Vegan Cashew Queso

Quick and easy vegan queso that is creamy and delicious. A classic Texas favorite that is part of most parties.

3/4 – 1 cup hot water
1 cup raw cashews
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp black or white pepper
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
Optional:
- 10 ounce can of diced tomatoes and green chilies (i.e. Rotel)
- Can garnish with fresh cilantro, fresh pico de gallo (in place of the Rotel), salsa, or guacamole

Soak the cashews for at least 5 minutes in boiling hot water.
Drain the cashews and add them to a blender. Add all ingredients to a blender (starting with 3/4 cup of water) and blend on higher settings until creamy, adding more water as needed to blend until creamy and smooth. Add just enough water to achieve a creamy, pourable queso. If it gets too thin, thicken with additional raw cashews.
If you are using the can of diced tomatoes and chilies, pour in the liquid first and blend with queso. Don’t add the tomatoes or chilies yet. Blend on higher speeds for a minute.
Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more nutritional yeast for cheesiness, salt to taste, cumin for smokiness, chili powder for heat/smokiness, garlic for zing, lemon juice for additional acidity. It should be quite flavorful, so don’t be shy.
Add the cheese sauce (and the tomatoes and green chiles if using) to a medium pot. Stir well and warm gently over low-medium heat. Stir frequently while warming as it is easy to burn or dry up quickly. The mixture will thicken slightly, and you can add a little water if needed for a thinner texture (in place of water, you could add some salsa as well).

You can use a tea kettle to heat the water up quickly. Or bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Here is a pretty good kettle that is also reasonably priced.
For the blender, I use a Vitamix, but have heard a lot of good things about the Ninja. You can try a food processor, but it may not be as creamy as a blender.
If your cashews are salted, you may want to start with 1 teaspoon of salt and adjust as needed for taste
Serve with tortilla chips or add to dishes like tacos, nachos, burritos, and more! Garnish with a spoonful of fresh salsa for serving (optional).
Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 5-7 days, or in the freezer up to 1 month. To thaw from frozen, set in refrigerator for 24-48 hours. Reheat in microwave (only 20-30 second increments) or in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add more water as needed if it thickens when reheating.
Not everyone likes the chili powder so this can be deleted. It can get overpowering quickly. I have used up to 2 teaspoons before and it is just extra smoky.