The most amazing Vegan Queso Blanco ever! Cheesy, spicy, perfectly creamy and ready in about 20 minutes. No one will believe it’s dairy free!
You are going to want to eat this vegan cheese dip with everything! Drizzle on roasted potatoes, put it in tacos or burritos, dip tortilla chips in it (of course!) and more.
I have used a mix of raw cashews and potatoes as the base of the cheese sauce. The cashews make it rich and cheesy, while the potatoes give it a little extra stretchiness and texture that you will love. Don’t worry, you seriously can’t taste the potato!
How to make vegan queso blanco
(For the full, printable recipe, scroll to the bottom of the post. This is simply an overview with photos.)
First, boil the cashews and diced, peeled potatoes in a small pot until fork tender.
Drain the cashews and potatoes, and add to a blender (high powered preferred) along with the remaining ingredients – canned green chiles, pickled jalapeños, pickled jalapeño juice, lemon juice, water and salt. So simple!
Blend until creamy and smooth. If you have a high powered blender, you can simply blend until hot and serve! Or if you have a regular blender that does not heat food, or you prefer, you can warm it in a pot on the stovetop until hot.
Tips for success
- A high powered blender is best – I have a Vitamix and love it for cashew based creamy recipes. A regular blender will have a hard time getting the nuts smooth, so you might be left with some graininess or small chunks of nuts. Soaking the cashews overnight may help, and blending longer than you need to with a high powered blender.
- Use quality canned green chiles and jalapeños – They make up a lot of the flavor in this cheese. If you don’t want the queso very spicy, make sure to use mild green chiles and jalapeños.
- Cashew allergy? You may substitute slivered raw almonds for the cashews. I haven’t tested a completely nut free version, but perhaps silken tofu could work.
What goes with queso blanco?
- Vegan Burritos
- Best Ever Vegan Taco Meat
- Vegan Nachos (instead of the nacho cheese sauce)
- Jackfruit Carnitas
- Easy Chipotle Sofritas
- Sheet Pan Cauliflower Fajitas
You may also enjoy my 5 Ingredient Vegan Queso, Vegan Cheese Sauce (Nut Free!) or Easy Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce.
Vegan Queso Blanco
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 cup peeled and chopped yellow or white potato (1-2 potatoes)
- 8 ounces canned green chiles, mild or medium
- 2 tablespoons pickled jalapeños
- 2 tablespoons pickled jalapeño juice from the jar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 lemon squeezed)
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a small pot, add the cashews and diced potatoes, then cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Drain the cashews and potatoes and add to a blender along with the remaining ingredients. Blend until smooth and creamy. If you have a Vitamix or similar blender, you can simply blend it until hot, without needing to warm it in a pot.
- If you have a regular blender or prefer to warm it on the stovetop, pour the mixture into a small/medium pot and stir frequently over medium heat until hot. It will thicken as it heats up, so add more water as desired to thin the cheese sauce.
- Serve with tortilla chips, in tacos, burritos, bowls or with any other Mexican inspired meal. Enjoy!
Notes
- To serve, sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro and/or diced tomatoes, optional but pretty.
- Cashew allergy? Substitute raw slivered almonds instead. I haven't tried a nut free version of this, but silken tofu may work in place of the nuts.
- To store: Vegan Queso Blanco will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for about 5 days. It can also be frozen.
What is the serving size? Thank you.
I don’t know exactly, I think about 1/4 cup. If you divide into 8 servings, then that is 1 serving.
This is so delicious!! I make it every other week!
I am thrilled you are loving it! Thank you for your feedback!
Hello, can I use pb2 cashew power listens to lower the fat? Would it be equal parts? Thank you
I’ve never tried it so I’m not sure!
I try to keep my fat lower as I’m WFPB. I used 1.5 cups of potatoes and only 1/2c of cashews. It worked well! And it thinned it out a little which I prefer for my queso.
I’d give 12 stars if I could. I knew I’d love this when I read it, but I just got around to making it. I get tired of vegan cheeses always being about the nooch. This is superb as are all of your recipes. Thank you.
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! I’m thrilled you loved the queso! It is a favorite in my family!
Is the One cup of water added to the ingredients? or is that boiling the potatoes and cashews?
It’s added to the blender with the rest of the ingredients 🙂
This is a new family favorite. It will be a staple during Sunday football viewing and a go-to appetizer to have a parties. Comes together quickly and so delicious.
Thank you for sharing your review and wonderful feedback! I’m glad you loved the queso blanco, and thrilled it is now your go-to appetizer! I agree, it is a perfect appetizer for gatherings! Wishing you happy cooking!
Probably the best queso I’ve tried! Shocked to not see nutritional yeast in there! Hopefully it reheats well which is what is a bummer about most vegan queso recipes.
I’m so glad you loved the queso! Thank you for sharing your review!
Just FYI it DOES reheat well!!! It’s like I just made it! I halved the cashews and used one whole potato. I think that is where I go wrong on other recipes… the cashews “set” when refrigerated. Not putting as many prevents the coagulation. AMAZING FLAVOR.
Thank you for sharing the update!
I have been trying various vegan queso dips for two years. This one is amazing! I can’t believe how easy and delicious it is!!!! Thank you!!!
You are welcome! Thank you for sharing your terrific review and feedback! I’m so glad you loved the queso dip!
Girl, this is some serious vegan sorcery. I have missed my beloved Queso blanco so much, but this. This does the trick!! So grateful to have found you… keep em coming!
Absolutely delicious. I used hatch green chiles, since I didn’t have jalapeños, and added a little more fat. This is my new go-to queso, being tasty and dangerously easy and quick to make, especially if you warm it in a vitamix. Thank you!
This recipe sounds great. Just FYI, raw sunflower seeds make a surprisingly good sub for raw cashews! I was skeptical at first but I use them all the time now. When they’re blended up with seasonings you don’t even taste the difference. The color is a little less bright white, but even in that respect the difference isn’t too noticeable.
Thanks for the tip!
When freezing do you just set out in the fridge the night before? How do you reheat? Thanks this is amazing!!
Yes, that’s what I would do. Reheat on the stove top until warm. Thanks!
I’m so looking forward to this tonight! Have you tried it without peeling the potatoes first? I’m wondering if that will ruin the chemistry/taste/look.
I haven’t tried it, but it might make it a bit grainy and less smooth. Hope you enjoy it!
Surprisingly, I haven’t missed much since going vegan two months ago…except for queso blanco. This is amazing. I don’t have a high powered blender but I just kept blending and blending and blending and eventually got a pretty smooth texture! I have eaten it every night since I made it. First night, on top of flautas. Then with chips. Then with a burrito bowl. Now I used it for Mac and cheese. This is a super versatile sauce with very accessible ingredients. Obsessed!
I’m so thrilled you are loving the queso! Thank you for sharing your fun and great review and comments! Happy cooking!
Using it for Mac & cheese sounds amazing… great idea!!
Listen… this is next level. Nora… I think I love you, ha! Thanks for all your vegan goodness.
I’m so thrilled your are loving my recipes! Thanks for your fun and wonderful review! Happy cooking!
This is the best queso hands down. I have been vegan for 8 years and I have tried A LOT of queso recipes. Some were fast favorites but nothing has been as creamy as this one. Other recipes had too much onion or onion powder, too sweet from adding carrots, too gritty from too many raw veggies, or too sour from too much lemon juice or ACV. Thanks for the perfect queso that actually made some bland beans I made edible!
Hi Haley! I so appreciate you taking your time to share your fantastic review! It’s great to hear what you love about the queso. I’m thrilled to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
This recipe hit it out of the ballpark but Nora’s recipes never dissapoint! I can’t believe I waited so long to make it. It’s delicious and everyone in my household enjoyed it. Thank you Nora for your amazing recipes.
Thank you for sharing your kind review! I’m so glad the queso was a hit! Thank you for using my recipes!
My mouth is so happy right now. This stuff is AMAZING. I am pregnant and had a random craving that I was sure glad to find a good vegan solution for! Thank you so much.
Hi Hannah. I’m glad you loved my queso blanco, and that it fulfilled your craving! Thank you for taking time to share your review!
I love Qdoba’s queso and I was pleasantly surprised with how close this came to tasting exactly like theirs! Recipe was easy to follow and it tasted great as a dip and drizzled over a burrito bowl.
Great to hear, Brittany! I”m glad you love the queso! Thank you for sharing!
I make this queso almost every week! It’s my crack. My non-vegan family LOVES it. Thank you so much for this recipe Nora!!!
Hi Joely! I’m so glad everyone loves the queso! Thank you!
OK…. Nora, you hit this one out of the ball park!! (again) We LOVED it!
I made it as a dip. Later, I made a delicious vegan chili, topped with fresh avocado, cilantro, and drizzled YOUR Queso Blanco on top! (Then served with YOUR delicious cornbread) This was SO good! Thank you!
Thank you or the awesome review, Heidi! I’m so glad you love the queso blanco! Thank you!
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I am going to make this tonight but I’m wondering if you could use almond milk instead of water.
Sure, as long as it’s unsweetened and unflavored it should be fine. Hope you enjoy it!
I am allergic to all tree nuts . Is there a nut free substitute I can use?
You might be able to use sunflower seeds, but I haven’t tried it myself, sorry. You might want to check out my Nut Free Vegan Cheese Sauce. Maybe it could be adapted for a queso blanco.
My husband is too. I think I’m going to try to make this with hemp seeds. They’ve been my go to cashew sub since I used them in a few other recipes. I’ll let you know how it turns out. 🙂
I’ve tried many vegan queso dips and this one is the absolute winner. I added some sauteed onions and it came out amazing. Even my dairy eating family loved it!
Hi Kim. I’m glad the queso is a hit! Thank you!
Holy moley this was good!!!! It was so easy and completely delicious!!! Thank you ?
Hi Sara. So glad you enjoyed the queso blanco! Thank you!