This Vegan Nacho Cheese Dip may be the best Vitamix recipe ever
New and exciting! This recipe is part of our new diet plan: 1k30. Check it out!
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This 5-ingredient queso is a hall of fame recipe. So unbelievably, irresistibly delicious. What’s more, it’s:
- Great hot or cold
- Lasts for days.
- So, so easy to make and clean up, especially if you’re looking for a cheesy dinner for kids!)
And yes friends, it’s dairy-free (and therefore vegan).
It’s cashew queso. And if there’s a recipe that will have you fall in love with Life is NOYOKE or fantastic vegan food or your Vitamix, it’s this.
Let’s talk about how this cashew queso came to be.
Note: Vitamix has an adapted version of our queso. Their version is quite watery, especially compared to ours.
Looking back: The story of Cashew Queso
You know those little moments in history that, today, look like turning points?
Creating cashew queso was a turning point for me (and Life is NOYOKE).
- A signature recipe.
- The return of cheese (after going 100% dairy free).
- A fabulous, non-smoothie use for my Vitamix.
Oh, and the discovery of Nutritional Yeast. A key ingredient in several of our best recipes.
But arguably the most life-changing impact of creating this cashew queso? Publishing this YouTube video; one of my first.
Thousands of people have made this cashew queso
Here are a few comments I’ve received when offering samples to my friends:
- “Can you just leave the bowl with me?”
- “It has a serious kick. Wow!”
- “It’s not cheese, but who cares!”
But here was my personal favorite:
“I can’t eat that. I just lost 50 lbs and now eat super clean…Oh, really? It is super clean? Oh wow. Let me try!”
And everybody asked what was in it. Raw cashews, raw almonds, almond milk, a red pepper, and nutritional yeast. That’s it! Mix that together with some simple spices and you’re done.
The best part? Clean up is really easy, too.
“You should sell this!”
I know. I know.
My cashew queso is the best thing ever. And I should jar it and sell it.
Summary
We make this cashew queso weekly, religiously. It’s great as:
- A dip (for chips or veggies).
- A sauce (on tacos or pasta).
- A recipe base (beer cheese soup, for example).
There are a lot of dairy-free cheese recipes out there. This one is very minimalist.
And, of course, it tastes incredible (and has a nice little kick!).
Go make this, guys. Go make this right now.
Other Noteworthy Versions
- Detoxinista: Healthy queso dip
- Allyson Kramer: Quinoa and Black Beans with Cashew Queso
- Vegan Sparkles: Sizzling Veg Fajitas with Cashew Queso
Recipe
Cashew Queso
Legendary, dairy-free queso cheese dip with a kick!
Almonds, Cashews, Nutritional Yeast, Red Bell Pepper,Ingredients:
- almond milk - 1 cup (240 mL)
- nutritional yeast - 1/4 cup (20 g)
- raw almonds - 1/2 cup (70 g)
- raw, unsalted cashews - 1/2 cup (65 g)
- red bell pepper (de-seeded) - 1 whole
- salt - 1.5 tsp (8 g)
- garlic powder - 1/2 tsp (1.5 g)
- onion powder - 1 tsp (2.5 g)
- crushed red pepper - a few shakes (to taste)
Instructions:
- Add liquid ingredients to your Vitamix.
- Then add rest of ingredients.
- Start blender on low, ramp to high.
- Blend on high for 6 minutes (or use preprogrammed ‘Soup’ setting).
- Snap a pic and tag #lifeisNOYOKE
- Be really happy.
NOTE: This recipe requires a Vitamix.
Useful tips for Cashew Queso
Biggest takeaway from this recipe? Don’t hesitate to make it. Every day without it is a day without (dairy-free) cheese!
Allergic to cashews? Substitute them with raw sunflower seeds and sesame seeds. Per our friend Andrew, this substitution works perfectly.
The queso will last refrigerated for up to a week.
Here are some more useful tips:
Take a picture of your cashew queso and tag #lifeisnoyoke. (Here's the original featured image from this recipe post.)
The nutritional yeast needs to say "nutritional." Any other type of yeast won't work. This non-GMO version from Whole Foods worked great. You can also buy it there in bulk (near the coffee and nuts).
I can't speak to dogs' ability to stomach this stuff. But Lucy liked it!
Serve with chips or sliced veggies. Just know it won't last long!
Can’t eat bell peppers, wonder how this will work without or what could I use instead? Thanks a mill.
do you think it would work to bake it? like spread it over a casserole or enchiladas and bake it?
Gonna pick up some cashews on my way home from work. Can’t wait to try it. Looks so yummy!
We haven’t tried to bake it, but we certainly top things like enchiladas after they come out of the oven!
we made this yesterday and totally loved it! It’s going in our regular rotation of recipes! We added it to pizza (and tagged you) on Instagram. So good!
Go Kelly! Saw we were tagged, thank you! Next time use #lifeisnoyoke — much easier for us to find. 🙂
Hi, I noticed that in most of the recipes the cashews are soaked beforehand to get the creamier texture. Would you recommend that for this recipe? Super excited to try this out for the game tomorrow!
No soaking necessary. Just drop ’em in and blend. 🙂
We just made this in our Vitamix. We are not Vegan but just trying to eat a little healthier. OMG! This is just the bomb! My kids are licking the bowl…
Yes! Tag #lifeisnoyoke next time you make it. Show it off and inspire others!
Made this last night and learned something: If you use homemade almond milk (like almond milk made in a Vitamix), you don’t need to use as many raw almonds. If you do, it will turn out a bit too thick. Half as much is probably sufficient, assuming you’re using homemade almond milk.
half as much almond milk, or half as much almonds? thanks!
Two experiments validate the almonds’ exact measurement.
1. Was out of cashews the other day. Tried to sub almonds (all almonds instead of half cashews) and it turned out way too thick. Almost like a nut butter spread.
2. Was low on almonds today. Tried to add cashews to replace almond deficit and it turned out way too thin. Almost like a drink.
Both cases, it still tasted nice, but completely wrong consistency.
Moral of the story: follow the recipe exactly.
I cant have almonds, or almond milk. Suggestions?
Do you guys have a thing you always eat right after grocery shopping? Growing up, it was sandwiches.
These days, it’s this. Cashew queso.
Just made it last night.