Queso Blanco Dip is a creamy, spicy, perfectly smooth and cheesy dip just like they serve at your favorite Mexican restaurant. Queso blanco is a melted cheese dip that’s delicious every which way you eat it.
I’ve had a lot of pretty good queso dip in my life. I mean, we’re talking ooey gooey melted cheese with Mexican flavors. What’s not to like about that?
Still, I have no qualms saying that the Queso Blanco recipe I’m sharing today is the BEST Queso Blanco Dip I’ve had. It’s not just a fine-tasting easy dish to set out with a bag of chips for parties. This Queso Blanco recipe is so tasty that I found myself wanting to add it to just about everything.
Smother a burrito with this queso, pour it on a burger, drizzle it across roasted potatoes, pour it over Spanish rice, layer in into nachos or dip your chips in it. However you enjoy this Queso Blanco Dip, it’s sure to knock your socks off.
Queso Blanco Dip
There is just enough heat in this Queso Blanco Dip to keep you coming back for one more bite.
The heat in the cheese comes from the addition of pickled jalapenos and green chiles. It’s easy to adjust the amounts of each ingredient to suit your spice preferences and tolerance.
If you like your queso extra hot, double up on the peppers. I’ve made this dip exactly as written and I’ve made it twice as hot. We all loved it as written below and my husband and my oldest son especially enjoyed it with the extra heat.
I promise it’s not overwhelmingly spicy as written, but you could also reduce the peppers by half if you prefer a mild Queso Blanco Dip. It’ll still be creamy, flavorful, and completely delicious.
My family has always enjoyed the queso we’ve had at Mexican restaurants. I’ve tried over the years to recreate our favorite restaurant-style Queso Blanco to no avail.
Every version of cheesy dips I’ve made over the past couple years was never quite right. The queso recipes were all okay but nothing ever wowed me. Every cheese I tried, from the fancy ones to the not so fancy ones, failed to produce the perfectly creamy sauce that is found in Mexican restaurants.
Then, I ran across my friend Nikki’s recipe. It was given to her by a reader who worked at a Mexican restaurant and I couldn’t believe how perfect it was or how easy. I am thrilled with this recipe!
How to Make Queso
Once you learn how to make queso, you’re likely to never order it from a restaurant again. It takes no more than the right combination of ingredients, a microwave and five minutes.
The BEST Queso Blanco Dip starts with combining white American cheese, chopped green chiles and pickled jalapenos in a bowl. Milk, water, cumin and just a little juice from the pickled jalapenos are added before the whole thing goes in the microwave.
I’ve used Boar’s Head and Land o’ Lakes brands of white American cheese with good success. This cheese is usually found in the deli section of the grocery store. Be sure not to confuse it with the shelf-stable American cheese product.
When you’re making queso dip in the microwave, it’s extremely important to pause after every minute or so to stir everything together. The first couple of times you pull the bowl out to stir the queso, it will look watery. Don’t worry; the cheese dip will come together and thicken after a few minutes.
It takes about five minutes in the microwave for the cheese to fully melt and combined. It may take more or less time depending on the strength of your microwave. When the dip is thick and creamy, you know it’s ready.
Serve this dip piping hot and don’t be surprised when it disappears quickly, especially if you have a household full of cheese lovers like us.
Queso Blanco Dip Recipe
Kitchen Tip: I use this bowl and this spatula to make this recipe.
- Combine all ingredients in a medium-size glass bowl.
- Microwave for five minutes, pausing to stir every minute. The dip will look watery at first but it will thicken as it cooks.
- Serve hot over anything you want to make more delicious! Enjoy!
This is wonderful on all kinds of tacos from Red Chile Chicken Tacos to Bacon and Egg Breakfast Tacos. (In my book, Queso Blanco is acceptable at any time of day, even breakfast.)
Queso Blanco is also a tasty addition to burgers like these Filthy Burgers with barbecue pulled pork, beef and bacon. For a really delicious variation on this dip, try adding corn and bell peppers to your next batch of queso. The result is a fantastic Corn Queso Dip that you won’t be able to stop eating.
Of course, much of the time this Queso Blanco Dip never makes it into another recipe. We just end up eating this straight out of the bowl with tortilla chips. There are never any complaints; My family loves this Queso Blanco Dip and the kids request it frequently.
That said, this cheddar version of homemade Nacho Cheese Sauce caught my eye this week and it is calling my name for our next family movie night. (I could never have too many cheese dips!) Best of all, it’s made with just a handful of ingredients just like this easy recipe.
For another terrific hot snacking option, try this Hot Bean Dip too!
The BEST Queso Blanco Dip
Ingredients
- ½ pound White American Cheese roughly chopped into 1″ pieces
- 2 tablespoons chopped green chile frozen or canned will work fine
- 1 tablespoon pickled jalapeno slices diced fine
- 1 tablespoon juice from the pickled jalapenos
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup water
- dash of cumin
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a medium size glass bowl. Microwave for five minutes, pausing to stir after every minute. The dip will be very watery at first, but it will thicken as it finishes cooking.
- Serve hot, poured over just about anything that you want to make more delicious. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
{originally posted 10-4-13 – recipe notes and photos updated 12/27/22)
Jen G says
OMG, this was so wonderful, next time I am doubling it!!!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad that you love it, Jen!
Stacee says
Wow, it worked! I’ll admit I was skeptical, but it totally worked!!! Thank you
Mary Younkin says
I’m so happy that you love it, Stacee!
Amy says
Yummmm looks wonderful
Mary Younkin says
Thanks, Amy!
Iris says
Help i made this dip as listed it just separated into a mass of melted cheese and whey i followed the recipe exactly
Mary Younkin says
Hi Iris, did you stop the microwave to stir the dip every 60 seconds as the directions describe? If you don’t stir every minute, the dip won’t turn out smooth or creamy.
Laree Blagg says
I followed this exactly like instructions said. I did use Montery Jack Cheese. Just a big blob of cheese and milky liquid.
Mary Younkin says
I’m guessing it didn’t cook long enough, Laree. It stay separate as you’ve described right up until the end when stirring it pulls everything together.
Susanne says
Definitely going to try this! Anything made with white American cheddar has to be delish!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad that you like it, Susanne.
Tara says
So good! I made this for the first time a couple of weeks ago and have made it at least two more times since then. I think I need to buy stock in white American cheese now 🙂 My husband and kids love it…, it tastes just like the queso from our favorite local Mexican restaurant. Thank you for the recipe!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so happy to hear that you love the queso, Tara!
Patti says
We love queso blanco dip at our house and right not we can’t find it at the grocery store so I tried this dip last night. It turned out great! I followed the recipe as written and it all came together nicely. It did boil over during the 4th minute, maybe my microwave is higher wattage?? Anyway, I just needed to stir it and it was fine. Next time I will try 30 seconds after that 3rd minute. I will also add extra jalapeno but that’s personal taste. Thanks for sharing your the recipe!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad you like the queso, Patti!
Claire says
This recipe sounds delicious! I do not own a microwave, could this be made on the stove?
Mary Younkin says
Absolutely, Claire. Just stir constantly over medium low heat.
Sherri says
Made this today. I omitted the water but added some pico instead. It’s a bit runnier than I’d like but it has a great taste to it. Added fuzzy dust in place of the cumin. If you’ve ever ate at Fuzzy’s Tacos you know what fuzzy dust is. There’s actually a recipe for it on pinterest if you’re interested. They sprinkle it on chips. Yummy ! I just wished I had a bit more cheese but my fault for adding too much liquid with the pico. I’ll be making this again and again!! Thanks for the recipe!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad that you like the queso, Sherri!
Gerri Bigler says
I’ve tried several recipes and have always been disappointed. This was wonderful!! It was a bit too watery, and didn’t thicken, so I tossed in some shredded monterey jack I had in the fridge. Perfect!! Thank you!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad you like it, Gerri!
Kristy says
I just had to comment and say this is by far THE WORST queso recipe I’ve ever made. I’m crying over the stove trying to make this… Manageable. Literally. Horrible.
Mary Younkin says
First of all, sorry to hear you’re crying over the queso, Kristy. That said, it’s intended to be a microwave recipe. Yes, you can make it on the stove, but it needs to be super low heat until everything comes together and it’s smooth. Unfortunately, you didn’t give me any description of the problem whatsoever, so I can’t really troubleshoot it with you.
Jodi says
Is there a way to cook this without a microwave? We don’t have one but would like to try this recipe. Thanks!
Mary Younkin says
You can cook this on the stovetop over very low heat, Jodi. Just remember to stir constantly.
Jean McC says
Thanks for posting this!! Where did you get the tin ware in your photo? It’s a perfect serving dish.
Mary Younkin says
Hi Jean, I’m so glad you like the queso. I love that little cast iron crock so much that I actually bought it from a local restaurant – right off our table.
Jonathon Long says
came out grainey and liquidy, cheese congealed at the bottom
Mary Younkin says
That’s not how it should have turned out, if made according to directions, Jonathon. Did you by chance substitute any ingredients?
Alicia says
Made this for Dinner and it was delish!!!!! I didn’t even follow the recipe exact. I use what I had on hand… I used less amount of cheese don’t really know the amount I just guessed at it. I used Almond Milk instead of regular milk (on a low carb diet). With that being said, I just guessed at the amount of water and milk since I didn’t use the amount of cheese that this recipe called for. I only let mine go in Microwave for 3 minutes…… I put it over some shrimp and peppers fajitas….and this sauce combined with the homemade marinade I made for the peppers and shrimp combined was nothing short of perfection ….truly delish….I think when people get to cooking and miss the mark when trying different recipes from awesome blogs such as this, they put to much thought into it…You can always go back and add more of the necessary ingredients to get the right Taste and Texture……….Thanks for sharing.
Mary Younkin says
I’m so happy to hear that it worked so well for you, Alicia.
Jo says
You can buy this in the chip dept all made in a jar and pour out and micro. Was really good.
Mary Younkin says
I’ll take cheesy queso pretty much any way I can get it, Jo. Happy snacking!
Jen says
It’s been very challenging to find our favorite queso lately, so we decided give this a shot. While it’s not our usual queso, this is so very yummy and will become a staple in the house when I feel the urge for queso. It was very thin after cooking the 5 minutes in the microwave so we added some additional cheese which overpowered the queso but all in all it was acceptable and delicious. Will definitely make again!
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad you like the queso, Jen! It will thicken a good bit as it cools too.
Kristin says
Been searching for the perfect queso recipe, and this is it! Did mine on the stove instead of the microwave and it turned out great! There were no leftovers!
Mary Younkin says
I’m thrilled that you love it, Kristin.
Stephanie Harrity says
Could you make this and keep it in a small crock pot on warm for dipping throughout the night at a party?
Mary Younkin says
That will work nicely, Stephanie.
Angela says
This dip is so delicious! Thank you for sharing it! My sister made it at her house one day and I had to have the recipe! I’m making it right now as I type this. I love queso but this one is seriously one of the best I’ve ever had!
Mary Younkin says
That’s great to hear, Angela. I’m thrilled that you love it as much as we do.
Buck.Rose says
All great actions and thoughts have a negligible beginning.