Vegan Chile Cheese Queso Dip

Get your GAME on with this Vegan Chile Cheese Queso Dip! But you better make lots because your buddies won't care that it's vegan and it'll be gone by the first field goal it's so good! It's thick, spicy, super creamy, and ready in minutes.

A bowl of vegan Chile cheese queso and chips

A creamy queso dip without dairy you ask? Absolutely and the secret is potatoes. If you've made my Vegan Cheese Sauce before you KNOW it's good, especially in a Mac and Cheese. But this time I'm adding a little spice to kick things up a notch and make it worthy of whatever chip or veggie stick you want to devour it with

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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe

🫶 Vegan, Oil Free, and GF: You know ALL of my recipes are 100% whole food, plant-based, and oil-free. But I just might be playing around more with the gluten-free thing because it seems to really be helping my wife's blood pressure.

🧀 It's CHEEZY: Come on, we all know how hard it was to give up the real stuff. But now you can still indulge a little with that same creamy taste we expect in a good queso.

🔥 It's Versatile AND Adaptable: I know it's a dip, but I seriously slathered this on top of a 1lb baker last night with some jalapenos and cilantro and made a meal of it. I'm sure you will come up with all KINDS of creative ways to use this dip!

And hey, just because my taste buds have been burned off doesn't mean yours has to. Don't like as much heat? Tone it down! It's fine! You can totally adapt this recipe to meet your spice level.

And if you like it even spicier? You are my people!

🛒 Ingredients and Substitutions

CHEEZE

These are my typical cheese sauce ingredients. There's really no substitutions needed here and any kind of yellow mustard (think squirt bottle mustard - not the powdery stuff) will work.

Potatoes
Carrot
Nutritional Yeast
Lemon Juice
Apple Cider Vinegar
Onion & Garlic Powder
Turmeric
Yellow Mustard

QUESO

And these are what I added to make it a "queso" dip. I love the 505 brand of hatch chiles but feel free to sub a regular can of green chiles instead for milder heat.

Rotel tomatoes are "somewhat" spicy so feel free to use a can of regular diced tomatoes (or fresh) instead.

Chipotles add a nice smoky flavor but also a little spice. Try using chipotle powder or just omitting if chipotles are not your jam.

And lastly I know SOME people consider cilantro an "evil weed". If this is you, just leave it out and know I will be praying for you 😉

Green Onions
Garlic
Green Chiles
Rotel Tomatoes
Chipotles
Cumin
Cilantro

* See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities and detailed cooking instructions.

📖 How to Make This VEGAN CHILE CHEESE QUESO

Make this Vegan Chile Cheese Queso Dip by following these step-by-step instructions with helpful tips. Or you can follow along with the easy-to-print recipe card towards the bottom of this page.

Step 1

Cooking the Taters:

I use my Instant Pot to cook the potatoes and carrots with 1 cup of water. Cook for 7 min with a 10 min NPR. NO IP? Boil them in a pot on the stove until cooked through.

Step 2

Cheese Whiz!

Transfer the potatoes, carrots, AND the cooking water to a high-speed blender. Then add the nooch, lemon juice, ACV, salt, onion & garlic powder, turmeric, and mustard and blend until smooth.

Step 3

What's Sizzlin'?

Dice the green onions, separating the white parts from the green ends. Add the white onions and garlic to a sauté pan and sizzle with a little water or veg broth until softened.

saute pan with garlic, onions, cumin, and chipotle

Step 4

Spice it Up!

After the onions have softened, add the cumin and chipotles and cook for 30 seconds or so until aromatic mixing well. Feel free to add another splash of water if needed.

saute pan with garlic, green onions, cumin, chipotle, rotten tomatoes, and green Chile

Step 5

The ★ of the Show!

Add the tomatoes and green chiles. Cook for 1-2 minutes until slightly softened.

vegan chile cheese queso with cilantro on top

Step 6

We Have Queso!

Finally, add the cheese sauce from the blender and stir to combine. Toss in the cilantro and the green onion tops and mix. Warm until heated though and grab a chip!

👉Top Tips

You can make the basic cheese sauce ahead of time. This way you can have queso in minutes. And did I mention it freezes well?
To add even MORE spice, use HATCH green chiles and not those little cans from the store. Or add a diced jalapeno or serrano.
WHAT?! Don't like spicy food? Use green bell peppers instead of green chiles and use smoked paprika instead of chipotles.
An Instant Pot makes softening the potatoes and carrots super fast, but this CAN be made on a stovetop.
You can easily make homemade oil-free tortilla chips by cutting corn tortillas and toasting them in an air-fryer until crispy.
Bonus Tip: A tablespoon or two of the juice from a jar of pickled jalapenos sends this over the top!

bowl of vegan chile cheese dip and chips

🤷‍♂️ Recipe FAQs

Does This Sauce Have Cashews or Other Nuts?

No. Many vegan cheese sauces use cashews for their creamy texture, but mine does not.

Can I Freeze This Vegan Chile Cheese Sauce?

Absolutely. To reheat, allow to thaw then either simmer on the stovetop or microwave in a microwave-safe dish in small increments until it is warm and bubbly stirring frequently.

How Long Will This Keep In the Fridge?

Probably 3-5 days but I have a saying in my house, "when in doubt, throw it out".

👍🏻 Goes Great With:

Gochujang Potatoes
New Mexican Christmas Greens
Oil-Free Poor Man's Potatoes
Vegan Breakfast Potatoes