Dairy-Free Queso that’s Kindly Nut-Free and Truly Plant-Based

There are several dairy-free queso recipes out there, but this version was crafted by one of my all-time favorite vegan cookbook authors, Dreena Burton. She is a master at creating healthy, plant-based eats that actually taste delicious. And this marvelous ‘Kin Queso, as she calls it, is no exception. It’s oil-free, made purely with whole food ingredients, and it’s completely top allergen-free – no nuts, soy, gluten, or even sesame. This remarkable recipe is a sample from her latest cookbook, Dreena’s Kind Kitchen: 100 Whole-Foods Vegan Recipes to Enjoy Every Day, which launched today!

Dairy-Free Queso that’s Kindly Nut-Free and Truly Plant-Based

As the subtitle proclaims, Dreena’s Kind Kitchen contains 100 recipes that are wholesome and easy enough to enjoy any day. They cover breakfasts, salads, soups, small bites, entrées, dressings and sauces, and of course, sweet treats. Here are a few recipe titles from this cookbook to give you the gist:

• Next-Level Avocado Toast
• Potato-Cauliflower Scramble
• Wow’em Waffles
• Smoky Caesar Salad & Potato Croutons
• Seasoned Potato Squashers
• A-Game Chili
• White Bean Corn Chowder
• Truffle-Salted Nut Cheese
• Beyond BEET Burgers
• Italian Ratatouille
• Holiday Dinner Torte
• 1-Minute Alfredo
• Lentil Sweet Potato Meatloaf
• Crackle Blender Brownies
• Charming Apple Crisp
• Heavenly Baklava

And of course, this dairy-free queso recipe that you can go make right now …

Special Diet Notes: Dairy-Free Queso

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, top allergen-free, oil-free, vegan, plant-based, and vegetarian.

Dreena Burton

Dairy-Free Queso (Plant-Based)

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There are many vegan and dairy-free cheese sauce and queso recipes, but most have nuts and/or oil. This one has neither—instead, it has pumpkin seeds, which gave it its name! Plus, it’s made straight in the blender. It’s rich and flavorful, and will for sure become a keeper.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Servings: 4 to 6 servings

Course: Appetiser

Cuisine: Mexican

Calories: 90

Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 1 ¼ cups plain unsweetened dairy-free milk beverage divided
• 1 cup cooked red or Yukon Gold potato flesh cooled
• ⅓ cup raw pumpkin seeds
• ¼ cup chopped red bell pepper
• ¼ cup chopped carrot
• 2 ½ tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons canned coconut milk (see Coconut Milk note below)
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 medium-large garlic clove
• ½ to 1 teaspoon mild chili powder to taste
• ½ to ¾ teaspoon sea salt to taste
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds

Add-Ins for Heat (optional)

• 1 to 2 tablespoons brine from jar of jalapeños or 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped jarred jalapeños (see Jalapeño Note below)
• Few pinches crushed red pepper
• Few splashes chipotle hot sauce or other hot sauce

Toppings (optional)

• Your favorite salsa or pico de gallo
• Sliced fresh jalapeños
• Chopped fresh cilantro
• Lime wedges

Method

 

1. Pour about half of the milk beverage into your high-speed blender (see Blender Note below for standard blender). Add the potato, pumpkin seeds, bell pepper, carrot, lime juice, coconut milk, nutritional yeast, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and cumin seeds to your blender. Puree, and as the mixture becomes smooth, pour in the remaining milk beverage. Puree for a couple of minutes, to heat through (use the “soup” feature on your blender if you have one).
2. Taste, and season the queso with more salt and/or more chili powder, and blend in any optional add-ins, as desired.
3. Serve the queso with any optional toppings, if desired.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 servingCalories: 90kcalCarbohydrates: 7.6gProtein: 4.2gFat: 5.7gSaturated Fat: 1.8gSodium: 204mgFiber: 2.1gSugar: 1g

Notes

Coconut Milk Note: Choose thick canned coconut milk; it need not be refrigerated. If you don’t have coconut milk on hand, use more plain dairy-free milk beverage.

Jalapeño Note: If you’re adding jalapeño brine, you can blend it with the other ingredients. Stir in the chopped jalapeños after blending.

Blender Note: If using a standard blender, puree the mixture until very smooth, then transfer it to a saucepan. Heat the queso over low to medium-low heat for 5 to 8 minutes, until the mixture begins to slowly bubble and thicken, stirring frequently as it thickens to prevent scorching

Credit: This recipe is reprinted with permissions from Dreena's Kind Kitchen by Dreena Burton.

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More Plant-Based Recipes from Dreena Burton

Allergy-Friendly Pumpkin Chocolate Pie

Creamy Vegan Fettuccine