Our signature vegan queso
Fifteen minutes, one blender, no cooking. The dip that disappears first.
The BetterDay Kitchen2 min read
Cashews, salsa, a red pepper and a handful of nutritional yeast go into a blender and come out as queso. No cooking, no roux, no weird plastic-cheese aftertaste.
How it works
Soaked cashews blend into something thick and genuinely creamy. The nutritional yeast brings the savoury, slightly cheesy note. The salsa does two jobs at once, adding acid and heat and saving you from chopping three separate things. The turmeric is only there for colour, but queso that is beige tastes worse, which is a real effect and not a joke.
The soak is not optional
Ten minutes in boiling water is the fastest route. If you have a high-speed blender you can get away with less. If you have a regular blender and unsoaked cashews, you will end up with grit, and there is no fixing grit once it is in there.
The recipe
15-Minute Vegan Queso
A blender queso made from soaked cashews, chunky salsa, red bell pepper and nutritional yeast. Gluten free and dairy free.
Prep
15 min
Cook
None
Total
15 min
Makes
About 2 cups
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1 cup medium chunky salsa
- 1 small red bell pepper, de-seeded and chopped
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, optional, for colour
- Squeeze of lime juice, optional
Method
- 1Cover the cashews in boiling water and leave to soak for 10 minutes, then drain.
- 2De-seed and roughly chop the red bell pepper.
- 3Add the drained cashews, salsa, red pepper, nutritional yeast, salt, turmeric and lime juice to a high-speed blender.
- 4Blend until completely smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides once or twice. Give it a full minute longer than you think it needs.
- 5Taste and adjust the salt and lime.
- 6Serve warm or cold, topped with chopped cilantro, sliced or pickled jalapeno, avocado or a dusting of chili powder.
Keeps
Up to 5 days in the fridge. It thickens when cold, so stir in a splash of water when you reheat.
Chef’s note
The salsa you pick decides the whole dip. A watery one gives you queso soup. Drain it in a sieve for a minute first if it is sitting in liquid.
Rather not cook tonight
We make this kind of food every week.
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