Description
A creamy, dairy-free queso made with roasted cauliflower, cashews, and spices.
Ingredients
Scale
- 5 cups cauliflower florets (from about 1 medium head cauliflower)
- 4 cloves garlic (peeled but left whole)
- 1 medium yellow onion (cut into 1/2-inch slices)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium seasoning (plus 1 1/2 teaspoons) divided (check labels to ensure it’s 100% dairy free)
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 1/4 cups unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice, plus additional as needed)
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt (omit if using regular taco seasoning or add to taste)
- 1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies (10 ounce can, drained, or 1 1/4 cups well-drained chunky salsa)
- Optional toppings: sliced jalapeño, fresh cilantro, diced tomatoes, finely chopped red onion
Instructions
- Place the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of your oven and coat two rimmed baking sheets with nonstick spray. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place the cauliflower, garlic, and onions in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons taco seasoning. Toss to coat, and then divide evenly between the two baking sheets. Spread each into a single layer so that the veggies do not overlap. Roast until golden and tender, about 30 minutes, tossing once halfway through and switching the pans’ positions on the upper and lower rack.
- Transfer the roasted vegetables to a blender, and add in the soaked cashews, almond milk, nutritional yeast, salt, and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons taco seasoning. Blend until very smooth, adding water a few tablespoons at a time as needed to reach your desired consistency. (I added about 1/2 cup water for a very thick queso.)
- If your blender has a heating feature, continue blending until the mixture is hot. If not, pour the queso into a saucepan and heat over medium on the stove until very warm.
- Stir in the drained tomatoes or salsa. Taste and add kosher salt or a little bit of additional taco seasoning as desired.
- To serve as a dip, transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with desired toppings. Enjoy!
Notes
- For a thicker queso, add more soaked cashews or reduce the almond milk.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Roasting and Blending
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 400mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 0mg