With just a few minutes of your time, you can make this Vegan Cheese Dip. It's super flavorful, rich, smooth, and perfect for dipping tortilla chips or veggies. This cashew-based dip is like a cross between hummus and vegan nacho cheese, and it is absolutely irresistible! This recipe is naturally gluten-free.
I love having a few good vegan dips recipes on hand. They're typically super quick and easy to make and perfect for when you have unexpected company (remember those days before 2020??) or just simply don't feel like making a real meal for dinner and want to get away with a charcuterie board type of dinner.
This Vegan Cheese Dip is exactly that! All the ingredients for this dip can be stored in your pantry, so you can make it ANYTIME without having to plan ahead.
I typically don't boast that a recipe has no fresh ingredients, but sometimes that is actually a plus! Literally everything in this recipe can be kept outside of the fridge, including a carton of shelf-stable almond milk.
Just 10 minutes of your time, and you can be in cheesy dip heaven!!
This cheesy dip also works great as a sandwich spread, too!
Related recipe: Vegan Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 cup almond milk or other unflavored unsweetened plant milk (plus ½ cup, optional)
- ¼ cup sundried tomato (packed in oil is best, but dry is fine too!) - these add a nice color and a slight tangy flavor to the dip
- 2-3 tablespoons nutritional yeast - this adds a wonderful cheesy flavor to the dip
- 1 tablespoons lemon or lime juice (fresh is best!)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika - I absolutely love this stuff to give food a smoky flavor!
- Optional: a few slices of green jalapeño to garnish (or use pickled jalapeños)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch (or use tapioca starch if you prefer not to use corn)
For serving:
- Corn chips
- Pita chips
- Fresh chopped veggies, such as cucumber, celery, bell pepper
- Crackers
- Or spread this on a sandwich or in a wrap!
Related recipe: Vegan Tzatziki
How to dairy-free cheese dip:
Step 1: Soak cashews in boiling hot water for at least 5 minutes, or until the water cools down. Rinse the cashews under cold water.
Step 2: Place soaked cashews, 1 cup of the almond milk, nutritional yeast, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, lemon or lime juice, and sun-dried tomatoes into a blender or food processor, and process until smooth.
Step 3: In a small saucepan, whisk together the olive oil and the cornstarch. Add the blended cashew mixture, turn on the heat, and cook over medium-low heat for a few minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning and to slowly combine with the cornstarch mixture. The mixture will thicken and turn into a soft cashew cheese. If it gets too thick, add a little bit of almond milk at a time, stirring until combined.
Related recipe: Vegan Refried Bean Dip
Helpful tips:
→ I wanted to serve this as a thicker dip, with a hummus-like texture, so I didn't add an extra ½ cup milk. However, if you prefer more of a liquid "melted" nacho cheese texture, go ahead and stir in extra milk until you get your desired texture.
→ Make it spicy: If you want a spicy vegan cheese dip, add a few pinches of cayenne pepper, or blend in a pickled jalapeño.
→ If you're not super into nutritional yeast, add less at first (1-2 tablespoons) and then blend in more, to taste. I love that stuff, so I use 3-4 tablespoons for this dip!
Related recipe: Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip
How to store and re-heat this dip:
This dip will last for up to 5 days in the fridge, if stored in a closed container.
To serve leftover dip, you can serve it cold right from the fridge, but I like it warm. To warm it up, you can microwave it for a few seconds - make sure to stir well after so you don't get any hot spots! Or heat it in a saucepan over medium heat for just a few minutes, stirring the whole time.
More cheesy vegan recipes:
- Vegan pepper Jack cheese
- Vegan cheddar cheese
- Vegan nacho sauce
- Vegan broccoli and cheese soup
- Vegan cheesy rice and cauliflower casserole
If you’ve tried this recipe, please rate it and let me know how it went in the comments below – I LOVE hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food!!
Vegan Cheese Dip
Ingredients
Blend together:
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in boiling water for 5 minutes and drained
- 1 cup almond milk , or other unflavored unsweetened plant milk, plus ½ cup, optional
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomato, packed in oil is best, dry is OK too
- 2-3 tablespoons nutritional yeast, or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice, (from ½ lemon or lime)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Whisk in a saucepan
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch, or use tapioca starch if you prefer not to use corn
Garnish
- A few slices of green jalapeño to garnish, or use pickled jalapeños
Special equipment
- Food processor
- Small saucepan
Instructions
- Soak cashews in boiling hot water for at least 5 minutes, or until the water cools down. Rinse the cashews under cold water.
- Place the soaked cashews, 1 cup of the almond milk, nutritional yeast, lemon or lime juice, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and sun-dried tomatoes into a food processor (or blender), and process until smooth.
- In a small saucepan, whisk together the olive oil and the cornstarch. Add the blended cashew mixture, turn on the heat, and cook over medium-low heat for a few minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning and to combine with the cornstarch mixture. The mixture will thicken and turn into a soft cashew cheese. If it gets too thick, add a little bit of almond milk at a time, stirring until combined. You can also adjust the taste by stirring in more salt or lemon juice, to taste. Serve warm, or allow to cool down for a cold cheese dip.
Questions? Feedback? I love to hear from you!