5-Minute Cashew Queso
Ready in just 5 minutes, this cashew queso is an irresistibly cheesy dip that can be enjoyed not only with tortilla chips, but with just about anything Mexican… or not! Try it with nachos, tortillas, enchiladas, burritos, or even pasta, sandwiches, burgers, and more. It’s so good that you’ll want to put it on everything…
I remember when I was younger, much younger, I used to be a big fan of that shady orange stuff that can be bought in jars at the grocery — or even convenience — store and that’s questionably labeled as “queso”… To be honest, I never even dared look at the ingredients, but I’m pretty sure that it doesn’t even contain one single healthy element.
This cashew queso, though, is made with nothing BUT good stuff… and it’s much tastier than its dubious counterpart, if you ask me! Of course, this cheesy dip is spectacular served with corn tortilla chips, but it’s soooo irresistibly delicious, you’ll probably end up using it on everything. I even put some in a tomato sandwich the other day, instead of mayonnaise! BOOM! Talk about taking a boring tomato sandwich to the next level!
With that in mind, I feel I must warn you that this size batch — you’re looking at about a cup and a half of finished queso — is pretty much the smallest batch you could successfully make in a high-speed blender. While it’s totally feasible, it will require that you stop and scrape the sides AND cover of the container very often, because the blades will send the mixture flying all over the place as soon as you start the motor. If you can afford to make a double batch, or even a triple batch, then by all means, go ahead and do it; It’ll make your life SO much easier! Or, you could use a smaller regular blender, but then the final product won’t be nearly as smooth and creamy…
Oh, and one last thing before I go: this queso is amazing as it is, but if you wanted to change things up, feel free to stir in some finely chopped white onions, cilantro, pickled jalapeño peppers, diced tomatoes, or even chopped green olives (yes, they work amazingly well!).
Whether you decide to make a single, double or even triple batch, the instructions remain the exact same: start by putting the raw cashews, 3/4 cup of the boiling water (double of triple that if doing a double of triple batch) and the garlic clove(s) into the container of a high-speed blender and blend on high for about 30 seconds, or until a smooth paste forms.
Like I said, you could probably get away with using a regular blender, but your finished queso won’t be nearly as smooth and creamy…
Scrape the sides (and cover! – don’t forget the cover! you won’t believe the amount of mixture that makes its way up there) of the container well, add the nutritional yeast, lime juice, tomato paste, salt, paprika, onion powder, chipotle powder and ground turmeric.
Cover and blend on high for a few minutes, scraping the sides (and cover!) from time to time, until completely smooth.
Now add a little bit more of that boiling water, a tablespoon at a time, mixing well and scraping the sides (and cover!) between each addition, until your queso has reached the desired consistency.
Voilà! You’re all done. Transfer your finished queso to a service bowl, garnish it as and if desired, and serve.
Leftover queso will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a few weeks. However, it will firm up slightly once it’s been chilled, so if you want, you can pour it into a small saucepan and heat it over low heat, adding a little bit of water to get it to desired consistency.
5-Minute Cashew Queso
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 cup boiling water, divided
- 1 large clove of garlic, peeled
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp chipotle powder, or chili powder
- 1/8 tsp ground turmeric
Optional garnish
- chopped pickled jalapeno peppers
- chopped cilantro leaves
- dash of chipotle powder
Instructions
- Place the raw cashews, 3/4 cup of the boiling water and the garlic clove into the container of a high-speed blender and blend on high for about 30 seconds, or until a smooth paste forms.
- Scrape the sides (and cover!) of the container well, add the nutritional yeast, lime juice, tomato paste, salt, paprika, onion powder, chipotle powder and ground turmeric. Cover and blend on high for a few minutes, scraping the sides (and cover!) from time to time, until completely smooth.
- Now add more water, a tablespoon at a time, mixing well and scraping the sides (and cover!) between each addition, until the desired consistency is achieved.
- Transfer your finished queso to a service bowl, garnish as desired and serve.
- Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a few weeks. If you wish to slightly reheat your queso, pour it into a small saucepan and heat over low heat, adding a little bit of water to get to desired consistency.
Notes
Nutrition
If you’ve tried this recipe, please take a minute to rate the recipe and let me know how things went for you in the comments below. It’s always such a pleasure to hear from you!
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20 Comments on “5-Minute Cashew Queso”
This looks great! Am I missing the actual recipe….?
I’m with Bekah. Where is the list of ingredients and their proportions? This looks like a great one!
sorry, where is the recipe to print?
Just piling on. Where’s the recipe?
Yikes! Sorry guys, don’t know what happened… the recipe was there but for some reason it just didn’t show in the actual post. And of course, this had to happen while I was away on vacation with no access to my computer or email whatsoever. All good now, you can get your queso fix! 🙂
Hi everyone! My name is Sean! I’m not a cook or baker so you might get a recipe once or twice!
Wow, that looks so good!
Is there another nut that will work? I am allergic to cashews.
Unfortunately, cashews are the only nuts that will give you the right consistency…
Just wondering if a bit of fresh ripe tomato would work if you don’t have tom paste? Thanks!
It won’t be the exact same, but it might very well do the trick!
Very nice/healthy recipes, thank you!
Nice pics too!
This is my favorite vegan queso recipe. Depending on what ingredients I have, I sometimes make subs. I’ve used salsa for tomato paste and OJ for lime juice. It always turns out great!
Thanks much, Teri… music to my ears! 🙂
OMG!!! This is so freaking good!!! Thanks a lot for sharing. It’s kinda fun, cus I followed you blog a lot when it was paleo. Then I stopped eating paleo myself and didn’t visit your blog for a long time (last time I commented in here I was on a whole30). Recently my husband and I decided to go vegan (we live on the west coast which is burning down at the moment. We can’t really ignore climate change any longer). And here your blog is all vegan. I’m over the moon!
Music to my ears, Denice! Thank you much for this 🙂 As a former paleo, and having posted so many meat recipes on this site, I often feel as though my blog goes against my own values now. It’s good to see that I’m not alone having gone from paleo to vegan and I’m real happy to hear that you are appreciating the new planet friendly and cruelty free version of this site 🙂
Just curious why the water has to be boiling. Could I soak the nuts instead? I just don’t want to ruin the vitamins in expensive raw nuts.
Cashews technically aren’t raw anyways, when we buy them…. But yes, soaking them for a few hours in cold water will do the same thing.
I am new to cashew sauces, but this turned out great even with my cheap, near-dead blender! The cashews & yeast provide the bulk of the flavor & consistency so this recipe tolerates tweaks very well. Thank you!
Can substitute the nutritional yeast?