Best Vegan Queso (Quick + Easy Recipe) - The Simple Veganista (2024)

FAQs

Why put evaporated milk in queso? ›

Evaporated Milk: This creates a creamy and smooth texture that is ideal for any good queso blanco. Milk, heavy cream, or half and half can be used instead, but evaporated milk has given me the best results. Cornstarch: Helps to thicken the queso sauce mixture to a perfectly dippable consistency.

Like regular cheese, vegan cheese can be part of a healthy diet when used in moderation — but it's best to avoid highly processed options. However, not all vegan cheeses are created equally. Some versions are highly processed and have less nutritional value than others.

For dips, you'll want to use a tablespoon of cornstarch per pound of cheese, then add at least five ounces of evaporated milk. After that, you can use more evaporated milk to thin out your dip as much as you need.

Vegan cheeses are 100% animal-free and made using vegetable proteins. Usually, they're made from soy; nuts, such as cashews and macadamias; and vegetable oils, such as coconut oil. You can also find cheeses that derive from agar, tapioca, peas and arrowroot.

It depends. Missing evaporated milk for some Queso-Filled Mini Peppers, and all you have is condensed? Then it's a no. Sugary sweet condensed milk will ruin savory dishes, so try a substitution if you're whipping up a dish at the last minute.

Those starch molecules thicken the sauce, while the concentrated milk proteins from the evaporated milk add that signature dairy flavor, without all the water you'd get from cream or regular milk. Translation? Smooth, shiny, perfectly emulsified cheese that doesn't clump, taste floury, or break into greasy pools.

Vegan cheeses often contain unhealthy starches and vegetable oils that the body converts to sugar, causing weight gain and uncomfortable bloating – the exact symptoms we are trying to avoid!

Unlike traditional cheeses, vegan cheeses contain no cholesterol. They are an excellent option if you want to appreciate the great taste of cheese without causing your cholesterol levels to rise! And even better, plant-based cheeses are known for their high content of phytosterols (or plant sterols).

There are a lot of great companies out there that have quality vegan cheeses that fit into an anti-inflammatory and longevity nutrition plan. Our spreadable vegan Pharmer cheese has probiotics, fermented chickpea miso and all of its ingredients are always organic!

If you melt the cheese any longer than is necessary, it can result in a rubbery consistency and negatively impact the flavor. Cheese sauces are phenomenal for a variety of purposes, including pouring over nachos, using as a dip for crackers and fresh veggies and as a topping on pasta or chicken.

How do you make homemade queso not gritty? ›

Can You Fix Grainy Queso? In the hopes of achieving a smooth, creamy texture, remove the cheese sauce from the heat and let it cool. Vigorously whisk in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or a little cream to detangle protein molecules and eliminate the clumps.

If you're going thick and cheesy, use about 2 cups of cheese with ¼ cup milk alternative or water. For a thinner creamy sauce, use the same amount of cheese but add an extra ¼ cup of liquid (½ cup total).

You may be asking yourself, what types of cheese can I eat? Vegans can eat cheese that is comprised of plant-based ingredients like soybeans, peas, cashews, coconut, or almonds. The most common types of vegan cheeses are cheddar, gouda, parmesan, mozzarella, and cream cheese that can be found in non-dairy forms.

The production of vegan cheese can be costlier than that of traditional dairy cheese due to the higher prices of plant-based ingredients and the additional processing steps involved.

Miyoko's Mozzarella

If you're making a caprese salad or pizza, Miyoko's mozzarella is a must. Both the original and smoked flavors mimic the texture of dairy-based mozz so well; she's even got the melting thing down. Of all the dairy-free cheeses, this might be the most addictive. It's so good.

This old-school pantry staple brings velvety texture to soups, makes decadent desserts, prevents curdling in milk-based sauces, and even tenderizes proteins.

To keep the sauce at the perfect consistency, you need to add back some liquid. There are options for this. Of course, you can use water, but that will dilute the flavor. You could also use milk or cream, which work well for the texture, but still may give you a bland sauce.

Making a slurry with cornstarch and cold milk is how you will thicken your queso. A traditional slurry is a 1:1 liquid to cornstarch ratio, but for our queso purposes I used 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of milk.

Usually, when cheese melts, the fat and proteins begin to separate, but sodium citrate “binds them together so that when they melt, they do it evenly and hom*ogeneously,” Vaculin explains. Keeping the mixture hom*ogenized ensures that this queso fundido can stand the test of time.