I’ve come up with a killer Queso recipe that has a few secret ingredients! Who doesn’t love hot cheezy sauce right? It’s good on so many things – nachos (of course), but also burgers, on top of fries and more!
One of the secret ingredients in my Queso is liquid smoke and the other is the juice or brine from pickled jalapeños! Since vegan cheddar cheese doesn’t have that sharp edge, the Queso needs something to brighten the flavor and this does the trick. The smokiness from the liquid smoke gives it a depth of flavor and isn’t overpowering. If you don’t like that kind of flavor, just leave it out.
Vegan Homemade Queso
6
servings30
minutesA delicious and easy queso recipe to cover nachos and more!
Ingredients
- Vegan Queso
1 tablespoon vegan butter
1 shallot, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 jalapeño pepper, finely diced (leave the seeds in if you want it spicier)
1 1/2 cups vegan half & half or cream (use unsweetened type)
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 ounces vegan cream cheese
2 teaspoons yellow mustard
12 ounces vegan cheddar shreds (1 1/2 packages)
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon hot sauce
2 tablespoons pickled jalapeño pepper juice
Directions
- Vegan Queso
- Place a medium sized pot over medium heat and add the vegan butter and cook until melted. Add the shallots, garlic and jalapeño. Saute for 3-4 minutes to soften, then add the half & half, then whisk in the cornstarch.
- Cook on low heat until simmering, then add the cream cheese, mustard, and liquid smoke. Cook until combined.
- Gradually add the cheddar shreds and cook until melted, then add the nutritional yeast, hot sauce, salt and pepper juice. Keep warm until needed.
Notes
I used Violife cream cheese and Whole Foods Market 365 cheddar shreds, but use your favorite brands.- If you can’t find pickled jalapeños, you can use the brine from another jarred non-sweetened pepper or a non-sweet pickle.
Did you make this?
Tag @bigboxveganeats on Instagram and hashtag it #bigboxvegan
Pin this recipe!
Follow @bigboxvegan on Pinterest
Like Big Box Vegan on Facebook!
Follow us on Facebook
Made totcho trio, it was wonderful and easy to make. As Bob doesn’t care for scallions, I used red peppers for pop of color. Had some queso left and used it as sauce for (chickpea )pasta, which was easy and very tasty. Made more and used on naan bread for cheese, topped with red peppers baked for easy side to pasta or just by itself. We are enjoying your recipes and always look forward to next one. Thanks.
Thank you so much, it makes me so happy you’re enjoying the recipes! What a great idea to use it on pasta, I hadn’t thought of that! I posted the photo on Instagram of Bob enjoying the totchos in my story. That made my day. Thanks again for all your support. 🧡