Just 10 minutes of your time and a few ingredients from the pantry to make this Vegan Cheese Dip! Perfect with tortilla chips, crackers, or sliced veggies, or even used as a sandwich spread! Naturally gluten-free and deliciously 'cheesy.'
2tablespooncornstarchor use tapioca starch if you prefer not to use corn
Garnish
A few slices of green jalapeño to garnishor use pickled jalapeños
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.
Notes
Serve this dip with: corn chips, crackers, pita chips, fresh chopped veggies, such as cucumber, celery, bell pepperI prefer this as a thicker dip, with a hummus-like texture, so I typically don'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.Storage and serving leftover 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.