delicious and creamy.

How to Make Vegan Queso Dip

The first step in making your creamy, vegan queso is to boil your cashews. You’ll need to bring 1 cup of cashews to a boil. Then, allow them to boil for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow them to soak for 10 minutes to an hour. If you do not have a high speed blender, I would recommend letting them sit for a minimum of 30 minutes. Drain the water from your cashews and set the cashews aside.

In your blender, combine water, salt, lemon juice, onion powder, nutritional yeast, and the drained liquid from your can of Rotel (just the liquid, don’t add the actually tomatoes or green chilis yet). Lastly add in your soaked and drained cashews, and blend all together on high until smooth.

Pour the cheese mixture into a sauce pan or stock pot and stir in the Rotel tomatoes and green chilis.  Heat on medium stirring frequently for about 5 minutes or until warm.  Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

*This recipe makes about 8-10 cups of queso so it’s perfect for a crowd. However you could always half the recipe if you don’t need as much. I find it thickens up after several hours in the refrigerator so I heat it up in the microwave for about 30 seconds to rewarm individual servings throughout the week.

*This recipe was inspired by NoraCooks.com

Looking for other Mexican inspired dishes? Check out these delicious recipes!

• Taco soup
• Lentil tacos
• Mexican lasagna
• Spaghetti squash taco bake
• Salsa verde enchiladas

Vegan Queso Dip

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 8

Equipment

• 1 blender

Ingredients

  

• 1 cups raw and unsalted cashews.
• 1 cups water
• 1/4 heaping cup nutritional yeast
• 2 15 oz. cans of tomatoes and green chilis feel free to use only one can if you aren’t the biggest tomato fan. I love lots of tomatoes in mine.
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice fresh or bottled is fine
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste

Instructions

 

• Bring 1 cup of cashews to a boil. Allow to boil for about 5 minutes then turn off the stove and allow them to soak for an additional 10-20 minutes or longer.

  If you do not have a high speed blender I would recommend letting them sit for a minimum of  30-45 minutes. High speed blender about 10 minutes.
•  Drain the water from your cashews, rinse, and set the cashews aside.
• In your blender, combine cashews, water, salt, lemon juice, onion powder, nutritional yeast, and the drained liquid from your can of Rotel. Blend until smooth.
• Pour the queso in a pot and stir in the Rotel tomatoes and green chilis. 

  Heat on medium stirring frequently for about 5 minutes or until warm.
• Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. *The longer is sits the creamer and thicker it becomes.