The BEST vegan chili cheese dip

Whether it’s a bit of seitan chorizo, spicy beans, or chunks of fire-roasted tomatoes, there’s reason after reason to grab another chip and go dunking.

Who knows what deliciousness you’ll get with the next mouthful?

It’s a cheesy treasure hunt, and every dive is a winner.

For this vegan chili cheese dip, I use leftovers from my favorite chili recipe. My vegan three bean chili is beloved around here.

But you can use any vegan chili that you like. (Even canned chili!)

It comes together with creamy cashew cheese sauce. That’s what gives this decadent sauce body and flavor.

In this post:

Here are the ingredients you will need to make this recipe.

Raw cashews: Raw cashews give this sauce creamy thickness. Look for it near other nuts at the grocery store.

White miso paste: This fermented soybean paste adds salt and umami. Look for it in the refrigerated section of the grocery store. It’s often near the tofu.

Nutritional yeast flakes: This vegan pantry staple adds cheesiness to this dip.

I often buy it at Trader Joe’s. You can also find it in some natural grocery store bulk bins, or near alternative flours.

(Read more about it in this post explaining what is nutritional yeast.)

Vegan chili: This recipe is a great way to repurpose leftover 3 bean chili. It can easily be replaced with whatever chili you have on hand, even canned chili.

Seitan chorizo: This meatless chorizo adds bite, protein, and spice.

Look for it with other vegan meats in the refrigerated section. I usually buy Upton’s Naturals chorizo.

Hot sauce: Hot sauce adds kick to this flavorful dip. Add more, less, or omit completely, depending on your heat preferences. Red jalapeno pepper sauce is my favorite here.

Salt: A little salt brings it all together. Because the miso paste, hot sauce, and chorizo are salty, remember to adjust to your own tastes.

Here’s how to make this recipe at a glance. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.

1. Blend the following in a high speed blender:

• Raw cashews
• Nutritional yeast flakes
• White miso paste
• Water

2. Then add the cashew liquid to a pot with the following:

• Leftover chili
• Seitan chorizo
• Hot sauce

3. Stir the pot frequently over a medium heat until the liquid reduces.

4. The sauce will become thick like a gravy. It should only take about ten minutes. Then it’s ready to serve with tortilla chips for dipping.

If you don’t have a high-speed blender, you’ll need to soften the raw cashews before blending.

You have three options for this workaround.

Choose ONE of the following:

1. Soak raw cashews in water for several hours. Then drain & continue with the recipe as written.
2. Grind dry raw cashews in a clean coffee grinder. Then add them to your standard blender along with the other blender ingredients.
3. Cover raw cashews in hot water for 10 to 30 minutes to soften them. Then drain and continue with the recipe as written.

This melty vegan cheese dip goes well with store-bought tortilla chips, air fryer tortilla strips, or baked fries for dunking.

It also works beautifully as part of a vegan nacho bar!

Finally, you could serve this dairy free cheese dip with any of these main courses:

• Vegan refried bean tostadas
• Vegan lentil tacos
• Tempeh tacos
• Vegan taco salad
• Chickpea tacos

You can make this mouthwatering dip your own by varying the ingredients.

Vary the type of chili

Instead of 3 bean chili, replace with:

• Lentil chili
• Meatless chili with Soy Curls
• Vegan chorizo chili (from my book Living Vegan & shared on Veggie Inspired)
• You could even use canned vegetarian chili!

Note: If you use a meaty chili like my vegan chorizo chili, you can use 1 cup (instead of ½ cup) of chili and omit the additional seitan chorizo.

Vary the vegan meat

Vegan chorizo adds toothsome bite & protein. But it can easily be replaced with a different type of meatless chorizo, or a different plant-based meat altogether.

Use any of the following:

• Seitan-style chorizo
• Soyrizo
• Impossible burger (Brown in a skillet before adding)
• Beefless crumbles

Omit miso paste

Miso adds cheesy umami and salt.

However, if you’d prefer to leave it out, add a pinch of salt, if necessary.

Store vegan chili cheese dip in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for about 4 days.

Note that the dip will thicken in the refrigerator. So when reheating, you may need to add up to ¼ cup of water to bring it back to the right thickness.

Reheat in a pot on the stove on a low medium heat, or in the microwave. Remember to stir often.

This dip also freezes well in a freezer-proof container. It can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Simply move it to the refrigerator to thaw before reheating.

Keep the party going with even more delicious vegan dips.

• Vegan 7 layer dip
• Vegan baba ganoush
• 6-ingredient guacamole
• Dill pickle hummus

📖 Recipe

The BEST vegan chili cheese dip

Author: Cadry Nelson

5 from 7 votes

You're going to want to look for any excuse to add this vegan chili cheese dip to your food line-up. "Friends, it's time for an emergency game of Uno. Mommy needs cheese dip."

Packed with three bean chili, seitan chorizo, and creamy cashew queso, you'll have no problem polishing off this dip with every last tortilla chip in the bag. Don't say I didn't warn you!

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 3 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 people

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Mexican, Vegan

Keyword: dairy free, dip

Ingredients

• ▢ ½ cup raw cashew pieces*
• ▢ ¾ cup water
• ▢ 1 teaspoon white miso paste
• ▢ ½ cup nutritional yeast flakes
• ▢ ½ cup vegan three bean chili or your favorite vegan chili
• ▢ ½ cup seitan chorizo I use Upton's Naturals seitan chorizo
• ▢ 1 to 2 teaspoons hot sauce or to taste
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste

Instructions

• ▢
  In a high speed blender, blend raw cashew pieces, water, white miso paste, and nutritional yeast flakes until smooth.
• ▢
  Pour the cashew mixture into a medium-sized pot along with vegan three bean chili, crumbled seitan chorizo, 1 to 2 teaspoons of hot sauce depending on your heat preference, and up to ¼ teaspoon salt.

  (Depending on your chili and chorizo, you may need more or less salt, as those things vary in saltiness.)
• ▢
  Bring the pot to a medium heat, stirring often.

  (The cashew mixture has a tendency to stick to the bottom of the pan, and so you want to prevent burning by stirring regularly.)
• ▢
  Cook for about 10 minutes until the liquid has reduced, leaving a thick, velvety queso.

  If the mixture is too thin, keep cooking until it reduces more. If the mixture gets too hot and starts to bubble, lower the heat. If it gets too thick, add up to ¼ cup water.
• ▢
  Serve hot with chips for dipping.

Notes

*If you’re not using a high speed blender, you’ll need to soak the raw cashews in water for a few hours to soften them. Drain and continue the recipe as follows. Or if you need queso in a hurry, grind the dry raw cashews in a clean coffee grinder until they become a flour. Add them to your regular blender and make the recipe as follows.

This dip will thicken in the refrigerator. So if you’re making it ahead of a party or gathering to re-heat later, you may want to add up to ¼ cup of water either while making the cashew queso initially or when reheating.

If you’re using a meaty vegan chili (like one with soyrizo), you can use a full cup of chili (instead of ½ cup) and omit the added seitan chorizo.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for about 4 days. Reheat in a pot on the stove over a low medium heat, or in the microwave, stirring often.

It can also be frozen in a freezer-proof container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.

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Nutrition

Calories: 167kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 450mg | Potassium: 333mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 110IU | Vitamin C: 0.6mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 2.7mg