Vegan Pumpkin Queso

Pumpkin: undoubtedly the star of the show, you’ll need about ¾ cup of canned pumpkin.

Carrots: chopped, steamed, and blended into the base for volume and plenty of beta carotene.

Cannellini Beans: also called great northern beans, one can of cannellini beans goes in to thicken the queso, add fiber and deliver minerals like calcium and zinc along with 18 grams of protein. 

Vegetable Broth: to get a smooth, creamy texture while adding plenty of flavor. I prefer to use an organic, low sodium veggie broth.

Nutritional Yeast: this is a powdered, flakey flavoring agent that looks, tastes, and smells like those umami flavors typically associated with aged cheese. Bob’s Red Mill makes a great version that’s fortified with B12 (if you know you know) and is a super low-calorie plant-based protein source!

Cashew Butter / Tahini: choose between roasted cashews or a mildly nutty spread made of ground sesame seeds. Using tahini is a great way to give the dip some healthy fats. Compared to other nuts, sesame seeds are extremely high in iron (per 2 tbsp serving), with cashews ranking second highest. Cashews contain healthy fats (along with some saturated fats) but they give this queso a creamy, buttery mouthfeel.

Buffalo Sauce: every queso needs a little bit of heat. The mild buffalo sauce in this recipe delivers just enough to satisfy that craving, without taking over the flavor of the whole dip.

Paprika: a touch of sweet paprika adds an earthy component with a mild tang.

Turmeric: a superhero among the spices, turmeric is our 100% natural food dye that is working overtime to deliver a high concentration of antioxidants in the form of curcumin. 

Garlic Powder: adds a much needed touch of pungent, umami flavor.

Onion Powder: for an extra layer of umami with a bit of sweetness.

Salt: as needed – feel free to skip if using salted veggie broth and/or salted cannellini beans.

Step 1: start by peeling and chopping the carrots to steam in a covered pot with the veggie both.

Step 2: after cooking the carrots down, you’ll toss in the paprika, turmeric, garlic and onion powders. Flush the pot with extra veggie broth if needed. 

Step 3: toss in the canned beans, pumpkin, and salt (if using). Cover and cook the mixture on low for a few more minutes. 

Step 4: blend. Toss the mixture on the pot into a blender along with a splash of veggie broth and start blending on high. 

Step 5: while blending, slowly add the nutritional yeast, buffalo sauce, and tahini through the safe pour spout.

Step 6: serve and enjoy! Check out my serving suggestions below. 

• If serving immediately, the mixture will still be plenty hot from cooking on the stove and blending.
• If storing for later, pour the mixture into an oven safe dish and allow steam to escape before covering and storing in the fridge (up to 6 days). Reheat in the oven at 350 F for 10 minutes.

Carrots: swap pumpkin for the carrots and skip the first step of the instructions. You would then need ~2 cans of pumpkin for the recipe (2 and 3/4 cups pumpkin total).

Pumpkin: instead of pumpkin, you can use canned sweet potato, butternut squash, or yams.

Veggie broth: simply use water if you don’t have veggie stock on hand. Be sure to add a sprinkle of salt to the pot.

Tahini: unsweetened cashew butter or unsweetened almond butter are both great alternatives. Almond butter will make for a slightly darker queso dip unless your almond butter is raw (unroasted). For sesame / tree nut allergies, use unsweetened sunflower seed butter.

Buffalo Sauce: be sure not to use hot sauce, otherwise this queso will be far too spicy! Instead of buffalo sauce, for a more mild dip, go ahead and use extra tahini (1-2 tbsp) + dijon mustard (1-2 tbsp).

Nutritional yeast: this one is really difficult to replace! I highly recommend giving it a try if you haven’t had nutritional yeast before. It’s delicious, on-of-a-kind, and versatile. If you truly can’t get your hands on it, then go ahead with 3 tbsp of dijon mustard + 1 tbsp extra buffalo sauce. Alternatively, you can leave it out altogether without affecting the texture of the queso.

Warm: this queso is best served warm. If you aren’t serving it immediately after blending, just reheat the queso at 350 F in an oven safe dish for about 10 minutes. 

Cold: when it’s cold, this pumpkin queso is much thicker. It makes for a lovely hummus-like spread that’s perfect to spread on sandwiches, wraps, or to pack as a dip for lunch. 

Crudité: with an emphasis on bell peppers! With higher levels of vitamin C than oranges, bell peppers enhance your body’s ability to absorb all the iron in the dip. Broccoli also goes very well with this queso.

Spiced: dust a finishing layer of paprika, turmeric, garlic and onion powders over the top of the dip before baking for an artsy and flavorful garnish.

Sprinkled: add a handful of roasted pumpkin seeds overtop

Chips: your favorites, with a shout out to the ghosts and bats shaped chips that come out at Trader Joe’s every fall. 

Pretzels: a perfect salty, crunchy pairing for this dip. If you’re sensitive to gluten, try these. 

Crackers: there’s definitely room for your favorite crackers on the snack board. If you’re curious about my favorites, here they are:

• Crunchmaster
• Simple Mills
• Sigdal Bakeri

Mac N Cheese: ohhhhh yeah! Stir this queso directly into a pot of al denté noodles for an easy weeknight mac n cheese!