Love queso? What's not to love about a warm and cheesy dip, right. As much as I love a queso, sometimes, eating it doesn't always love me back. So I wanted to come up with a creamy, delicious and easy vegan option. This vegan cashew queso dip has the perfect kick to it with the chipotle and spices and it's also really easy to whip up. Plus, I added some pumpkin for a fun Halloween, fall vibe which adds brightness and of course, flavour. The toppings are truly my favourite little addition on here and I highly suggest not skipping them. I hope you love this vegan queso recipe as much as I do!

Why You'll Love This Vegan Pumpkin Queso

• Perfectly cheesy without any cheese
• Dairy-free, vegan and gluten-free
• Easy to prep and make ahead of time
• Perfect for serving to a crowd (and watching their faces when you tell them there isn't any dairy in it)
• Easy to customize with more or less spice

Ingredients

This vegan cashew queso is loaded with spices, pumpkin, potato and cashews which all blend together for the perfect creamy consistency.

• Yukon gold potato
• raw cashews
• unsweetened dairy-free milk (almond or cashew)
• pumpkin purée
• extra virgin olive oil
• chipotle in adobo
• nutritional yeast
• lemon juice
• smoked paprika
• ancho chili powder
• kosher salt

How to Make this Spicy Vegan Cashew Queso

The only things you'll need to prep include soaking the cashews ahead of time and cooking some peeled and cubed potato. Once those are done, you're ready to make this simple vegan queso.

If you're using a high powered blender, like a Vitamix, you can soak your cashews in just boiled water for about 30 minutes. If you are using a regular blender, you may want to soak for longer to be sure they're soft.

Once you have those things prepped, go ahead and add all of the ingredients to a blender.

Blend until completely smooth and creamy.

Toast some pumpkin seeds in a small drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat until toasted and fragrant.

Top your vegan queso dip with pumpkin seeds, sliced jalapeño and cilantro. And don't forget the chips on the side.

Tips

• Cover cashews with boiled water: covering the cashews with just boiled water speeds up the soaking time. This also ensures that the cashews are softened and will easily blend.
• Heat the vegan queso up: queso tastes best when it's warmed up. To do this, heat it up in a small saucepan over low heat. You can also warm it up in a serving dish in the oven at 325℉ covered for ten to 15 minutes.
• Prep ahead of time: you can easily cook the potato ahead if you want to save time.
• More flavour: if you're a big garlic or onion fan, feel free to add in some sautéed onions and/or garlic.
• Taste and season: everyone has different taste, so when you are making it, feel free to add more or less salt if needed. You can always start on the lower end with the salt and add more if needed.
• Heat level: adjust the chipotle to your taste. You can also increase the heat by adding sliced jalapeño or serrano pepper on top, or don't use them if you don't want any more heat.

Serving and Storage

• Serve it with tortilla chips and/or veggies.
• You can also serve it on top of tacos, make a nacho platter with it or stir it into various Tex-Mex recipes. It's super versatile!
• Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to five days. Be sure to stir well before eating or reheating.
• Reheat on the stove or covered in the oven until warmed through.

Which Blender Do I Use?

I've had my Vitamix for 10 years and I'm just as obsessed with it today as I was when I bought it. It's worth the price tag IMO if you use a blender a lot. I love it for making smoothies, soups, sauces and of course this spicy vegan queso.

This is the Vitamix I own and love.

More Appetizer Recipes

Looking for more appetizers, check these ones out!

• Air fryer calamari
• Air fryer coconut shrimp with Thai sweet chili sauce
• Harissa dip with red lentils (vegan)
• Healthy french onion dip
• Butternut squash hummus with fried sage and dukkah
• Vegan zucchini fritters

Ready to make this? Let's get to it!

If you make this vegan cashew queso dip with pumpkin please share with me, by tagging me on Instagram or leave a comment and/or review below. I truly love seeing and hearing form you!

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