Vegan American Cheese and Rotel Dip

March 04, 2014 March 04, 2014/ Morgan

I am not even closed to ashamed to admit that I grew up loving and eating Velveeta! Totally full on loved it. It’s a Tex-Mex staple and that’s what we ate. No shame. And the best dip ever is made with just Velveeta and Ro*Tel. If you’ve never had it don’t worry about it because you can make the vegan version now! Of course I had to remake it!!

I use tapioca starch to make it have that “stretchy” thick cheesy texture. You can find it online or in many grocery stores these days. You can use cornstarch or rice flour instead but it won’t have the same texture – it will just be thicker. It will still taste awesome so don’t worry too much! 

This is the perfect nacho dip for dunking chips, veggies or even pouring over a burrito. I’ve made several batches now and I think I can safely say it is my new favorite dip. 

  • 12oz  (about 1 cup) silken tofu (such as Mori-nu Soft Silken Tofu)
  • 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 Tablespoon miso paste (white, “mellow” or red work! Can’t find it? Use soy sauce/tamari instead.)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 Tablespoons tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour. If you cannot find it you can use rice flour or cornstarch but it won’t have the same texture so try to find tapioca starch sometime!)
  • 1 can Ro*Tel diced tomatoes and green chiles (or about 1.5 cups chunky salsa will work too) 

Blend everything except the can of Ro*Tel together until it’s very smooth (I use my immersion blender for this!) Pour into a small pan and stir in the Ro*Tel (do not drain.) 

Heat the sauce over high heat until it comes to a boil. Make sure you stir constantly while making this sauce so it doesn’t burn or stick to the bottom. Continue to stir while boiling until the sauce becomes thick. Remove from the heat, let it cool enough so that you don’t burn your mouth and eat!