Cauliflower Queso? You’ve Got to Try It!
This vegan "queso" is made with cauliflower. It's so dang tasty that carnivores will love it, too. But it's sooo much more than just a dip!
What started as a quest to find a yummy vegan queso recipe for nachos led to a whole new recipe that can be a dip (with half the calories of hummus), a soup, and a sauce for pasta. I’ve even added it to scrambled eggs with great results. What does one call such a recipe? We’re not sure, but it’s delicious and easy to make. We’re going with Cauliflower Queso as the name!
This recipe is mainly made up of cauliflower and cashews with a heavy dose of spices and add-ins, and it makes quite a bit (11 cups!), but you can freeze it easily. You’ll need a high-powered blender to get the smooth results I recommend, but other than the ingredients, a large pan, and then a large pot, that’s all the equipment you’ll need.
This one basic recipe will allow you to make: a vegan/plant-based “queso,” cauliflower soup, and a pasta sauce.
This recipe does not take too long to make, but you will get a few things dirty: pot, pan, cutting board, blender. And, you’ll need to have some storage containers on hand as this recipe makes a lot: 11-12 cups.
Cauliflower Vegan Dip/Soup/Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion cut up
- 1 fresh jalapeno cut up
- 3 garlic cloves cut up
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 40 oz riced cauliflower (Green Giant makes a large 40 oz bag of frozen Riced Cauliflower)
- 1.5 cups raw cashews
- 4 cups water
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp dry mustard
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp white miso
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 cup Simple Truth Organic™ Gluten Free Non-Dairy Sour Cream (You can find this at Kroger)
Instructions
Sautee with olive oil the cut-up onion, jalapeno, and garlic until soft, about 5-6 minutes.
- Transfer cooked vegetables to a large stockpot and add all ingredients except the vegan sour cream. Bring to a soft boil for 20 minutes.
- Work with two batches to blend in a high-powered blender. For each batch, add 1/2 cup of Simple Truth vegan sour cream (available at Kroger). Blend on low for 3 minutes and then on high for 7 more minutes. This provides a really creamy sauce.
- To make this into a soup, use 2/3 portion of this sauce and 1/3 water (or broth).
- To use this as a dip, serve with chips and top with pico, fresh jalapenos, and finishing salt.
Nutrition
If you are interested in more plant-based recipes, check out: Two Easy Vegan Recipes We Recommend.
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Liza Graves
As CEO of StyleBlueprint, Liza also regularly writes for SB. Most of her writing is now found in the recipe archives as cooking is her stress relief!