Vegan Queso - Easy To Make With Pantry Staples
Soak cashews in warm water. Pressure cook potatoes, onions, carrots, Serrano pepper and tomato for 7-8 min. Peel the skin from the tomato. Transfer cooked vegetables to blender, along with soaked cashews, seasonings and non-dairy milk. Blend until silky smooth, with gooey texture. Transfer to serving bowl and serve with tortilla chips, along with pickled Jalapenos, guacamole and tomato salsa. Enjoy!
Equipment
- Pressure cooker preferred if not available, see Recipe Notes for alternate instructions
- Electric Blender for blending the cooked ingredients to a smooth texture
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Cashews - lightly roasted for nut-free option, see Recipe Notes for suggestions
- 2 tbsp Water - warm to soak cashews
- 3/4 cup Potatoes: peeled and diced medium any variety OK
- 1/2 cup Onion - chopped/diced medium White/yellow; I do not recommend using red/purple onions - the color of the Queso will become dull; shallots or white part of leeks OK too
- 1/3 cup Carrots - chopped / diced medium if using baby carrots, OK to leave them whole - about 4-5 carrots
- 1/4 cup Tomato: 1/2 of a medium tomato (Roma, or vine-ripened) don't chop: easier to peel the tomato when it is not chopped
- 1 piece Serrano pepper: small, use only half if the pepper is too big adjust as per spiciness preferred
- 1/4 cup Water
- 1/2 tsp Salt adjust later as per taste preference - maybe up to 1/4 tsp more
- 1/2 tsp Cumin powder
- 2 tsp Red Chilli Oil See Recipe Notes for how to make Chilli Oil; or use any mild-flavored edible oil: Extra Virgin Olive oil OK too
- 2 tbsp Pickle Juice - from Pickled jalapenos or use Apple Cider Vinegar or Rice Vinegar; distilled vinegar OK too; adjust later as per tartness preferred - add up to 2 tbsp more
- 2 tbsp Vegan Milk I like to use Coconut Milk, but you can use any variety you like - Cashew milk, Almond Milk, Soy milk, Hemp Milk
- 2 tbsp Water add only as needed to obtain desired consistency while blending- you might not even need to add any water at all
Optional Ingredients
- 1/2 tsp Fresh Garlic - grated or 1/8 tsp granulated garlic powder
- 1 tbsp Nutritional Yeast adjust as per preference - up to 2 tbsp OK if you like the flavor
Instructions
- Measure and soak the roasted cashews in 2 tbsp warm water in a small bowl. Set aside until the veggies are cooked and ready to blend. Note: Omit this step if making nut-free Queso - See Recipe Notes for alternative ingredients.
Pressure cook the veggies
- Peel and dice the potatoes.
- Chop the onions and cut a medium tomato in half; Transfer the potatoes, carrots and onions in a stainless steel pressure cooker insert container, or a bowl that fits inside the pressure cooker pot. Place the tomato on top and add 1/4 cup water.Optional: Also add 1/2 Serrano pepper, slit in half lengthwise, if you want to make spicy Queso. Omit if you want it mild.
- Place a rack in the pressure cooker pot and add 2 cups water to the pot. Place the container with the vegetables on the rack. Close the lid and pressure cook for 6-7 min at full pressure. Allow natural pressure release. Do not force release the pressure: the veggies continue to cook while the pressure releases naturally.
- Open the lid, and transfer the tomato to a small bowl. Gently remove the peel and maybe some of the seeds too, if there are a lot (some tomatoes do have a lot of seeds!). It's also OK to leave in both the peel as well as seeds. The tomato peel doesn't blend up super-smooth: that's the reason why I generally remove it.
Blend all the ingredients till silky smooth: Golden Queso
- Transfer everything to a blender jar. Add the soaked cashews, salt, cumin powder, pickle juice (or vinegar), vegan milk (I like to use Coconut milk, but other varieties OK too) and red chilli oil (or other oil).Optional: Also add nutritional yeast, if you like.
- If using garlic, grate it with a fine grater/shredder before adding to the blender.
- Start blender on low speed first. Add water, 1-2 tsp at a time, as needed, and continue to blend till the mixture develops a super smooth, silky-gooey texture- about 1-2 minutes. Pour into a serving bowl - makes about 1 1/2 cups Queso.
- Serve the Queso with a basket of tortilla chips and pickled Jalapenos.Enjoy!
Notes
To make Nut-Free Queso:
Replace the cashews with one of the following:- 1/4 cup silken Tofu - drained on paper towel (set aside 10-15 min) to remove excess moisture
- this will NOT be soy-free
- 2 tbsp vegan nut-free cream cheese
- 2 tbsp nut-free Vegan shredded Cheese
- 2 tbsp Hemp seeds, soaked in 2 tbsp warm water
- 2 tbsp Melon seeds, soaked in 2 tbsp warm water
No Pressure-cooker?
No worries.... You can cook the veggies on the stove-top in a small saucepan, or in the microwave, until they are fully cooked and soft. Stove-top:- Add 1 cup water to a small saucepan, and bring it to a boil.
- Decrease the heat and add the diced potatoes, chopped onions and chopped carrots.
- Increase the heat and bring the water to a gentle boil again, then lower the heat, cover and simmer until the vegetables are soft-cooked - about 15 min.
- Check periodically and stir, to prevent sticking and burning on the bottom
- If it looks as if the water has dried up, add about 1-2 tbsp water and stir; ten continue to simmer.
- When the vegetables look "done", remove the cover and allow most of the water to boil away, stirring to prevent burning on the bottom.
- Continue with the recipe as directed.
- Place the diced potatoes in a medium glass/ceramic bowl (2-cup cereal bowl); add 1/4 cup water and cook on hi 2-3 min.
- Add the carrots and 2 tbsp water and cook on Hi 3-4 min.
- Check to see if done: should be cooked soft so that it blends to a silky texture.
- In a separate bowl (glass/ceramic), cook the onions, with a few drops of oil - covered, Hi for 2-3 min
- Add 1 tbsp water, cover and cook, Hi, for 2-3 min. Keep a eye on what's happening - if the onions look too dry or begin to brown, add about a tbsp water and continue to cook until the onions are soft.
- Continue with the recipe as directed.
Make Red Chilli Oil:
Red Chilli oil is simply a Red Chilli-infused oil. I like to have Chilli Oil on hand - I use it in a variety of ways to add flavor and color to a dish. Best part, it only takes a minute to mix the ingredients and set aside to steep.- Place 1/4 cup good quality, cold-pressed oil, in a small glass bowl/jar
- Add 1-2 tsp spicy red chilli powder (cayenne) - adjust as per spiciness preferred
- Add 1 tsp paprika
- Stir gently with a small spoon. Cover and set aside, away from light and heat.
- The chilli oil becomes a deep crimson red in about a day.
- Use it as a garnish/topping to perk up the appearance of any savory dish, right before serving.
Storing Leftovers:
Store leftover Queso in a lidded glass/ceramic container. Refrigerate and use within 2-3 days.- It may be good for up to 5-7 days - I strongly recommend that you check for spoilage first.
- If you see mold or notice any unpleasant smell, please discard!
Nutrition
Calories: 46kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 1gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0.3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 166mgPotassium: 146mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 806IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 9mgIron: 1mg
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