Yes, it’s January 1st, 2019 and I’m making queso dip.
Start as you mean to go on, as they say! Because this queso dip situation is like wrapping myself in a melty, gooey hug of deliciousness & comfort food.
Except that this comfort food is sneaky. It’s got absolutely zero dairy in it, which probably isn’t a surprise to you guys, but unlike so very many vegan recipes on the internet, it’s also entirely devoid of cashews, other nuts or seeds.
It’s really a little tweak of my classic, much-loved and gateway drug to enjoying vegetables… my non cheese-y dairy free Cheese Sauce. And, just as I did for that recipe, I’ve also adapted this queso dip so that there’s a coconut free version, too. Team All The Frees is hitting 2019 hard!
I’ve kept this version of my not quite queso dip nightshade free for my AIP peeps, hence the name. But you can totally use the cheesy base as the beginning of a more traditional queso type flavor profile, adding jalapenos, paprika, pickles… whatever floats your boat.
The key part of this queso dip situation is the deceptively creamy & gooey base, which means it will dip and coat chips with a cheesy layer of deliciousness.
And that, my friends, is how I wanna start my year off. Hold the smoothies and bring on the queso dip!
PrintEasiest Not Quite Queso Dip
If you’re looking for a creamy, deliciously melty dip that satisfies, then this allergy friendly take on queso dip is for you! Also, it’s dairy & nut free, with an adaptation to avoid coconut products.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: About 2 1/2 cups / 600 ml 1x
- Category: sauce, dip, condiment
- Method: stovetop, blender
- Cuisine: American, Tex Mex
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp / 45 ml avocado oil, divided
- 1/2 cup / 70 g diced onion, about 1/2 small
- 1/2 packed cup / 40 g finely sliced green onions, about 8 small
- 1 cup / 240 g roasted, cooled & peeled white sweet potato, see notes
- 1/2 cup / 120 ml coconut milk, see notes to replace
- 1/2 cup / 120 ml chicken or vegetable broth, see notes
- 2 tbsp – 1/4 cup / 9 – 18 g nutritional yeast, to taste, see notes
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried cilantro
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano leaves
- 2 tbsp / 12 g tapioca starch
- 1 1/2 tsp / 7 ml white wine vinegar
Instructions
SOFTEN: Pour 1 tablespoon / 15 ml of the avocado oil into a small saucepan over low medium heat. When the oil is warmed through, add the diced red onion and cook until it begins to soften, about 7 minutes. Add the green onions and cook until softened, about another 2 minutes.
BLEND: While the onions are softening, add the cooked white sweet potato, coconut milk, broth, the smaller amount of nutritional yeast, garlic powder, cilantro, salt & oregano to a blender pitcher. Blend until completely smooth and combined. Taste and add the additional nutritional yeast if you like.
THICKEN: Scoop the blended cheese sauce from the pitcher into the saucepan and stir to combine with the softened onions. Warm the sauce through over low heat, stirring often. Measure the tapioca starch into a small jug or jar and add enough water to whisk it into a slurry. Pour the tapioca slurry into the queso dip base in the saucepan, a little at a time, stirring constantly. Cook until the queso dip is warmed through, has thickened and will coat the back of a spoon evenly. Remove the queso dip from the heat and stir through the white wine vinegar.
Serve immediately with the grain free tortilla chips you see in the photos above, sweet potato chips, wavy plantain chips or whatever else sounds good to you! The queso dip can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days and re-warmed just before serving.
Equipment
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Non Fortified Nutritional Yeast
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Buy Now → Notes
I always make this with leftover, plain roasted sweet potatoes, plus you can roast them a few days in advance and keep them in the fridge whole until you’re ready to make dip! Roasting removes any excess water for a firmer sweet potato and a thicker sauce. You can swap in steamed or boiled sweet potato instead if you like, but you may want to reduce the amount of broth to compensate for the higher moisture content of those cooking methods.
To make this coconut free, omit the coconut milk, increase the broth to 3/4 cups / 180 ml and add an additional 1 tablespoon / 15 ml of avocado oil. Start with half the amount of tapioca starch and then adjust the thickness to your liking.
If you wish to make this vegan, substitute a mild flavored vegetable broth for the chicken broth. Make sure that it is light in color and not too mushroom heavy, or the finished color will be too dark and the mushroom flavor overwhelming.
If you’re looking for a non fortified nutritional yeast, Sari makes one!
Wow! Just made this and you really nailed it with this one! Thank you so much. This fills a much needed niche. Have I mentioned that you are a genuis?
Could arrowroot be swapped for the tapioca here? Can’t wait to try this!
I haven’t tested that swap, but I think it should work just fine. Start with a smaller amount and work your way up to the texture that you like 🙂
What can you use instead of white sweet potatoes? Will yams work or another type of potato? I’m from Canada, and I can’t seem to find any.
Do you mean true yams, or just orange sweet potatoes? The orange variety will work, but the flavor will be slightly sweeter overall, so I’d compensate with a heavier hand on the seasonings.