Dairy-Free Queso Cheese Dip
A loaded dairy-free queso cheese dip with tomatoes, green chiles, and a splash of vinegar for real Tex-Mex flavor, no dairy required.
Recipe by Andrew Tibbs, the Non Dairy Dude in Dairy-Free Appetizers and Dairy-Free Dips
Published · Updated
Featured in Dairy-Free 4th of July, Dairy-Free Summer Cookout
- Total
- 45m
- Servings
- 8
- Level
- easy
This is the queso I make when people are coming over and the bowl needs to hold up on a counter for an hour. Cashews, potato, and carrot get blended into the base, the dry spices are toasted in the skillet first so they taste like something, and then the whole thing gets loaded up with drained tomatoes and green chiles.
The vinegar surprised me the first time I tried it. Most queso recipes skip it, but every bowl of Ro-Tel style dip from a Tex-Mex restaurant has acid working somewhere in the background, even if you cannot name it. A splash at the end is what makes it taste like queso rather than a nice cheese sauce. If you want the plain pourable version to drizzle over dairy-free loaded nachos or tuck inside a dairy-free taco crunch wrap, make my dairy-free queso sauce instead.
Ingredients
Base
- 1 cupRaw cashews
- 1 mediumYukon Gold potato (about 6 oz / 170g), peeled and diced
- 1 mediumCarrot, peeled and thinly sliced (¼-inch coins)
- 2 cupsWater
Flavor
- 1 tbspOlive oil
- ½ mediumYellow onion, diced
- ½ mediumYellow or red bell pepper, diced
- 2 clovesGarlic cloves, minced
Spices
- 1 tspSmoked paprika
- 1 tspGround cumin
- 1 tspOnion powder
- 1 tspGarlic powder
- ½ tspChili powder
- ½ tspCayenne pepper
- ¼ tspGround turmeric (optional, for color)
Blend
- 2 tbspNutritional yeast
- ½ tspMSG (sold as Accent in most spice aisles)
- 2 tbspPickled jalapeno brine
- 1¼ tspFine salt
- ½ cupUnsweetened oat milk
Stir in
- 1 tbspVegan butter
- 1¼ cupsVegan cheddar cheese shreds
- 10 ozDiced tomatoes with green chiles, well drained
- 4 ozDiced green chiles
- 2 tbspPickled jalapeno slices, finely chopped
Finish
- 1 tspHot sauce (such as Cholula or Tapatio), plus more to taste
- 1 tspApple cider vinegar or white vinegar
- 2 tbspMild salsa (optional, for stronger Tex-Mex flavor)
- 2 tbspCilantro, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Place the cashews in a heatproof bowl and cover with very hot water. Let soak for at least 30 minutes while you prepare everything else, then drain. If your blender is not high-speed, soak for up to 60 minutes so the dip blends completely smooth.
- 2
Add the diced potato, carrot, and 2 cups of water to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 10 to 12 minutes until the vegetables are very tender.
- 3
While the vegetables cook, heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the smoked paprika, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, cayenne, and turmeric (if using) and stir constantly for 30 to 60 seconds, until the spices smell toasty. Do not let them scorch, since burnt spices turn bitter.
- 4
Transfer the cooked potato and carrot to a blender with a slotted spoon, reserving the cooking liquid. Add the drained cashews, the bloomed onion and spice mixture, nutritional yeast, MSG, jalapeno brine, salt, oat milk, and 1/2 to 1 cup of the reserved cooking liquid.
- 5
Blend on high until completely smooth and creamy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides once and blend again if any grit remains, because it will not smooth out later.
- 6
Melt the vegan butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Pour in the blended base, then stir in the cheddar shreds, drained tomatoes with green chiles, diced green chiles, and pickled jalapenos. Warm gently for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring often, until the shreds melt and the dip is hot throughout. Keep the heat low, because boiling dairy-free cheese makes it tighten.
- 7
Off the heat, stir in the hot sauce, vinegar, and the salsa if using. Taste and adjust with more salt, hot sauce, or jalapeno brine. Top with cilantro if using, and serve warm with tortilla chips, straight from the pan or from a small slow cooker set to warm.
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How we make it dairy-free
- Cheese and milk base → Soaked cashews with cooked potato and carrot, blended smooth, which gives the dip body and cling without cream or cheese.
- Processed cheese product → Melted vegan cheddar shreds do the stretchy, melted work that Velveeta-style cheese does in most queso.
- Dairy butter → Vegan butter for the richness and shine that Tex-Mex queso gets from butter.
- Cheesy flavor → Nutritional yeast and a little MSG carry the savory depth, with the dry spices toasted in hot fat so they taste roasted rather than raw.
- Tang → Pickled jalapeno brine and a splash of vinegar stand in for the lactic tang of a real cheese product.
Tips & Variations
Already have queso sauce: A batch of my dairy-free queso sauce already has the cheddar, green chiles, and pickled jalapenos blended into it. Start at step 6 with about 3 cups of it and add only the butter and the drained tomatoes. It carries less cayenne and none of the extra onion and garlic powder, so it lands milder. Make up the difference with hot sauce at the end.
Drain the tomatoes well: Excess canning liquid thins the dip and dilutes the flavor. Press them against a fine-mesh strainer to get them as dry as you can.
Bloom the spices: Toasting the dry spices in the skillet before they go in the blender is the difference between a dip with depth and one that tastes like seasoned vegetables. Thirty seconds is enough.
Heat control: The cayenne, jalapenos, and hot sauce together give a solid kick. For mild eaters, halve the cayenne and skip the hot sauce. For serious heat, double the cayenne or reach for something hotter.
Salsa boost: A spoonful of mild salsa pushes it further into Tex-Mex territory. For a smokier version, use chipotle salsa or a teaspoon of adobo sauce from canned chipotles.
Keep it warm: Dairy-free cheese sauces tighten as they cool. Serve from a small slow cooker on the warm setting, or reheat with a splash of oat milk over low heat to bring it back to a scoopable consistency.
Make ahead: Refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of oat milk, adding more vinegar or salsa at the end to refresh the flavor.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to make the queso sauce first?⌄
No. This recipe is complete on its own and builds its own base from scratch. If you happen to have a batch of my dairy-free queso sauce already made, you can use about 3 cups of it and start at step 6, but it is not a requirement.
What is the difference between this and the queso sauce?⌄
The sauce is smooth and pourable, built for drizzling over nachos or tucking into quesadillas. This dip is chunkier and spicier, with drained tomatoes and green chiles, more cayenne, more cheese, and a hit of hot sauce. Make the sauce when you want a topping, and this when you want a bowl on the table.
Why is my dairy-free queso grainy instead of smooth?⌄
Almost always the cashews. They need a full soak in very hot water, and a less powerful blender needs the longer 60 minute soak plus an extra minute of blending. Grit does not smooth out once the dip is warming, so fix it at the blender.
What can I use instead of diced tomatoes with green chiles?⌄
Drained diced tomatoes plus an extra 2 tbsp of diced green chiles gets you close. A cup of drained chunky salsa also works and pushes the flavor a little sweeter.
How do I make this dairy-free queso dip thicker?⌄
Drain the tomatoes more aggressively and hold back some of the reserved cooking liquid at the blender. Letting it sit off the heat for a few minutes firms it up too, since the dip keeps thickening as it cools.
Dairy-Free Queso Cheese Dip · https://nondairydude.com/recipes/dairy-free-queso-cheese-dip
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