i never thought I would be making a queso fundido inspired dip out of cashews and beans but here we are. growing up queso fundido with chorizo and fresh tortillas was one of my all time favorites. honestly anything with chorizo and cheese - i was there.
queso fundido is a Mexican classic that consists of melted cheese and spicy chorizo on top enjoyed with fresh warm tortillas or chips. if you want to make some homemade tortillas you can find my recipe here.
Queso Fundido
serves 4 / prep and cook time is about 45 minutes.
Ingredients for cheese sauce
1 cup - soaked cashews
15 oz can - butter beans
1 can - full fat coconut milk
2 cups - warm veg stock
1/4 cup - fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup - nutritional yeast
1 tbsp - tapioca slurry - tapioca starch mixed with 3 tbsp cold water
1 tbsp - sea salt
Other Ingredients
Fresh tortilla chips or fresh homemade tortillas
Vegan chorizo - I used Abbott’s Brand
Jalapeno slices for garnish
Instructions
Step 1 - Prep
There is nothing worse than going to make something and realizing you don’t have the stuff ! You can soak your cashews over night or boil them to get them soft enough to blend smoothly. Once they have doubled in size and are soft you’re good to go. The last thing you want is a gritty “cheese” sauce with chunks of cashews.
Step 2 - Blend
In a blender, blend together your butter beans, soaked cashews, some veg stock, tapioca slurry and coconut milk.
Step 3 - Heat + season
In a sauce pan, pour in the bean sauce and allow is to simmer on low and then add in your lemon juice, nutritional yeast and sea salt.
Step 4 - Watch the thickening
You may notice the sauce starts to quickly thicken and that is because of our tapioca slurry. Tapioca flour helps sauces like these develop a nice stretchy texture so with a whisk you may have to go back and forth between adding some stock and mixing it in until you get the thickness you like. For the whole recipe I used 2 cups of warm stock.
Step 5 - Plating + serving
Once your sauce is perfectly thickened and seasoned to your liking. Pour your dip into a bowl and garnish with some sliced jalapenos, plant-based chorizo and enjoy with warm tortilla chips as a great appetizer or snack that everyone will love or enjoy it all to yourself.
Reserve any left overs in a food safe, air tight container for up to 7 days in the fridge.
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3