Vegan Cashew Nacho Cheese Dip

* If you click a link and make a purchase I may receive a commission.

THIS recipe is our favorite party dip, so far, especially when what you are craving is gooey, cheesy, nachos. I've served this to a few of our friends and my extremely food sensitive husband and they all loved it. One of my friends loved it but was very confused that it was not cheese (he wanted to know if I added cashews to my cheese dip and wanted the recipe!)



The coolest thing is that I would definitely consider this healthy dip. Everything in it is basically good for you, so eat as much as you like!

I'm a big fan of nachos and found this recipe from Post Punk Kitchen - Cashew Queso which got a ton of great reviews and comments. We took out the jalapeno that she recommended and changed a couple ingredients to suit our taste, so check out the original recipe if you want some variation.

I had to remember to grab some miso from our local healthy market, but most of the other ingredients are normal things you may even have around already. Miso is a little pricey, but it can last for months in the opened but sealed container in the refrigerator. Plus, if you like this nacho cheese, you will be able to use it all up making it over and over again!

This week, we made this Nacho Cheese and served it in our fondue pot to keep it warm with a bowl of chips. Our friends brought over a bean dip and it was soooo much fun to have it together!

Then, I baked a batch of the cheese into a pan of macaroni with bread crumbs on top! We are going to be working on that recipe, next. There is still a little tweaking to do.

Adapted from Post Punk Kitchen

What you need:

1 cup cashews soaked in water for at least 2 hours or overnight (or boiled in water until soft)
2 cups veg broth (we use vegetarian, organic Better Than Bouillon)
2 Tablespoons white miso
2 tsp tapioca starch (can use cornstarch, potato starch, or 1/4 cup mashed potato)

1 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup yellow or white onion, sliced
1 small red bell pepper, sliced
2-3 cloves garlic

1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt and to taste

What you do:
First, drain and rinse the cashews. Place cashews, cornstarch, vegetable broth, and miso in blender or food processor until completely smooth. We use a Vitamix and it takes about a minute or two, but depending on which appliance you use, just check the consistency and run as long as you need to get a liquid consistency with little to no graininess.

Saute onion and red pepper in oil on medium heat for about 7 minutes in 4 quart pot. Add the garlic for the last minute.

Add red pepper, onion, cumin, nutritional yeast, chili powder, red pepper, and salt to cashew mixture and blend well until very smooth.

Then pour mixture into your 4 quart pot on med-high heat, stirring until it starts to boil, then turn your heat down to low. I like to use my spatula because it keeps the cheese from burning on the bottom of the pot. Cook for about 5-15 minutes, stirring often.

Add lemon juice at the end and serve in a bowl, or fondue pot, or just pour over your chips.

Serve hot with bread, chips, or whatever you want to eat your dip with!