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    You are here: Home / Appetizers / 7 Ingredient Cashew Queso

    LAST UPDATED: September 10, 2020 • FIRST PUBLISHED: September 10, 2020

    7 Ingredient Cashew Queso

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Cashew Queso

    Easy, cheesy, totally dairy-free cashew queso! This luscious vegan cheese is loaded with flavor and easy to make, with just 7 ingredients.

    Hand Dipping a Chip in a Bowl of Cashew Queso

    This site is no stranger to vegan queso. I've made few versions before from ingredients like sweet potatoes and cauliflower. And while I love both of those recipes, I don't always have the time or all of the ingredients to make them.

    I usually end up making a super simple cashew-based vegan queso, and I figured it was about time I shared the recipe.

    What I love about this version is that I always have all of the ingredients on hand — they're all pantry staples!

    What You'll Need

    Bowl of Cashew Queso Topped with Scallions, Cilantro and Hot Sauce, and Surrounded by Chips

    • Cashews
    • Nutritional yeast
    • Hot sauce
    • Garlic powder
    • Onion Powder
    • Salt
    • Water

    How to Make Vegan Queso

    This stuff whips up in minutes, but you do need to do one prep step: ideally, soak your cashews in water for 4 to 8 hours. I know, that requires a bit more planning for an easy recipe. If you forget to soak your cashews, just boil them in water for 15 minutes.

    Once your cashews are soaked or boiled, give them a rinse and stick them into a blending vessel. Something small is preferable, in order to ensure that all of the ingredients get blended. I'm using a Ninja mini food processor.

    Don't have a small blending device? Try doubling the batch size! You can freeze your leftover queso for later.

    Add the nutritional yeast, hot sauce, garlic and onion powders, and salt, along with just ¼ cup of water. Blend everything until smooth, then taste-test the cheese, make adjustments, and thin it with some more water.

    Side By Side Images Showing Cashew Queso Ingredients in a Food Processor Bowl Before and After Blending

    Grab some chips and enjoy!

    Cashew Queso Tips & FAQ

    • Is this recipe gluten-free? It is!
    • Shelf-life and storage: Cashew queso will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
    • Is this queso spicy? Can it be made without hot sauce? Your queso will have just a slight kick if you stick with a mild hot sauce like Cholula. I don't recommend skipping the hot sauce, as it actually adds cheesy flavor. If you absolutely must leave it out, try blending in a few roasted red peppers from a jar and a tablespoon or two of vinegar.

    Hand with Chip Covered in Cashew Queso with a Bowl and Bunch of Cilantro in the Background

    Like this recipe? If so, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter. And please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you make it!

    Hand Dipping a Chip in a Bowl of Cashew Queso
    5 from 2 votes
    Print

    Cashew Queso

    Easy, cheesy, totally dairy-free cashew queso! This luscious vegan cheese is loaded with flavor and easy to make, with just 7 ingredients.

    Course Appertizer
    Cuisine American, Mexican
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Soak Time 4 hours
    Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
    Servings 12
    Calories 78 kcal
    Author Alissa Saenz

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4-8 hours, rinsed, and drained
    • ¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes
    • 2 tablespoons vinegar-based hot sauce, plus more to taste (I use 4 tablespoons of Cholula)
    • ½ teaspoon onion powder
    • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
    • Water
    • ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    1. Place the cashews, nutritional yeast, hot sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, and ¼ cup of water into the bowl of a food processor fitted with an s-blade.

    2. Blend until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

    3. Thin with anywhere between ¼ and ¾ cup of water, depending on desired thickness (I used about ½ cup in the batch shown in the photos). Blend again until smooth.

    4. Season the queso with salt to taste, and adjust any other seasonings to your liking.

    5. Serve.

    Recipe Notes

    Makes about 1 ½ cups, but the amount will vary depending on how much liquid you use for thinning.

    Nutrition Facts
    Cashew Queso
    Amount Per Serving (2 tablespoons (1/12 of batch))
    Calories 78 Calories from Fat 50
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 5.5g8%
    Saturated Fat 1.1g6%
    Sodium 115mg5%
    Potassium 146mg4%
    Carbohydrates 5.4g2%
    Fiber 1.2g5%
    Sugar 0.6g1%
    Protein 3.3g7%
    Calcium 8mg1%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    « Italian-Style Vegan Stuffed Zucchini
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    About Alissa Saenz

    Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors! You can read more about me here.

    I'd love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Carolien says

      September 10, 2020 at 11:29 pm

      5 stars
      so delicious and easy! Thank you!

      Reply
    2. Marlee says

      September 11, 2020 at 12:26 pm

      5 stars
      Sounded so good I couldn’t even wait to try it, so I just poured boiling water over my cashews and waited about half an hour and blended it in my Magic Bullet. Perfect! What a delicious, easy, quick queso! My 3 yr old granddaughter loved it, too. I will be making this often. Thanks!

      Reply
    3. Esther Hamm says

      September 11, 2020 at 5:50 pm

      Loved it!

      Reply
    4. sylvia says

      September 18, 2020 at 9:15 pm

      5 stars
      Winner!! Thank you, Alissa

      Reply
    5. Amanda says

      December 05, 2020 at 6:27 am

      5 stars
      I rarely leave comments as I find I normally need to tweak recipes quite a bit - but this one was perfect as is and soooooo easy!

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors!

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