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You are here: Home / Appetizers / Charred Jalapeño Green Chile Cashew Queso

Charred Jalapeño Green Chile Cashew Queso

January 14, 2019 By Spices in My DNA 10 Comments

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This Charred Jalapeño Green Chile Cashew Queso is a vegan, dairy free version of your favorite cheesy dip! This one is made with charred jalapeño, diced green chiles, spices, and nutritional yeast for that “cheesy” flavor. It’s incredibly creamy, and incredibly delicious! Perfect for snacking on with chips, or drizzled over salads and burrito bowls!

Overhead shot of a bowl of queso and a hand dipping a chip in it and chips scattered around the bowl

The things you can do with cashews amaze me. Like, we can make cheese sauce with CASHEWS. And it tastes incredible! I’m not vegan, but I do really enjoy eating plant based most of the time, and experimenting with fun alternatives to dairy. I find that a lot of times, I prefer the taste of alternatives to their dairy-filled counterparts. Not always, but I’ve had some damn good vegan cheese sauces in my day.

Overhead shot of a bowl of cashews surrounded by a bowl of nutritional yeast, a ramekin of spices, a ramekin of cilantro, a ramekin of charred jalapeño, and diced green chiles

You only need a handful of ingredients for this silky-smooth cashew queso, and it starts with cashews! Soaked cashews, that is! I like to soak mine for at least 4 hours, but you can soak them overnight, or, you can pour boiling water over them and soak them for 15 minutes or so, and you’ll get the same result. Soaking them = creamier, dreamier queso. Especially if you don’t have a high powered blender!

Overhead shot of a blender filled with nutritional yeast, diced green chiles, cashews, spices, and a charred jalapeño

I really love charring jalapeños and poblanos under the broiler, and using them in Mexican dishes. It really adds a depth of flavor that I just love!

You literally broil them for about 10 minutes until they’re black and charred all over, then place them in a plastic baggie for 10 minutes or so (this helps steam them and makes the skin super easy to remove), and then you just peel the skin off, and discard the seeds and ribs (or leave them in, if you like things super spicy!)

In addition to the charred jalapeño, I add a can of mild diced green chiles. They’re SO good and I add them to my chili a lot! If you like things on the spicier side, you can totally use a can of the hot diced green chiles instead!

I also love adding nutritional yeast to my vegan queso and cheese sauces because it adds a little bit of a cheesy flavor. And you can find it at health food stores or here!

Overhead shot of a blender filled with cashew queso

Can you believe how creamy it is?! It’s pure magic.

This recipe works best if you have a high powered blender, like this one, but if you soak your cashews for long enough, you shouldn’t have a problem using a regular blender!

Close up shot of a bowl of queso and a hand dipping a chip in it
Overhead close up shot of a bowl of cashew queso and a chip resting on top half dipped in queso

I love to garnish this with a little bit of cilantro and sliced jalapeños, and a little sprinkle of chili powder. It’s so freaking good and I wish I had some in front of me right now!

Also, get ready, because I’m sharing a recipe on Wednesday that uses this queso. So if you make it tonight, be sure you save some leftovers for tomorrow’s recipe!

Close up shot of a bowl of queso and a hand dipping a chip in it and chips scattered around the bowl

I really can’t get over how much I love this. It’s SO freaking good. I love putting it on taco salads, on burrito bowls, and obviously with chips. And just maybe by the spoonful too.

Overhead close up shot of a bowl of cashew queso with a chip resting on top half dipped in queso

Any way you have it, you need it in your life. And the other wonderful thing about it, is that most of the ingredients are pantry staples, and there’s only 7 ingredients total (I don’t count salt and water!) After you char the jalapeño, it’s made in literally one minute. Or the amount of time it takes you blender to create the silkiest cashew queso!

Overhead shot of a bowl of queso and a hand dipping a chip in it and chips scattered around the bowl

Overhead shot of a bowl of queso and a hand dipping a chip in it and chips scattered around the bowl
Print

Charred Jalapeño Green Chile Cashew Queso

This Charred Jalapeño Green Chile Cashew Queso is a vegan, dairy free version of your favorite cheesy dip! This one is made with charred jalapeño, diced green chiles, spices, and nutritional yeast for that "cheesy" flavor. It's incredibly creamy, and incredibly delicious! Perfect for snacking on with chips, or drizzled over salads and burrito bowls!

Course Appetizer, Sauce, Snack
Cuisine Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Mexican, Vegan, Vegetarian
Keyword cashew queso, dairy free queso, jalapeño cashew queso, vegan queso recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4
Author Molly | Spices in My DNA

Ingredients

  • 1 medium-large jalapeño
  • 1 cup cashews, soaked for 4 hours or up to overnight*
  • 1 (4 ounce) can mild diced green chiles*
  • 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 cup water

Instructions

  1. Preheat your broiler to high. Position the rack in the upper third of the oven (I usually do the highest). Place jalapeño on a foil-lined baking sheet and place under the broiler for 10-15 minutes, turning every few minutes to ensure it gets charred all over. You'll know it's done when it's black and charred. Place jalapeño in a plastic bag and seal it. Let sit for 10 minutes. Once it's finished, remove the charred skin and discard it. Remove the seeds and stem as well and discard. (I find that doing this under cold running water is the easiest way!)

  2. To a high powered blender, add the jalapeño, cashews, diced green chiles, nutritional yeast, salt, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and water. Blend until completely smooth and creamy. Season to taste with additional salt if desired. Serve with chips, on taco salad, or on burrito bowls!

Recipe Notes

*If you're short on time and don't have time to soak your cashews, place them in a heat proof bowl, boil some water, and pour it over the cashews. Let them sit for 15 minutes or so, then drain them, and you can use them right away!
*I like my queso on the milder side, so I use mild diced green chiles, but if you like things spicy, you can use the hot diced green chiles!

Overhead shot of a bowl of queso and a hand dipping a chip in it and chips scattered around the bowl

There may be an affiliate link(s) in this post, which means that if you click on a product link above and complete a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you! As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you SO much for reading!

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Filed Under: Appetizers, Clean Eats Tagged With: appetizer, cashew queso, cashews, dairy free, easy, gluten free, jalapeño, mexican, plant based, queso, vegan, vegetarian

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. LaDonne Oaldon

    January 25, 2019 at 8:33 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious!!! I made it today! First time I’ve made anything with soaked cashews as a base for a dip.

    Reply
    • Spices in My DNA

      January 26, 2019 at 11:23 am

      Thank you so much LaDonne! So glad you enjoyed it!!

      Reply
  2. Krystal

    February 17, 2019 at 9:26 am

    5 stars
    Thank you for sharing this recipe. It is so easy and tastes wonderful.

    Reply
    • Spices in My DNA

      February 19, 2019 at 11:59 am

      Thank you! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!!

      Reply
  3. Crystal

    February 25, 2019 at 2:01 pm

    5 stars
    I made this last night and it was incredible! Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
    • Spices in My DNA

      February 26, 2019 at 10:44 am

      Thank you so much Crystal!! So happy you loved it!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Currently Crushing On. - Best Food & Cooking - Kitchenpedia.co says:
    January 19, 2019 at 6:59 am

    […] Green chili cashew queso. I’ll take it. […]

    Reply
  2. Currently Crushing On. - How Sweet Eats says:
    January 20, 2019 at 3:01 am

    […] Green chili cashew queso. I’ll take it. […]

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  3. Cheesy Vegan Broccoli Cauliflower Rice Skillet says:
    April 8, 2019 at 6:45 am

    […] It’s just a fun way to experiment for me and have fun with different types of food. Like this queso […]

    Reply
  4. Marinated Mushroom Kale Tacos with Cilantro Avocado Sauce says:
    May 29, 2019 at 6:46 am

    […] don’t know how we can top this plant based taco – but if you wanna add some charred jalapeño cashew queso, I certainly wouldn’t be […]

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Welcome! I'm so happy you're here. This is the space where I share healthy recipes with a sprinkle of indulgence mixed in! I’m wildly passionate about food, and I grew up in a family of foodies. I was surrounded by it from an early age and immediately fell in love. I love to share super flavorful, unique, and healthy recipes, as well as indulgent, comforting meals we all need from time to time!

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