Vegan Queso Blanco

This vegan queso blanco dip recipe is a creamy dip that’s ready in 5 minutes with only 5 ingredients! Serve it with air fryer tortilla chips or use it as a topping for your next batch of vegan nachos. Pour it over your favorite vegan burritos. Make this quick, creamy, and nut-free vegan cheese sauce today!

Vegan Cheese Dip is surrounded by tortilla chips and ready to serve

I have been a fan of the dip ever since I was young enough to say it. I like all varieties of dips, such as this delicious corn salsa all the way to this vegan spinach dip. But this vegan queso blanco dip is one of my favorites, because it’s just so easy to make!

What Makes This Recipe Shine?

  • Vegan cream cheese melts nicely with green chili enchilada sauce to create a savory dip
  • Adding a bit of nutritional yeast flakes creates even more cheesy flavor in every bite
  • A hint of garlic powder adds flavor, while keeping this recipe super easy to make.
A hand holds a tortilla chip full of vegan queso dip. Below it is the rest of the bowl of the dip and more tortilla chips.

This is the best Queso Recipe! Why? Because making Vegan Queso Dip is super easy! It takes around 5 minutes to make this delicious, creamy sauce ready for dipping. Of course, you can pour it too — as in pouring it over some nachos, or vegan enchiladas, or over a delicious Vegan Burrito. Should I go on?

Key Ingredients

You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe, including substitution ideas:

  • Vegan cream cheese — I like using Tofutti’s or Daiya vegan cream cheese. Or you can use homemade vegan cream cheese.
  • Green Chile Enchilada Sauce — I used Old El Paso, but any green chili enchilada sauce will work. Be sure to pick your favorite spice level, from mild to hot.
  • Nutritional yeast flakes — You can buy this at health food stores or online. Learn more about cooking with nutritional yeast flakes.
  • Garlic powder — I prefer garlic powder because it has a mild flavor. If using fresh garlic, I recommend removing the green vein in the center to help mellow it some, or you can use the tender garlic from garlic confit.
  • Salt — Everyone’s preference for salt is different. Add a pinch of salt if you prefer more.

How to Make Vegan Queso

If you’re wondering how to make queso dip, you’ve come to the right place. Some vegan queso recipes will call for a lot of ingredients, including nuts. However, it’s really easy to make my vegan queso fresco dip.

  1. Heat the vegan cream cheese in a microwave until it is smooth and stirs easily.
  2. Stir in the green chile enchilada sauce.
  3. Stir in the nutritional yeast flakes and garlic powder.
  4. Serve with tortilla chips as a dip or pour over chips (for nachos).
A collage of photos showing the simple steps for making this dip, with the final shot showing the final dip in the bowl.

Frequently-Asked Questions

What is queso?

Queso is a Mexican cheese sauce. It may be hard to imagine making that into a dairy-free cheese dip, but this recipe is proof that it’s not only possible but delicious!

What to dip queso in besides chips?

You can dip queso with chopped veggies, such as matchstick carrots, snow peas, and more. In addition, you can drizzle this dip over vegan baked potatoes, air fryer French fries, and more!

Keto Queso

If you’re focused on carbs, you’ll love this vegan keto queso! Here are the nutritional estimates per serving:

Calories: 144 Carbs: 9g Protein: 5g Fiber: 4g Net Carbs: 5g

Marly’s Tips

Use these tips and tricks to make this vegetarian queso dip perfect every time:

  • I used Tofutti’s dairy-free cream cheese. I can find this at health food stores, at Sprouts, and even in the health food section of my local grocery store
  • Some other good vegan cream cheese options include Daiya and Trader Joe’s. Be sure to buy the plain variety (not flavored)
  • If you can’t find any of these available, you can make a homemade cashew cream cheese by soaking 1 cup cashews for 4–8 hours, then drain the liquid, and add them to a high-speed blender or food processor with 1–2 tablespoons lemon juice. Pulse until smooth (you may need to add a little more water to help them pulse). Add about 1/2 teaspoon of salt. This may not be as thick as store-bought vegan cream cheese, but it will work.
  • If you want a thicker queso cheese dip, try using half of the can of green chili enchilada sauce

What I Love About Vegan Queso Blanco

You’ve probably seen lots of nacho cheese recipes. I even have a Sweet Potato Nacho Cheese recipe that I love. However, this Vegan Queso Dip recipe is a blanco (white) cheese dip. It’s a new addition to my favorite queso recipes! It’s also part of my go-to tasty comfort foods.

When my daughter tried it, she said it tasted just like the Queso Sauce at a local Mexican restaurant. [Insert a pleased grin on her mother’s face here.]

More Mexican Recipes

You can serve this vegan queso blanco with any of these delicious vegan Mexican dishes:

A bowl holds vegan queso dip with chopped cilantro. It's sitting next to tortilla chips and a bright blue stemmed glass is behind it.

That’s it for this tasty queso sauce recipe!

Vegan Cheese Dip is surrounded by tortilla chips and ready to serve

Vegan Queso Blanco

This is a simple vegan queso blanco dip recipe made with only 5 ingredients and ready in 5 minutes (or less)! Serve it as a dip or pour over nachos or your favorite bean burritos.
5 from 6 votes
Course: Snack
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 144kcal

Ingredients

  • 8 oz package vegan cream cheese
  • 10 oz can Old El Paso Mild Green Chile Enchilada Sauce
  • 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  • Scoop the vegan cream cheese into a microwave save bowl and microwave for about 11 seconds. Remove and stir and repeat until the sauce is smooth and stirs easily.
  • Pour the green chile enchilada sauce over the melted cream cheese. Stir to combine.
  • Add the nutritional yeast flakes and garlic powder. Stir until everything is combined. Add salt to taste.
  • Serve with tortilla chips as a dip or pour over chips (for nachos).

(The products above contain sponsored links to products we use and recommend)

Notes

I use Tofutti’s vegan cream cheese, but Daiya and/or Trader Joe’s Vegan Cream Cheese will work too.
Calories: 144kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 556mg | Potassium: 80mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 315IU | Vitamin C: 0.9mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

This post was originally published in 2019 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2021.

20 Responses to Vegan Queso Blanco

  1. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMikkel Sutorius Reply

    Hi Marly,
    Any idea if this queso dip freezes well or how long it lasts in the fridge? Thanks for sharing this fab recipe! Can’t wait to try it.
    Mikkel

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Hi Mikkel! I have frozen this vegan queso recipe before and it works just fine. I have refrigerated it for up to 5 days at a time. And if it’s in a sealed container it stays fresh and tasty!

  2. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyExotic Fruits Reply

    5 stars
    Another scrumptious recipe! I made it today with spicy jalapeno slices (I like heat). I can see using this not only as a dip, but also over taco or burrito bowls (stashed some dip in the freezer for that). Super creamy. I also tried it over macaroni noodles. Wow. It’s gonna be a new fav!

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      You and I are two seeds in a hot jalapeño! I like it spicy too! In fact, I keep my bottle of sriracha handy most of the time because my hubby doesn’t like things so spicy and that way I can cook it all bland for him and add the kick to mine. 🙂 Love your idea of adding jalapeños to this vegan queso dip!

  3. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyNancy Lawson Reply

    5 stars
    Thank you so much for this recipe! I made it for a party at a friend’s house, and it was a hit. All the people there were vegan, and one is gluten-free, so it was so great to come across this very easy and quick recipe!. Since a 15-ounce can of Hatch enchilada sauce was what I had on hand, I used that and added a little vegan sour cream to the cream cheese mixture to make up for the fact that there was a little more sauce. All my friends want the recipe, so I will send it to them. 🙂

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Thanks, Nancy! I’m so glad you and your friends enjoyed this queso recipe! I think it’s important to have a go-to dip recipe that’s easy to take to parties. It makes the party fun! ❤️

  4. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyQuen Black Reply

    I made this today and it was delish!

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Awesome, Quen! So glad you liked it. 🙂

  5. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyNicollette D Reply

    Wow! This looks amazing; I can’t wait to try it. I’m only sorry it took me two weeks to discover this post!

  6. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyChad Reply

    I made this last night for a get together with some friends and everyone loved it. You would never know it was vegan. I’m doing a 21 day cleanse where I am only eating whole foods and no alcohol. This is going in my “keeper recipes”.

  7. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyLauren @ Healthy Delicious Reply

    I can’t wait to try this! I’ve been staying away from dairy for the past 6 months or so and cheese dip is the one thing i miss the most. This looks so easy, too!

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      I hope you love it as much as we do! I’m gonna be making some more this weekend!

  8. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyJenni Reply

    5 stars
    Wowie, ma’am! This looks delicious! I think maybe “dip” *was* one of my first words. =)

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      5 stars
      See? I knew it!! All I can say is bring on the queso dip!

  9. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyAbby @ The Frosted Vegan Reply

    I love when people say ‘this is vegan?’ too! I’ve come to think it’s just one step in the direction of showing people that vegan food is delicious too!!

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      It’s so true – it’s really fun how surprised people can be to see how delicious vegan food can be!

  10. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyTidyMom Reply

    oh how I love a good queso dip!!!!

    • Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyMarly

      Thanks, Cheryl! I think we must be soul sisters because I love queso dip so much too!

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