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!
We love this recipe. We’re not vegan or lactose intolerant so I do usually make it with dairy milk and it’s delicious. We’re going to a party tomorrow night where one of the guests eats absolutely no dairy or gluten. I just made this as you wrote it, with homemade almond milk. I hope she loves it.
This is a great one to bring to a party to include almost everyone’s dietary restrictions.
Delicious!!! I make it every few weeks and everybody loves it. I make it with slightly less almond milk and a few more grams cashews and almonds, so it’s slightly thicker than the original. Thanks so much! Can it be frozen.
We’ve never tried freezing it because we eat it so fast! Guessing it would work out okay as long as you threw it back into your blender again after the freeze.
This excellent. I didn’t like it as much the first time I tried it, then the next times I loved it–I think it’s a little different than the “regular” queso I make. So, mentally, I count this as a different (yet equally delicious) dip. And since I am retooling my eating, very necessary.
Two adaptations:
1/ I make my own almond milk. I save the pulp and use it instead of almonds in this. It’s a great use of the pulp.
2/If I’m out of almond milk: I use water and a few extra almonds.
3/ Once, I mismeasured the almonds (too many) and it made a thicker cheese spread. I liked that a lot too. That goes well with imitation bacon bits.
What a great tip about the almond pulp. I’m always looking for ways to not waste it and I make the queso and my own almond milk often so not sure why I never thought of that.
Thank you, Dawn!
Have never thought to use the almond pulp either! So smart!
I had everything in the blender except for the red bell pepper. My husband took the red bell pepper to work for his snack.. So I improvised with a baked sweet potato. And came out wonderful. Live your recipes!
Haha, I have to write notes on all ingredients I plan to use so Lenny doesn’t snack on them.
Great recipe! We add a teaspoon of Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning and, post-blend, we pulse a can of Rotel tomatoes into the hot mix. Fabulous. We make it so often, I now make ‘queso kits’ in bulk, adding all of the nuts, yeast, and spices into vacuum packs or pint-sized mason jars. When we want to make it, we just have to put the 1-cup almond milk and bell pepper into the Vitamix, and add the contents of a ‘queso kit’. Couldn’t be easier!
We do queso kits too! We thought we were the only ones 🙂
Absolutely delicious! I love my dairy but my family can’t have it. We tried this tonight and there are no leftovers. Will definitely be making this regularly.
Keep it on-hand — you’ll be amazing how many things it goes on đź‘Ť
absolutely delicious! I used the recipe as a loose set of suggestions and freestyled with what I had on hand (I’ll put my subs at the end). it turned out freaking delicious. Definitely not cheese but absolutely satisfied that craving. my body is thanking me for not diving into a jar of cheeze whiz like I normally do when this craving hits 🤣 I left most of it quite neutral for cheese steaks for dinner tonight, and mixed a small bowl with habanero salsa for snacking now! truly killer recipe.
substitutions I made: made a half batch in a low profile 48 oz container, used three sweet peppers instead of bell pepper, added a jalapeño (seeds in) instead of red pepper flakes, subbed garlic and salt for low FODMAP garlic salt, subbed boxed (not canned) coconut milk for almond milk. I ended up adding a handful of both almonds and cashews to get the consistency I wanted. The coconut milk requires a lot more seasoning than almond milk I think. it still turned out delicious!
Love the idea of mixing with salsa!
HOLY YUM BATMAN!
and HOT!
right out of the Vitamix!?
so good + my mind is blown!!
what’s your suggestion for re-heating this the next day after storing in the fridge?
thanks!!
just got a Vitamix (didn’t find your site before then to get y’all the credit, boo!) but loving your emails and literally every recipe so far!!!
Microwave or stovetop or enjoy cold! đź‘Ť
This was my first time trying a plant-based recipe, and I was absolutely skeptical. [I found you on YouTube when searching recipes for my new Vitamix.] “Cashew cheese” queso? Right, well, hopefully it will taste good enough to eat as “something” even if not real queso.
Holy heck, Lenny – this dip is da bomb!🔥I also used some of it to make broccoli cheese soup lat night! Seriously, this is amazing!
PS: I made your green juice this morning. Two for two!!!
Mine didn’t work out for the texture because it was grainy and it wasn’t hot either. It probably was because a lack of liquid… my (silk) protein almond milk may have been too thick for the recipe. I’ll surely try again maybe with extra water because it tasted delicious.
Had a taco seasoning packet handy, thinking this would come out bland. Followed it exactly and it came out amazing. Definitely making again!
Great tip, Nicholas!
Just made this recipe today on a friend’s recommendation. Definitely a 5/5 recipe for sure, but to add a little pep to it we added about 1/2 tsp each of dried chipotle powder and toasted cumin. It really gives it that southwest/queso flavor I’ve been craving.
Reminds me of the breakfast burritos we made recently w/ this queso and beyond sausage — divine
Just made this for the first time today and OMG, its delicious! I think my meat eating friends will like this too and I plan to try it out on them soon. And so easy to make. Thanks for the recipe.
Just got back from trip visiting our kids. Son-in-law is lactose intolerant so I made this for him. He loved it. Had to make it three times in the week we were there 🙂
Also the Wendy’s frosty he loved. three times making that
Then went to visit other kids. The same reaction!!!
Love it! Great 1-2 punch
Here’s the Frosty for those curious
Queso was not something I missed, because I don’t think I’d ever had it. So I never tried your recipe before. But thanks to your frequently posting the recipe, I finally made this. Yum!! This will make great mac & cheeze.
I’m always looking out for new vegan cheese dip recipes! This is the next on my list, I love how simple it is. I’m going to try the recipe as is, then try with a bit of tapioca starch added. It cooks as the sauce heats up and makes it ULTRA smooth with a consistency like real cheese sauce.
Alright. Update. Made today and it’s top notch. BUT. Add a little dijon mustard? And you’ll get the most amazing thing you’ve ever dipped a soft pretzel into.
Ohhh! Love this. Gonna try to add dijon next time. We do soft pretzel night (con queso of course) all the time. Great kids dinner! 5-Minute Cheesy Kid Vitamix Dinner Recipe (you can easily make tonight)!
Love this recipe. This was one of my first Vitamix recipes, and I’ve made it almost weekly since! I sometimes get it a little thick (not the recipe’s fault, I just get a little heavy-handed on what a cup is. 🙂 I made a batch earlier in the day, and at dinner time (nacho night!), I put it back in the Vitamix with salsa, a little more almond milk, and I topped off the spices. I ran it back through the soup cycle to heat it up. After blending, I added crumbled (cooked) Beyond “sausage” patties to the queso. It was divine! This recipe is a keeper! Thank you!