Gooey, cheesy, and delicious zero cholesterol vegan queso fundido! So much better than dairy. Dairy-free and gluten-free
You can have your fun and eat it too. With this gooey, cheesy, slightly spicy, zero cholesterol vegan queso fundido, you can have all of the snacking fun that you want. GUILT FREE!
This delicious dish of melted CHEEEEZE started out as a nut free queso fundido. And then the Breakfast King tasted it. His eyebrows went in two different directions. One up and one down. I don’t know how he does that. And he ever so sweetly asked me what I was going for? I told him that I was trying to make a vegan, nut-free queso so that my friends with nut allergies could partake in the epic fun that is queso fundido.
It didn’t really work out that well. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great. And I’m only going to share great with you all. The BK thought it tasted like spicy baby food because I used cauliflower and sweet potato as the base. To him, pureed vegetables is essentially baby food. His words, “If you’re going to serve this to non-vegans as queso they’re not going to like vegan food, but I’m sure people with nut allergies would like it.” #QuitWhileYou’reAhead
So I started over. And this happened.
The second time I went back to my old tried and true vegan cheese friend. Cashews. They rock, they roll, and they really do make a mean zero cholesterol vegan queso fundido.
Because this nut cheese recipe needed to mimic cheddar, it needed to be orange. So I snuck in a small steamed sweet potato and it worked out beautifully. The sweet potato gives the vegan queso a gorgeous color and it adds vitamins and nutrients. What more could you ask for?
Now I know that there are people who don’t like the taste of nutritional yeast, but if you’re going to capture a cheesy flavor, you can’t skip this ingredient. The good news is that the sweet potato and the chili seasoning cuts the strong flavor of the nutritional yeast and you just get a nice cheddar flavor.
When I gave the BK a sample of the second batch of queso he yelled, “Nailed it!” Granted, he was watching football, so the enthusiastic volume in his voice was probably a combination of the game and the queso. Although, he scarfed down the rest of the queso, which means that he really liked it.
This queso fundido recipe is super easy to make. All you need is a high powered blender, like a Blendtec or Vitamix, and eight simple ingredients.
- Cashews
- Sweet potato
- Dry mustard
- Apple cider vinegar
- Sea Salt
- Nutritional yeast
- Tapioca flour
- Chili seasoning
Soak the cashews in boiling water a few hours before you plan on making the queso so they blend into a smooth and creamy cheese. When the cashews are ready, put all of the ingredients in the blender and you’re two minutes to a delicious zero cholesterol vegan queso fundido!
Even if you’re not vegan, this is such a better option than the kind made with dairy cheese. Cashews, sweet potato, and nutritional yeast have zero cholesterol, but a one ounce slice of cheddar cheese has nine percent! Multiple that by the many more ounces that you’ll need to make a bowl of queso and, well, you get the picture.
Make this zero cholesterol vegan queso fundido for your next football get together, it’s guaranteed to be a crowd pleaser. You might have to double or triple your recipe to make sure you have enough. This recipe makes approximately two cups, which will satisfy two hungry people or four light eaters.
Tell me:
Are you gearing up for Super Bowl Sunday?
How was your weekend?
If you live on the East Coast did you get through the storm without losing power? I hope so!
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Zero Cholesterol Vegan Queso Fundido
Ingredients
- 1 cup of raw cashews – soaked in boiling water for three to four hours
- 1 small sweet potato – peeled and quartered
- 1 teaspoon of dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
- 1 and ½ teaspoons of sea salt
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons of tapioca flour
- 1 teaspoon of chili powder seasoning if you can’t find the blended seasoning you can add 1 teaspoon of chili powder and ½ teaspoon of cumin
- ½ cup to ¾ cup of hot water
Instructions
- Put the cashews in a small bowl and cover with boiling water for three to four hours or until they’re plumped up and are easy to squeeze.
- Steam the sweet potato in a medium covered pan for ten to fifteen minutes or until it’s easily pierced with a fork. Let the potatoes cool for five minutes.
- Drain the water from the cashews and rinse the cashews. Put them in the blender.
- Put the water, sweet potato, mustard, vinegar, salt, nutritional yeast, tapioca flour, and chili seasoning in the blender and blend on a high speed for one to two minutes or until the cheese is thick and creamy. You shouldn’t be able to detect any solid pieces of the nuts.
- Scrape the queso into a bowl and serve with corn chips or sliced vegetables.
- Enjoy!
Tammy says
Can this stay warm in a crock pot?
Could i make it day before then blend again and warm in crockpot?
if not, could i soak the cashews night before?
Thank you
Linda Meyer says
Hi Tammy! It will stay warm in a crock pot. For the best results, I'd soak the cashews overnight, or you can boil them for approximately 20 minutes then drain them. Enjoy!
Evi says
This looks extremely good, ooey gooey and oh so cheesy!
I actually make my queso sauce very similar. I always use white potatoes, but now you made me realise sweet potatoes are just so much more better for this recipe. Definitely gonna try this version, thank you!
Pinned 🙂
Linda Meyer says
I use white potatoes for other cheese recipes but I saw that orange sweet potato and it made me think of cheddar. Thanks so much, Evi!
Gingi Edmonds Freeman says
This looks good, I have recently been into making cashew cheese.. tried some on some yummy kale chips and now I am hooked!
Linda Meyer says
Awesome! I'm so happy you like it, it's pretty darn good stuff. Thanks, Gingi!
harrietemilys says
Mmmmm this queso looks sooooo good Linda! I've never tried queso before, but I know I'm going to love this vegan version - I am obsessed with vegan cheesy recipes! I love that you used cashews to make this too - they're so amazing! The flavours sound so delicious 🙂
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Harriet! I hope you try this recipe. If you like cheesy recipes you're going to love this one. 🙂
Lucie says
I am so eating that entire bowl of this cheezy goodness! It totally looks like the real thing, I bet you could fool pretty much anyone with this stuff. Amazing job Linda!
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Lucie! My husband went from comparing my first batch to spicy baby food to inhaling the second batch, so I hope my non-vegan friends would be fooled. 🙂
The Vegan 8 says
Sweet potato cheese is all the craze these days, as it should be, I love how it gives the natural orange color! I can see why your hubby liked it. Looks so thick and yum! We have been "living off' of my vegan cashew queso I posted last week ourselves, lol!
Linda Meyer says
The sweet potato is great in this, but I had to work to get the sweet flavor out of what should be a sharp cheddar flavor. Your queso looks awesome, Brandi. I've seen a lot of different versions on the web lately. It must be football season! 🙂
Becky says
Sweet potato in queso is genius!
Linda Meyer says
It definitely gave me the color I was looking for. Thanks, Becky!
Jenn S. says
MMMMMM, looks so good!! I used to absolutely devour chips and queso in college!! I keep meaning to turn my butternut mac sauce into a queso, but never quite get around to it. This is so perfect for game day!!!
Linda Meyer says
You should do it! We could have a virtual queso party with Brandi and all of the other queso dips I've seen on the web lately. Because you can never have enough! 🙂 Thanks, Jenn!
Natalie says
Whoa! I'm having Velveeta flashbacks, it looks so authentic 😮 But of course know this version is actual food and all which makes it infinitely better! And darn healthy food at that! So smart with the sweet potato for color! This will disappear so fast at any Super Bowl party, no one can resist that melty gooey cheese dip <3 Little do they know its healthy!
Linda Meyer says
It really did have the texture of Velveeta. This is going to knock the socks off of my non-vegan friends. 🙂 Thanks, Natalie!
therawproject says
Agreed on dairy, how can people miss it when there are so many better options now? Anyway, this looks amazing, great ingredient list and may have to try for our Superbowl party. Thanks!
Linda Meyer says
I don't think people realize how good vegan cheese can be. We'll just have to keep serving them our favorites and teach them to go into the light-haha! Thanks, Christine, I hope you try it.
Mira says
This cheese dip looks fantastic! Now I know how vegan queso fundido is made! Pinning! Glad we did not get a storm this time!
Linda Meyer says
Thanks Mira! It's so good, I hope you try it.
Yes, we're so lucky! I feel for those who are digging out right now.
Strength and Sunshine says
I will never understand why people miss "dairy scary" cheese so much. VEGAN cheese is like the greatest most flavorful so much better thing!
Linda Meyer says
I think if they try the wrong vegan cheese (there are some bad ones out there) they think all vegan cheese is bad. Having said that, I completely agree with you! 🙂
Rachelle @ Beer Girl Cooks says
Haha! I love your husband's input to your experiments! The amount of thought and creativity that you put into your recipes is always so impressive. That sweet potato was a genius move. And we did get some snow and ice here, but thank goodness we didn't lose power. That would have meant no football and it would have been a real bummer not to see the Panthers win their spot to the Super Bowl! So, um.... yes! We're totally gearing up for that game!
Linda Meyer says
He's sweet and honest, good qualities to have in a husband and taste tester. That game was so much fun to watch and I was so happy for Cam and the rest of the team. Thanks for the kind words, Rachelle. You made my day. 🙂