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This dairy-free queso is perfect for a party! It’s made with sweet potato, butternut squash, and is paleo, AIP and nut free.

Queso is one of those things that everyone loves! Well… everyone who eats dairy. If you don’t eat dairy and you’re having to be around some chips and queso, you’re probably going to feel pretty sad. Trust me, I live in Texas… I’ve been there. I’ve sat with an empty plate at Chili’s while everyone was digging into queso and wishing that I could have some too. But between the dairy, beans, and nightshades, it just wasn’t happening. There are indeed more options for dairy-free queso popping up, but most of them are made with cashews, which sounds amazing but is a bummer for those of us who are nut free.

With super bowl Sunday around the corner, I decided to make this dairy-free queso dip that’s free of cheese, nuts, and nightshades! It’s made with vegetables, nutritional yeast, and more to create a thick, creamy, and cheesey tasting dish that you will love dunking plantain chips into.

The Ingredients You’ll Need

Sweet potato

I highly recommend using white Hannah sweet potatoes for this recipe as it will produce more savory tasting queso. Orange sweet potato will produce more of a traditional cheesy color but will be a lot sweeter. I often find Hannah sweet potatoes at Whole Foods and Natural Grocers.

Butternut squash

This helps to add more color to the queso and more flavor profile than just using sweet potato.

Onion and garlic

These add a savory flavor to the queso.

Chicken broth & coconut milk

These are the liquids used for the queso. If you don’t tolerate coconut, you swap it out for more chicken broth.

Nutritional yeast

This is the secret ingredient in dairy-free cheese recipes! You can buy this online or in health food stores.

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Dairy Free Queso (Paleo, AIP, Nut Free)

★★★★★

5 from 8 reviews
  • Author: Michelle
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 tbsp avocado oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup sweet potato, chopped (see notes for sweet potato varieties)
  • 1 1/4 cup butternut squash, cubed
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk
  • 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper (omit for AIP)
  • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp arrowroot starch

For topping

  • 4–5 oz of ground beef, cooked
  • 1/2 red onion, diced
  • 2 tbsp cilantro

Instructions

  1. Using a medium-sized pot, heat the avocado oil over medium heat.
  2. Add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion is translucent.
  3. Add in the sweet potato, butternut squash, broth, coconut milk, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper and stir well to combine. Bring to a low simmer and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the pot and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. The vegetables should be fork tender.
  4. Allow the mixture to cool slightly before adding to a blender along with the arrowroot starch. Blend until smooth and thick.
  5. Serve the queso topped with optional toppings and with chips like plantain chips.

Notes

For the sweet potato, use White Hannah Sweet Potato for  less sweet queso, and orange sweet potato for slightly sweeter queso.

  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 20
  • Category: snacks
  • Method: stove top