Carrot Cashew Queso

Vegan queso made with steamed carrots, cashews, and plenty of nutritional yeast. Serve it with tacos, taco salads, burrito bowls, chips, and vegetables!

How was your Saint Patrick’s Day?

I forgot to wear green, but I didn’t forget to celebrate.

M and I opened a bottle of champagne that’s been hanging out in the fridge since New Years and toasted to the cookbook manuscript’s completion.

We even played a few Irish jigs (mostly rowdy drinking songs) while we attended our weekly virtual game night with my sister and cousins. 

While shuffling pieces in Bandido, we talked dreamily about meeting up later this year, in person, in a post-COVID world, full vaccinated and ready for hugs. 

I literally can’t wait. 

But until then, I have a cookbook to finish birthing. 

It’s been a bit of a transitional week here as I re-surface into the world after my manuscript submission and start to assess the next big hurdle– 

The cookbook photos. 

Dun dun dun. 

Yes, the cookbook photos are due in less than two months and I’m equal parts excited and anxious to start photographing again.

Naturally, I’ve been procrastinating, waiting for the perfect daylight, the perfect feeling, the perfect gap in my schedule, to pick up my Canon camera.

But, you and I both know that there is will never be a perfect time, so I really just need to jump into the messiness. 

Kind of like this Carrot Cashew Queso that I’m sharing with you today.

Well, it’s only messy if you blend it the way I did– with the Vitamix lid ajar on the highest setting. 

I’m still finding blobs of cheezy carrot queso clinging to the cabinets and kitchen backsplash. 

Lauren-error aside, this queso is super easy to make on the stovetop and in the blender for a quick savory dip! 

Lately, I’ve been feeling really inspired with food.

Maybe it’s having M here, or maybe it’s Spring in there air, but I’m bursting with fresh recipe potential. 

When I see leftover ingredients in the fridge, I immediately start brainstorming creative ways to enjoy them. 

This recipe, for example, was inspired by my Roasted Cauliflower Cashew Queso and an abundance of carrots.

It occurred to me that, while my first queso creation is delish, maybe you don’t want to roast a bunch of cauli before adding it to queso.  

No worries, because this version is quicker, using steamed carrots, quick-soaked cashews, and plenty of nutritional yeast. 

Grab a high-speed blender or food processor and let’s make some queso, kay?

Here’s What You Need:

• carrots
• raw cashews
• nutritional yeast
• salsa
• unsweetened almond milk
• chili powder
• cumin
• garlic powder
• turmeric
• Himalayan sea salt

That’s it!

Before you do anything else, decide what level of attention your cashews needs.

If you have a Vitamix, like I do, you can skip this step and add the cashews directly into the blender without any soaking.  

If you don’t, I recommend soaking your cashews first to achieve the best queso consistency.

This mean quick-soaking the cashews in hot water for about 30 minutes before starting this recipe.

I like to add the cashews to a heat safe bowl and pour boiling water over them until they’re completely covered.

After the 30 minutes are up, drain and rinse the cashews and then proceed with the recipe.

Next, let’s make the carrots.

I prefer to peel my carrots for incorporating into this recipe, but you can also leave them unpeeled!

I find the skin sometimes has a bitter flavor so I choose to remove it. 

Add the carrots to a large saucepan with enough water to cover them.

Bring the carrots and water to a boil and cook them for about 6-8 minutes; until they’re fork tender. 

Drain the hot water and allow the carrots to cool slightly before adding to the high-speed blender or food processor.

Once the cooked carrots are slightly cooled, add them to the blender or food processor with the soaked, drained cashews, nutritional yeast, salsa, almond milk, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, turmeric, and salt.

Blend until the mixture is wildly creamy and wonderfully yellow-orange!

Add more almond milk as needed to create a creamy, pourable cheese sauce.

Scrape down sides as needed with a spatula or a spoon to recombine the blender contents. 

At this point, I recommend tasting the queso and adjusting flavor as needed.

Add more nutritional yeast for “cheesiness”, more turmeric for color, and more salsa or hot sauce for heat.

The best way to taste test this queso is by dipping a Hu Kitchen Grain-Free Everything Cracker into the blender!

These grain-free crackers are seasoned with sesame seed, poppy seed, onion and garlic.

Basically, they’re everything but the bagel but better. 

These crackers now come in a larger size which is WAY better for queso dipping occasions! 

If you haven’t tried them, these clean crackers are made from a grain-free flour blend, organic sesame seed, black chia seed, organic poppy seed, and organic garlic/onion.

They’re entirely gluten-free, oil-free, gum-free, soy-free, and dairy-free!

I love grabbing a handful as a snack, or, paired with an equally clean dip like this Carrot Cashew Queso. 

This Carrot Cashew Queso is the perfect addition to your plant-based Mexican dishes. 

I love using it in tacos, taco salad, and burrito bowls.

It’s also fantastic as a dip for crackers, chips, and vegetables. 

I think you’ll agree that it’s pretty perfect with everything, including Hu Kitchen Grain-Free Everything Crackers!

The heat from the steamed carrots and the blender processing makes this queso perfectly warm without heating!

Try reheating leftover queso in the microwave or on the stovetop before serving. 

Enjoy!

If you make this Carrot Cashew Queso, let me know!

Be sure to leave me a comment, rating, and review so I can use your feedback to create more yums.

Give me a shout on Instagram and use #floraandvino to show me your creations.

Check out my Pinterest page to pin more recipe like this one to make later.

For more fun dips and spreads, check out my Roasted Cauliflower Cashew Queso, Vegan 7-Layer Mexican Dip, and Oil-Free Roasted Red Pepper Hummus.

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XO Lauren

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Photography by Hot Pan Kitchen