Makes 2 cups
Time: 45 minutes
If ooey, gooey, cheeziness is your idea of comfort, I’ve got just what the doctor ordered. Yes, the doctor ordered nachos. Don’t ask me! It’s some kind of experimental alternative medicine or something.
Whether you take your queso with a lot of crunch over nachos, or prefer it in a doughy burrito, this recipe will satisfy all of your needs for creamy, melty, oozy, spicy, tangy, cheezy bliss. The cashew base makes it rich and smooth, and cooking it with a little starch brings the texture even closer to melted cheese, especially as it sets. Miso adds a lot of umami depth and satisfying saltiness. And of course there’s the usual queso suspects: onion, pepper, garlic and jalapeno. Some cumin, ancho powder and lemon seal the deal.
But the magic doesn’t end there! Not to get all infomercial on you, but this queso can also double as a grilled cheese filling. Let it cool completely, then spread over bread and toast each side in a pan with a little olive oil. Two comfort foods for the price of one. And one last thing ladies and gentlemen, it’s is completely gluten-free. Order now.
Recipe notes:
~If you prefer a chunky queso, double the vegetable ingredients (except for the garlic) and set half aside before the pureeing step.
~This reheats really well! Gently reheat in a small pot, drizzling in a little water and whisking often until it returns to its original creamy state.
~The nutritional yeast is totally optional, I love it both with and without. It adds a little extra cheezy kick, but if you aren’t a fan or don’t have any on hand, the queso will not suffer for it.
~White miso is my favorite, but since it’s such a small quantity, any miso will do here.
1 cup cashews, soaked in water for at least 2 hours or overnight
2 cups veg broth
2 tablespoons white miso (see recipe note)
2 teaspoons cornstarch or arrowroot
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and sliced (keeps seeds if you want more heat)
3 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground ancho pepper (or any mild ground red chili)
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Drain the cashews. In a blender or food processor, puree them with vegetable broth, miso and cornstarch until very smooth. This could take anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes depending on your device. Rub between your fingers to test; slight graininess is okay, but try to get it as smooth as possible.
In the meantime, preheat a 4 quart pot over medium heat. Saute onion, red pepper, and jalapeno in oil with a pinch of salt until soft, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and saute about a minute more.
Transfer vegetables to the blender where the cashew mixture is. Add cumin, ancho, nutritional yeast and salt. Blend again until very smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender with a spatula to make sure you get everything.
Transfer mixture back to the pot. Whisking often, turn heat up to medium until the queso comes to a slow rolling boil. Lower heat so that it doesn’t burn and cook for about 20 minutes. Whisk often and check to see that it’s thickening, if it’s not, then turn the heat up a bit. It should become nicely thickened but velvetty and pourable.
Stir in the lemon juice at the end. If the queso seems too thick, drizzle in a little water and whisk to desired consistency. Taste for salt, spices and lemon juice and adjust as you like.
Serve hot!
Oh. My. God! I’ve been veg for my whole life so I’ve never had dairy queso, but I’m sure that this beats the freakin’ pants off trad queso’s ass. The rest of my cheese lovin’ fam declared that it could be passed off as “the real thing”, and even the most stubborn die-hard cheesists in the family said that it was “very good.” Creamy, dreamy, bliss!
I made this on the weekend, it was truly AMAZING. I made a double batch and I have been making cheeky sandwiches with it
this stuff is heavenly! just made a batch, poured some over sauteed zucchini with some buffalo tempeh (from appetite for reduction).
isa, you’re my hero!
Thank you, Isa — this is so delicious and umami-ful. Had it over tater tots, greens and black beans and it was luscious!
Terrific! We had friends over for dinner and games. I made this to go along with seitan fajitas with lots of grilled vegetables. We started playing games and it wasn’t an hour after dinner when someone says, “I’m ready for some more queso” Not a drop left over. Absolutely incredible, and will be making it again very soon.
Thanks for all of your recipes.
Hi! Sorry so late in the discussion, but as an omni I was too moved to not put my 2 cents in… This is DEEE-LICIOUS- I used a yellow pepper and miso with the nutritional yeast. PLEASE give this a try. Just don’t keep thinking ‘this has to be cow cheese…’ while you’re eating it. It’s just wonderful as a thing unto itself…tonight the corn chips, tomorrow the veggies and sandwiches!
Just made this for a cottage weekend. Can’t wait for my omni friends to taste!!
This was unbelievable. My husband thought we were cheating! It is so good. Thank you Isa, this was my first recipe that I’ve made of yours and I will definitely be making more of them! De-Lish-IS!!!! Yum! Thank you!
Do you think this would work for mac and cheese minus the cumin and chile pepper? It’s so good, I’m trying to think of things I can put it on!!!
This looks so good, has anyone figured out the nutritional information on this? (Specifically calories per tablespoon)?
Oh My Dog! This is SO tasty!
This recipe looks really interesting and I am anxious to try it, but I’ve noticed that my food processor has a tough time getting things really smooth. Do you think using cashew butter in place of the whole cashews would be an acceptable substitute? I mean, it’s basically the same thing, right?
How do you do it?! Thank you for yet another hit recipe.
I left out the miso, subbing more nooch instead, with great results. Even my sister, my pickiest omni customer, loved this stuff. I am now resolving to buy cashews more often.
THANK YOU!!! You have revived nachos and taco night and all those amazing things that just weren’t quite the same without cheese (fake cheeses never seem quite right). This is amazing. 🙂
I just made this and I had no miso, my blender was awful and wouldn’t blend the cashews properly and it STILL came out yummy. So delicious. Now I need to save up and get a Vitamix so I can try it again. You’re a genius Isa!
I made this sauce today as I had tacos planned for Monday. This sauce was so good that I didn’t make the dinner was supposed to- I toasted bread, added avocado, slathered on the sauce and choked down. My inglorious nom nom noises got my omni- husband curious. I made him one, and he liked it so much HE LICKED THE SAUCE OFF THE PLATE. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for this sauce.
I chowed. Chowed down, damn you auto correct.
Made this last night and it was delicious. My son, who is a vegetarian, was hoping for something along the lines of melted Velveeta, was a bit disappointed, but us grownups were super happy.
One clarification and one caution: Caution: if you leave out the red bell pepper, as I did because somehow I lost the pepper between the store and home, the queso will not come out that delightful orange queso-y color. Mine was sort of hummus-y colored. It’s still delicious though. Clarification: I believe the garlic Isa refers to should be minced or at least chopped before cooking, since the whole kit and caboodle needs to be blended into oblivion before it’s really queso
Thanks Isa! I am going to make this today. I have white miso in my fridge for over a year now and I have never used it. There is no expiration date on it, how do you know when your miso has gone bad and it is time to throw it out?
if that white miso is still hanging out in your fridge – it’s probably still good! 🙂 ahh, the joys of fermented foods.
Yum! I didn’t have corn starch, but I had some white powder from the bulk bins that I threw in and that seemed to work fine. Tastes good, although I ran out of cumin, so subbed some Taco Seasoning. The lime juice (I didn’t have a lemon) totally elevated it, but it tasted strongly of miso until I adjusted the seasonings. Maybe I used too much? I used white miso, but next time I’ll cut back. My only question is: what do I serve it with? other than chips…I suppose it’d be tasty on enchiladas…other ideas? Thanks!
I absolutely love this recipe. I’ve made it quite a few times and it’s easy to modify with ingredients I have on hand. I was just wondering if anyone has had any success making this with almonds? I generally use cashews in my recipes but my boyfriend is just a little intolerant of them. They bother his stomach. He loves almonds though and eats them by the bag! Whether or not anyone had any advice on the substitution, I’ll probably go ahead with it sometime soon and report back!
Om nom nom nom. My husband just cut gluten out of his diet and we’ve been mourning the loss of the cheeze sauce from Veganomincom. This cashew queso is not only comparable, but super delectable in its own special way. Added bonus: doesn’t turn into yellow glue if I don’t wash the pot out right away. Thanks for this amazing recipe!
can you sub almonds for the cashews?
this is seriously the best queso ever! even my non-vegan friends & family prefer this to dairy cheese/queso. all of my friends and family love love love this, to the point that when i bring it to parties (as a dip, or part of a vegan take on 7-layer bean dip, as a condiment to whatever we’re eating), people can’t control themselves eating it! once i told my friend i was bringing it and i accidentally left it at home and she made me go back for it! no other queso compares to this one! 😀
I made this to use as a Noodle-and-Cheeze sauce, omitting the jalapeño, cumin, ground pepper, and additional salt. I used a mix of apple cider vinegar and tamarind concentrate instead of lemon juice. Then, I mixed it up with whole wheat twirly noodles, lightly steamed broccoli and chard, and baked tofu cubes. (The broccoli, chard, and tofu are the only way I can rationalize making a huge pot of noodles-and-cheeze for myself.) I was worried, but I needn’t have been! It is delicious and I am once again wishing my stomach were big enough to hold more food!
My dude and I just made this last night and oh my goodness… HITS THE SPOT PERFECTLY!! You’ve opened our eyes to cashew cheese, Isa! Thank you!
Wow…this is amazing. It is creamy and gooey just like cheese. I amde it with salsa after reading other comments and it was excellent. Isa, your recip[es are without fail the most delicious and creative. Thank you so much!! BTW..I tried to buy Appetite for Reduction from Amazon and it said it had been pulled for some reason?
Thanks! Hmm, maybe just a glitch? Appetite For Reduction is definitely available on Amazon. 🙂
This looks amazing! How long is this ok in the fridge? And can you freeze it does anyone know??
This is awsome and addictive. I am an omni but this is just as addictive and a sauce onto its own. I can’t just eat a little of this – my kids and I ate half of it in 30 minutes even though I made it for my newly vegan husband! I have a Vitamix so I used the soup setting and did not have to cook it in the pan for 20 minutes. I doubled the veggies and mixed in the second half in the vitamix at the end for it to be chucky. Next time I will reduce the liquid by 1/4 cup and I may add pico de gallo instead of the doubled veggies for a little crunch. This is the perfect recipe for the vitamix. I waited a few years to get one because they are so expensive but definately worh it. This would be perfect for a vegan version of King Ranch Chicken. Thanks Isa, I am going to try more of your recipes.
Has anyone tried to turn this into fondue? I just made it for the first time and am currently dipping corn chips and apples, but I feel inspired to get a whole spread of veggies on skewers going next time!
I just made this for maybe the 10th time, this time with homemade tortilas, black beans, and salsa! Fabulous!!! I’m in Europe and I thought that the little red peppers I picked up wouldn’t be anything on a jalapeno, so I used three… apparently the were actually spicy, so this was a super spicy version of queso tonight, tasted marvelous!
🙁 So bummed out. Bought everything & followed directions. The consistency and color are as pictured and described, but taste was far less than ideal. It tasted nothing at all like queso. I added salsa to try to help, but to no avail. The cumin was overpowering and made it almost sweet and indian-like. I added more nutritional yeast because I find it gives a cheezy taste, but that didn’t help either. It didn’t have a cheesy or smoky flavor. Maybe less cumin add liquid smoke or something.
How well does this freeze? I’m thinking of making up quesadillas with my leftover bean mix and this queso and freezing them….. Would this work ok do you think??? Thanks 🙂 it was totally amazing btw, I was snacking on it all night lol.
Can’t believe I waited so long to try this recipe. It’s fantastic!!
Wow… I was a skeptic until I ate 3 little plates … well maybe not so little! Love this – ultimate comfort food. Like the kick to it too.
In recipes calling for cashews, do you use raw cashews?
Mixed it up a little to work with what I had on hand… the result was probably not a perfect queso but an undeniably awesome dip nevertheless. I used green bell pepper and banana peppers in lieu of jalepenos, and added liquid smoke and bacon bits (okay, they’re a little processed but dairy and meat free despite the name). I also didn’t have Miso paste, but did have a Miso soup packet on hand… seemed to do the job. I used an ordinary blender and while the consistency was not entirely smooth, it isn’t bad. So far it’s excellent with chips, but I can’t wait to experiment. I bought some cashews a few weeks ago with the intention of using them for a base for the first time, and I’m glad this recipe was the one I went with for my first effort!
For some allergic folks: Cashew is a seed not a nut, I have a nut intolerance except for cashew and I’m allergic to fungus or whatever if I didn’t roast or boil the cashews myself (roasting changes the taste). I wrongly thought I couldn’t eat nuts including cashews.
SO good! I left out the miso, because I didn’t have any, and I added a tiiiiiny bit of extra garlic and a lil bit of extra salt, and it’s amazing! Also makes incredible grilled cheese. 🙂
I made this sans the oil, bell and ancho peppers, cumin and nooch (not a fan). And it made, hands down, the BEST mac ‘n’ cheese sauce. Seriously good.
Can I use nutrional yeast not bitter?