Dip your chips into this perfected vegan buffalo chicken dip made from just a few ingredients, like cashews, silken tofu, and nutritional yeast! With its rich flavors and simple preparation, this dip will quickly become your go-to appetizer for holidays, game nights, and beyond.
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Searching for a crowd-pleaser with a spicy twist? Look no further, friends! This vegan buffalo chicken dip has everything you love—creamy, tangy, and spicy—made even heartier with the addition of shredded jackfruit to mimic the classic chicken texture.
You won’t believe how simple and satisfying this plant-based version is! Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, it’s as easy as blending and baking. This dip is perfect for game days, parties, or any occasion that calls for a crave-worthy vegan appetizer. With bold flavors and a velvety texture, it’s guaranteed to impress everyone—even the non-vegans at the table.
Perfect for Parties: This Vegan Buffalo Chicken Dip is a crowd-pleaser that’s guaranteed to be the star of any gathering—holidays, game days, or casual get-togethers.
Bold Buffalo Flavor: With just the right amount of heat and tanginess, this dip delivers all the classic Buffalo wing flavor without the chicken.
Creamy and Satisfying: Made with silken tofu, cashews, and shredded jackfruit, it’s rich, velvety, and hearty enough to satisfy everyone, vegan or not.
Quick and Easy: Blend, bake, and serve—this recipe comes together in no time, making it perfect for last-minute plans.
Customizable: Pair it with chips, veggies, and baked potatoes, or use it as a topping for vegan nachos—the possibilities are endless.
Great for Meal Prep: Make it ahead and reheat when ready to serve. It keeps well in the fridge, so you’re always prepared for snacking emergencies!
Key Ingredients
Get ready to be blown away by the simple ingredient list! It doesn’t take much to throw together this incredible dip. Here’s what you’ll need:
Cashews: The base of this creamy vegan buffalo dip. Soaking cashews softens them, making them easier to blend into a creamy texture, which is essential for the queso’s smooth consistency.
Silken Tofu: Silken tofu adds even more creaminess and protein to the queso, helping achieve a rich and thick texture. Explore more silken tofu recipes to see how far this pantry staple can go.
Nutritional Yeast: These nutritious yellow flakes provide a cheesy and savory flavor that’s typical in vegan cheese recipes. And it’s a staple in any vegan pantry!
Shredded Jackfruit: Jackfruit is the perfect chicken alternative. It shreds beautifully and absorbs flavors like magic. Chickpeas or even shredded tofu would also work well!
Frank’s Red Hot Sauce: The star ingredient for the buffalo flavor! It brings the perfect amount of heat and tanginess to the queso. You can also swap it with your favorite hot sauce.
Smoked Paprika: This spice adds depth and smokiness to the queso, creating a well-rounded flavor.
Garlic: Fresh garlic adds a robust and aromatic flavor to the queso, enhancing its overall taste.
Salt + Pepper: Seasoning with salt and pepper enhances the overall flavor profile, balancing the spiciness of the hot sauce.
These key ingredients come together to create a delicious vegan buffalo queso dip that’s creamy, spicy, and packed with flavor. Scroll down to the recipe card for full measurements.
How to Serve Up This Vegan Queso Cheese Dip
This vegan buffalo chicken dip can be used as more than just a dip! Drizzle it over nachos, or use it as a sauce for various dishes. Here are some of our favorite ways to enjoy it:
Classic Party Dip – Serve it warm with tortilla chips, crackers, or sliced veggies like celery and carrots.
Buffalo Stuffed Potatoes – Spoon the dip into baked potato skin halves, top with green onions, and bake for 10 minutes.
Loaded Nachos – Drizzle over tortilla chips and layer with jalapeños, black beans, and vegan sour cream for a snack that’s next level. You can even make your own corn tortillas, cut into triangles, and then bake until crispy.
Slather on Sandwiches – Use it as a spread for sandwiches or wraps loaded with fresh veggies.
Trickle Into Tacos -Tell your taco sauce to take a hike and fill with this flavorful sauce instead. Pile high with veggie ground, walnut, or quinoa “meat”, tomatoes, avocado and crispy, cool lettuce. Give our Meat Lover’s Beefy Vegan Taco recipe a try—it’s seriously tasty!
Pair It With Pizza – Who says you have to use shredded cheese for pizza? Perk up your pizza pie with this spicy buffalo dip, broccoli, veggie pepperoni, and even some artichoke hearts. Perfection!
Pour Over Pasta – Make your own fiery mac & cheese by pouring this vegan buffalo dip over rotini, shells, elbows, or bow tie pasta. Garnish with a few slivers of jalapeño and you’re good to go! We love Pastabilities pasta shapes for this dish!
Storing Your Leftover Buffalo Chicken Dip
This recipe makes a large amount of dip––about 4 cups. If you are a huge fan of buffalo dip or planning to make this for a party, this is the perfect portion size. If this sauce is only for you, feel free to save whatever is leftover in the fridge.
The dip will last up to 3 days, covered, in the refrigerator. To reheat, simply pour into a saucepan and heat over medium-low for 5 minutes or until the desired temperature. You could also heat the remaining vegan buffalo chicken dip in the microwave in one-minute intervals, stirring the sauce in between.
Keep in mind that overheating the sauce might cause a grainy texture to form. Luckily, this doesn’t affect the flavor at all. It will still be super tasty.
FAQs
What can you substitute for chicken in buffalo chicken dip?
There are several fantastic substitutes for chicken that add texture and flavor while keeping the dish plant-based. Shredded jackfruit, soy curls, chickpeas, cauliflower, shredded tofu, seitan, or even artichokes all work well to replace chicken.
What is buffalo sauce made of?
Buffalo sauce is a bold, tangy, and spicy condiment that originated in Buffalo, New York, where it was first used to coat chicken wings at the Anchor Bar in 1964. It’s a simple sauce made from a combination of hot sauce (usually cayenne pepper-based) and butter. A plant-based version is made from hot sauce and vegan butter.
You can, and should, put this vegan buffalo chicken dip on everything. Eat it with nachos, veggies, or some macaroni pasta…it will taste like heaven all the same.
If you don't have a high-speed blender, soak the cashews in hot water for at least 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, drain and rinse the canned jackfruit. Use your hands or a fork to shred the pieces into "chicken-like" strands. Set aside.
In a blender, combine the cashews, silken tofu, nutritional yeast, hot sauce, non-dairy milk, olive oil, smoked paprika, and garlic. Blend until completely smooth. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.
Preheat your oven to 350℉ (175℃). Transfer the mixture to an oven-safe dish and mix in the shredded jackfruit. Spread the mixture out evenly and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the edges are bubbling and the top is slightly golden.
Garnish with sliced green onions, if desired.
Notes
Don’t have time to bake? This dip is also delicious served cold!Pairing suggestions: Toss buffalo dip with noodles for buffalo mac & cheeze. Or use buffalo queso on tacos and nachos, drizzle on pizzas, or just warm and use as a dip with chips.Leftovers: Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, simply pour into a saucepan and heat over medium-low for 5 minutes or until the desired temperature. You could also heat the remaining vegan buffalo chicken dip in the microwave in one-minute intervals, stirring the sauce in between.
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We want to thank our amazing recipe testers J.J. Steele & Taylor Gillespie (@food.in.focus) for helping us perfect this recipe!
This recipe for vegan buffalo chicken dip was adapted from the Two Dollar Radio Guide to Vegan Cooking cookbook by Eric Obenauf, Jean-Claude van Randy, and Speed Dog (Two Dollar Radio, September 2020). Photo credit: Two Dollar Radio.
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This recipe is amazing!!! I love queso and buffalo sauce so I was super excited just wished it didn’t use cashews since I’m allergic 🙁 I have to find a good cashew substitute
OMG – super good! I love this combination of hot sauce and creamy vegan cheese. I love this so much on potatoes, roasted cauliflower or toasted tortilla chips. YUMMY!
YESSSS, everyone needs this vegan queso in their life!! It’s so fun trying recipes that are actually used in vegan restaurants—when they aren’t super complicated.
Leave a Comment
Hi! I’m allergic to cashews, could you recommend a replacement?
Thanks!
Steve
Sunflower seeds are a great substitute for cashews! Let us know how you end up liking it!
sooooooo good, omg
This buffalo queso has become a staple in our house! So good!
Love everything about this recipe!
This recipe is amazing!!! I love queso and buffalo sauce so I was super excited just wished it didn’t use cashews since I’m allergic 🙁 I have to find a good cashew substitute
OMG – super good! I love this combination of hot sauce and creamy vegan cheese. I love this so much on potatoes, roasted cauliflower or toasted tortilla chips. YUMMY!
YESSSS, everyone needs this vegan queso in their life!! It’s so fun trying recipes that are actually used in vegan restaurants—when they aren’t super complicated.
This recipe is SO easy and delicious! It’s great for so many things but especially pizza!