this vegan queso blanco is creamy, salty, and a little spicy! made without nuts or tofu and it comes together in about 15 minutes, you are sure to love this.
Before going vegan one of my favorite nights was going to a Mexican restaurant and getting queso and margaritas. Since going vegan I have had tons of vegan queso dips that were delicious but this is my new favorite recipe. You are going to want to be enjoying this all summer long.
the ingredients
- Non-Dairy Milk: you can use any unsweetened, unflavored non-dairy milk. I prefer Ripple Pea Protein milk but any non-dairy milk you like will work here.
- Tapioca Flour: tapioca flour is gluten free and it is an essential ingredient that helps to create a stretchy, cheese-like texture.
- Salsa: this will add in flavor.
- Sweet Pickled Jalapeños: I like to use sweet jalapeños as they are a little more mild. They add in heat and taste. If you’d like to leave these out you can.
- Nutritional Yeast: adds in cheesiness and umami. If you can’t have nutritional yeast feel free to substitute it for miso paste or leave it out.
- Red Pepper Flakes: optional if you like a little extra heat in your queso.
- Salt: to make it salty.
why you’ll love this recipe
While there are a ton of vegan queso blanco recipes out there that are amazing I think you’ll love how easy this one is to make. You don’t need to blend anything all you need is a whisk. All of these ingredients should be pretty easy to find. If you have a health food store or something like Sprouts or Whole Foods they should carry the tapioca flour. However, you can also order it online.
how to make this vegan queso blanco
You will first start out by adding the non-dairy milk, tapioca starch, and seasonings, to the pot. Start to whisk vigorously to combine everything. Then cook on the stove for 5 to 10 minutes until it thickens and turns into a stretchy texture. This is essentially making the vegan cheese, then you will add in more warm non-dairy milk, salsa, and the jalapeños. Mix together until it thins out to form a dip and you are set to go!
more cheesy recipes
the best ways to enjoy vegan queso blanco
- Of course first has to be as a dip! You can even make homemade tortilla chips if you want.
- Smother it over a burrito.
- Put it inside of a burrito.
- Enjoy with The Spicy Grapefruit cocktail or Fizzy Banana Coconut Mocktail.
- Use it in a Vegan Chili Mac & Cheese.
- For vegan nachos!
vegan queso blanco faq
- Is this recipe soy free? Yes.
- Is this recipe nut free? Yes.
- Is this recipe gluten free? Yes.
- What non-dairy milk do you use? I like Ripple Pea Protein milk.
- Can I leave out the nutritional yeast? Sure, you can add in some miso paste for umami instead.
- How long does this last in the fridge? Up to 3 days, it will become thinner so feel free to warm up on the stove to rethicken it.
- Can I freeze this? I didn’t try however, I wouldn’t suggest freezing this.
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Vegan Queso Blanco
Ingredients
- 1 and ¾ cup non-dairy milk unsweetened and unflavored, divided
- ¼ cup tapioca flour
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon jalapeño brine
- 1 ounce pickeled jalapeño chopped
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes or to preference
- 3 tablespoons salsa
- ½ teaspoon salt or to preference
Instructions
- In a pot whisk together 1 cup (240ml) non-dairy milk, tapioca flour, red pepper flakes, nutritional yeast, jalapeño brine, and salt. Whisk for about 30 seconds until smooth and well incorporated.
- On the stove cook over medium high heat for 5 to 10 minutes until thickened and bubbling.
- Heat up ¾ cup (180ml) non-dairy milk to be warm and pour that into the vegan cheese, along with the chopped jalapeño and salsa. Mix until well incorporated and smooth. The texture should be thick but easy to dip.
- Pair with your favorite veggies or chips and enjoy.
Video
Notes
- I like to use a Sweet & Spicy Pickled Jalapeño.
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This was delicious!!! I have been searching for a simple but good vegan queso and this is it!!!! Just one question, how much salt for the recipe? I just did it to taste but I would like to know your amount. Thank you!!!!
Hi Amber, oh my goodness I am sorry I totally forgot to add the salt quantity. I did 1/2 teaspoon but yes it definitely can vary based on preference! I am so glad you enjoyed it and thank you for leaving a review!!!
Omgoodness! Best vegan queso recipe I’ve ever tried! I poured it over a vegan beef & cauliflower cheese skillet dinner tonight. It was epic! I love that it doesn’t need and nuts in it.
This is very delicious and very easy! My vegetarian husband ate more of it than he does real queso at our favorite restaurants! My meat eater son demolished it, as well! Great recipe!
Hi Lizie! Oh yay I am so so glad to hear the whole family enjoyed it. Thank you so much for trying it out!!
This is an excellent recipe! Equally easy and delicious,thank you!!
I am so glad you enjoyed it! thank you so much for trying it out 🙂
i was skeptical about this recipe. I used canned coconut milk and tapioca starch instead of flour. I doubled the nutritional yeast. This is delicious and tastes like queso! thank you!
Hi, oh great I am so glad you enjoyed it! Yes tapioca starch and tapioca flour are the same thing. thank you for making it and leaving a review!!
Made it today for the first time. Always in the lookout for excellent nut and oil free alternatives. This is a winner. Thank you.
Hi Islay! I am so glad to hear you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for trying it and taking the time to leave a comment/review!
So simple and tasted great! Thank you!!
hi I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed it. thank you so much for trying and leaving a comment/review!
I don’t have tapioca flour/starch. Do you know if corn starch is an OK substitute?
Hi Katie the tapioca starch is what gives the stretch to the queso. I have not tried using cornstarch so I cannot say how it will work. If you want to try you of course can but keeping in mind the recipe was not designed with that ingredient in mind and may not work.
Wow I NEVER leave reviews for anything ever let me make that clear! This one literally blew me away I had to leave a review. Im always skeptical of vegan recipes that are trying to copy non vegan things (like cheese) a lot of the time it so obviously does not taste anything even remotely close to what it is trying to copy. But wow I can absolutely say this recipe does taste like cheese! Texture and everything was on point. I used coconut milk. Probably added another tablespoon of salsa and a dash of cayenne wow SO GOOD!!! And I didn’t have to soak or blend anything. Took like 10 minutes for me to make start to finish. 10 million stars thank you for making a great recipe that even my husband agreed it was GOOD!
Hi Hanna!!! Ahh well thank you so much for leaving a comment and review here it means so so so much! However, I am even happier to hear how much you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for the kind words and taking the time to leave a comment and review. Happy New Year!
I’m curious to know how the queso stores in the fridge?
Hello, sure I addressed it in the FAQ section “How long does this last in the fridge? Up to 3 days, it will become thinner so feel free to warm up on the stove to rethicken it.”
This recipe sounds fabulous and I can’t wait to make it. Which nondairy milk do you prefer to use? Thank you!
Thank you Lori! Sure I addressed it in the ingredient section of the blog post “Non-Dairy Milk: you can use any unsweetened, unflavored non-dairy milk. I prefer Ripple Pea Protein milk but any non-dairy milk you like will work here.”
I made a triple batch of this today and it’s fabulous!! I used coconut milk and alot of nutritional yeast!! Instead of salsa I used roasted hatch chilis and then added a bit of green salsa at tasting. Does it really get thinner as it sits? Usually quite the opposite!!
Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe. I’ve been looking for a good queso recipe without cashews and this is IT. Texture and flavor on par. Cheers!
Awesome that makes me so happy to hear!!!