Dairy Free Chili Con Queso Dip
This is the ultimate dairy free chili con queso dip, and the best part is, it’s not vegan. It’s rich, creamy and loaded with bold flavors, including real, meaty chili making it the perfect crowd-pleasing dip for game day. Serve it with a big bowl of tortilla chips and watch it disappear before halftime!
Why you’ll love this dairy free chili con queso
Dairy free dips can be a tricky thing. A lot of them seem to rely on overly processed dairy free substitutes, or they’re just not close enough to the real thing to be satisfying.
But, this dairy free chili con queso is different. I’ve used a blend of homemade cashew cream and canned coconut milk to create a creamy base for flavorful chili (with real meat!), spicy tomatoes and chiles.
I love using canned chili for this recipe because I don’t have any waste. One can provides enough chili for the recipe. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that I don’t need to make my own. Other than making the cashew cream and chopping the cilantro, this recipe requires barely any prep at all. It’s so easy.
More dairy free dips to try: fried pickle dip / dairy free buffalo chicken dip / dairy free french onion dip / hot spinach artichoke dip
Searching for more Mexican-inspired recipes? bbq pulled pork nachos / chipotle blender salsa / 3 ingredient vegan queso / Mexican quinoa / rotisserie chicken tacos / roasted chili corn salsa
Ingredient notes:
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
- Cashew cream – You can follow the recipe for homemade cashew cream, or if you have some already processed that would work well too.
- Coconut cream – Use full-fat coconut cream and chill in the fridge before use.
- Canned chili – You can use any brand of canned chili that you like. You can also use leftover chili, takeout chili from a restaurant. Whatever works for you.
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 cup unsweetened dairy free milk
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 4-ounce can diced green chilies
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 cup cashew cream (see directions below)
- 1 cup coconut cream (see notes for using a can of coconut milk)
- 1 15-ounce can chili without beans
- 1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies (drained)
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- salt & pepper (to taste)
- 3 – 4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Make the cashew cream. Place the raw cashews in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring them to a boil and let them cook for about 10 minutes. Remove them from heat and allow them cool in the water (this will allow them to continue to soften).Drain the cashews and transfer them a food processor or blender with 1 cup dairy free milk. Blend until smooth, scraping the sides as needed.
- Make the dip. Heat a large skillet to medium-high. Add the olive oil, chopped green chiles and minced garlic. Sauté until fragrant – about 30 seconds. Then, add your taco seasoning, coconut cream and cashew cream.Next, stir in the chili, diced tomatoes, nutritional yeast and about 1/4 teaspoon of coarse. Let the dip come to a simmer and continue cooking until the chili is heated through – about 10 minutes.
- Garnish and serve. Remove from the heat and adjust seasoning with salt & pepper, to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl (optional). Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with tortilla chips.
Hello! This sounds awesome but if my husband knew it had coconut cream in it he would not try it. Does this at all taste like coconuts? Thanks!!
There’s no way he’s going to be able to taste it! I use a combination of the two creams to make sure that neither flavor is too prominent.
This is an insult to all Queso lovers everywhere……What is Queso without actual QUESO??????
You do realize this is a dairy free website, right? I’m sorry if the lack of queso upset you, but the title of the post literally says “dairy free”, so I don’t know what you were expecting to get.
Queso lover here and I disagree! My child has a dairy allergy and this is really good for anyone looking to omit dairy
After making the cashew cream with 1 cup of cashews and 1 cup of cashew milk, do you use the entire yield of that process or just 1 cup’s worth of the final cashew cream?
Having a Dairy allergy has been rough. I’m so excited I came across your page!!!! This Queso is AMAZING!!!!!! My family loves it and they can all eat dairy. Thank you thank you thank you!!!
Wow, this is actually really good! I added quite a bit more taco seasoning to get a little more kick and flavor, but this surprisingly hits the spot for queso being dairy free! Thank you!