The Best Vegan Queso (Chipotle Copycat Queso Blanco)

This creamy, delicious vegan cheese dip is inspired by Chipotle’s Queso Blanco is the perfect topping for tacos, burritos, and of course nachos. Velvety, slightly smoky and embarrassingly addicting, it’s the kind of dip you hover over with your own personal bag of chips.

After 10 years of trying to recreate my favourite recipes to be vegan-friendly, I’ve learned that a good vegan cheese dip takes a bit of witchcraft because it’s surprisingly hard to recreate convincingly without dairy! But this version was the one that finally let me stop tinkering. The first spoonful had me sold!

My decade of plant-based recipe testing has also taught me that texture is part of a recipe’s character. And this queso doesn’t just taste good, it moves the right way! It clings to chips, drips when dunked and doesn’t break when reheated.

Tricks I wish someone had told me before

I’ve served this to friends who didn’t know or care that it was vegan, and that split-second confusion after the first bite, followed by full silence when I say there’s no dairy, is one of my favourite cooking victories. Food that surprises people is the stuff worth making! So here’s some ways to ensure your queso is the best:

• In my experience, a lot of people don’t blend it long enough. No lumps allowed! This turns the starchy potatoes in your sauce silky and actually makes it even more gooey!
• Pickled jalapeño isn’t just salty/tangy, it’s a lifeline! I say don’t skip it.
• Flavour builds, it doesn’t just arrive, so tasting and salting it throughout is what I always recommend.

Nail the creamy base, the first time

I say the first time, because I certainly did not. What I learned for all that testing is that the key to this vegan queso dip is the potato and cashew base. It’s silky, it’s smooth, and most importantly, it clings.

Be sure to cook the potatoes fully before blending like I did. If you don’t have a high speed top of the line blender, soak the cashews long enough so they puree effortlessly. Skip this step and you’ll end up with a gritty, thin sauce instead of the smooth decadent queso we’re aiming for.

The Best Vegan Queso Recipe (Chipotle Copycat Queso Blanco)

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• Author: Greg Bellefontaine
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: approx 2 cups
• Category: dips
• Method: stovetop
• Cuisine: mexican American

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Description

This creamy, delicious vegan cheese dip is inspired by Chipotle’s queso blanco is the perfect topping for tacos, burritos, and of course nachos. Velvety, slightly smoky and embarrassingly addicting, it’s the kind of dip you hover over with your own personal bag of chips.

 

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Ingredients

• 3/4 cup raw cashews
• 2 large Russet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1/2 poblano pepper, chopped (approx 1/4 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 red chilis, deseeded and chopped
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 2 tbsp  nutritional yeast
• 2 tbsp vegan cream cheese
• 1 cup vegan white cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese shreds
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1–2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tbsp mild salsa
• 1 tbsp finely chopped pickled jalapeno

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Instructions

1. Add potatoes and cashews to a pot. Submerge in water, then bring to a boil. Boil until potatoes are fork tender, then strain and set aside.
2. To a frying pan over medium heat, add the oil, shallot, poblano, garlic and chilis. Cook until shallot is translucent and peppers are slightly browned and softened. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. In a blender, add the almond milk, cashews, potatoes, nutritional yeast, vegan cream cheese, vegan cheese shreds,  chili powder, paprika, and salt and blend until smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes.
4. Pour the cheese sauce into a serving dish. Add onion and pepper mixture, salsa, and pickled jalapeño and stir to combine.
5. Serve warm and enjoy!

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Notes

Storage and make ahead instructions:

This creamy vegan queso blanco recipe can be made up to 2 days in advance. Once made, store the queso in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to eat, then reheat in a saucepan over medium heat until warmed through. 

Leftover queso will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge or in the freezer for up to 3 months. When storing, keep this dip in an airtight container and thaw in the refrigerator overnight, if frozen. 

Reheat any leftovers on the stovetop until warmed through.