Description
A creamy, smoky vegan chipotle carrot queso that combines tender carrots, cashews, and chipotle adobo sauce for a flavorful dairy-free dip or sauce. Perfect for serving with chips or as a topping for your favorite dishes, this queso is rich, zesty, and mildly spicy with a fresh kick from jalapeños and cilantro.
Ingredients
Vegetables
- 3 large carrots (about ½ pound), peeled and chopped
- 1 small white or yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- 1 small can green chilis, drained
- Big handful cherry tomatoes, chopped
- Handful chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped pickled jalapeño peppers (optional)
Liquids & Oils
- 1 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 ¼ cups vegetable broth
Pantry & Seasonings
- 1 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours if not using a high-speed blender
- 3 to 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes, to taste
- 1 to 3 tablespoons adobo sauce (from canned chipotle peppers)
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt, more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Sauté Vegetables: Warm the olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add the chopped carrots, onions, and garlic with a dash of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent and carrots are tender, about 7 to 10 minutes. Then remove the pot from heat.
- Blend Ingredients: In a blender, combine the soaked cashews, vegetable broth, and the cooked carrot-onion mixture. Add 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast, 1 tablespoon adobo sauce, ½ teaspoon cumin, and ½ teaspoon salt. Puree until completely smooth.
- Adjust Flavor and Season: Taste the blended queso and adjust by adding more nutritional yeast for cheese flavor or more adobo sauce for heat. Also season with additional salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed, then blend again to incorporate.
- Heat Queso: Warm the queso by either using the soup setting on a high-speed blender until heated through, or pour the queso back into the pot and warm over medium heat, stirring frequently until hot.
- Add Final Mix-ins and Serve: Stir in the drained green chilis and optional chopped jalapeños for a vinegary kick. Transfer the queso to a serving bowl and top with chopped cherry tomatoes, fresh cilantro, and additional jalapeños if desired. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- If you do not have a high-speed blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec, soak the cashews for at least 2 hours to ensure a smooth blend.
- The heat level can be adjusted by varying the amount of adobo sauce used.
- This queso tastes better after resting a few minutes and is excellent with corn chips or as a topping.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dip
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican-inspired
