EPIC VEGAN QUESO
Did anyone call for queso? Well, here it is – a creamy, cheesy, and a little spicy bowl of goodness. The best part? It’s dairy-free, of course. This queso has a base of russet potatoes, cashews, garlic and jalapeno. The rest is just a few seasonings to add a little flavor. I’ve used this queso as a dip, topping for nachos and in tacos. It works well in almost everything, but it doesn’t melt. Honestly, you won’t miss the cheese pull (or the greasiness that comes with it).
Are you ready for epic vegan queso?
Prep your items. Before you are ready to make the queso, it’s time to start prepping the potatoes and jalapenos. Wash, peel and roughly cube the russet potatoes. Destem and deseed the jalapeno.
Now that your items are prepped, it’s time to make the base. Add a cup of cashews, the cubed russet potatoes, 3 whole garlic cloves and a half of jalapeno to a large pot. Pour in just enough water to cover the ingredients. Boil until potatoes are tender - about 15 minutes.
Let’s turn boiled potatoes and cashews into queso. Remove boiled cashews, russet potatoes, garlic cloves and jalapeno from the pot. Do not strain. Add boiled items to the blender with a half cup of boiling liquid. Blend until smooth. Next, add ¼ cup of nutritional yeast, 3 teaspoons of white vinegar, 2 teaspoons of garlic powder, 2 teaspoons of onion powder and 2 teaspoons of sea salt to the blender. Blend until well mixed. Serve queso warm.
I named this the “Epic Vegan Queso” for a reason.
It’s my version of perfect queso, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for some slight adjustments. Here are some tips to make this your ideal queso too:
Make it nut-free. Not a fan of cashews? With an easy swap, this recipe can be nut-free! Instead of cashews, add 2- 3 tablespoons of olive oil. I would recommend starting with 2 tablespoons and then check for consistency. If it’s not where you want it, keep adding a little olive oil at a time, up to 1 tablespoon, until you reach the desired consistency.
Spice it up. The base of this recipe calls for half of a deseeded jalapeno. If you want to spice it up, add in the seeds or just toss in the whole jalapeno. For a bit of spice variety, add in green chilis or serrano peppers. The sky is the limit. My only recommendation is to stay away from dried peppers. Canned pepper are good, but fresh is better. If you are using canned peppers, you don’t need to boil them.
So, you want the pull? Ok, fine – you need that extra gooey-ness for your cheese. I get it. If you are looking for a little cheese pull, all you need is tapioca starch and a few extra steps. Add up to ¼ cup of tapioca starch to the blender with the rest of the ingredients. Add mixture to a pot and heat over medium heat for 5-7 minutes while stirring. The mixture will turn into a soft cheese ball. From here, you can add it to a dish or freeze it to make your own queso slices or shreds.
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If you are looking for more plant-based deliciousness, check out these recipes:
Epic Vegan Queso
Ingredients
- 1 C. cashews
- 1 C. russet potatoes, roughly cubed
- 3 cloves whole garlic
- ½ fresh jalapeno, destemmed & deseeded
- 1 C. boiling liquid
- ¼ C. nutritional yeast
- 3 tsp white vinegar
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Add cashews, russet potatoes, garlic cloves and jalapeno to a large pot with just enough water to cover them. Boil until potatoes are fork tender - about 15 minutes.
- Remove boiled cashews, russet potatoes, garlic cloves and jalapeno and add to a blender with a ½ cup of the boiling liquid. Blend until smooth.
- Add nutritional yeast, white vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder and sea salt to the blender. Blend until well mixed. Serve queso warm.
