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)
Linda B says
I made this with only a small change my kids and I don’t like chunks of pepers ( chunkage ) in dips so I left out the pepers and added extra of the pickled jalapenos juice and it was the total bomb will be making again… Thank You for the recipe..
Mary Younkin says
You are welcome, Linda. This recipe’s fairly easy to adapt to taste.
Jennifer says
Turns out great since format making it, it is now a staple on weekends.
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad you’re enjoying it, Jennifer.
Andrea says
Delicious! Perfect! At least as good as the restaurant, if not better. So easy to make.
Mary Younkin says
So glad that you like it, Andrea!
Jennifer Hall says
I really want to make this for my staff tomorrow at our Teacher In Service day. Can I make it in the crockpot? If I keep going back to stir it?
Mary Younkin says
That will work fine, Jennifer.
Lisa says
Can I keep this hot in a crock pot for an evening event?
Mary Younkin says
Yes, if your crockpot has a warm setting, that will work perfectly.
Adam G Floro says
Mine was far too thick. For my second try, I swapped the deli cheese for velveeta queso blanco, and added more milk to my desired consistency. I think it was about double.
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad you figured out a way to make it work for you, Adam. I’ve never had it turn out very thick, so I can’t guess what might have gone wrong. Did you sub any ingredients the first time you made it?
Kevin says
Mine did the same. I think too much heat and you basically make a chile infused mozzarella.
Shut up says
Why is it when you search up a recipe for something you get a freaken article instead!! Shut the heck up and just tell people the ingredients and measurements!!!
Mary Younkin says
Well, aren’t you just a peach? Bless your heart for taking the time to tell me how to manage the FREE recipe content I provide on my personal website. The recipe and the full ingredient list is always provided at the bottom of the page, as is standard with every recipe website these days. Just scroll down to the bottom of the post, if that’s all you need. And if you aren’t interested in scrolling through the post, feel free to make use of the handy “jump to recipe” button at the top of the post.
I do my best to provide as much information as possible to avoid the multitude of questions that tend to be inevitable for many recipes, this also helps tell Google and other search engines that all relevant information has been provided – sometimes even more than some people might need/want.
Shelley Vebber says
This is not how food blogs work Shut up. They are sponsored and the idea is that you see the ads and read the story first. Why do you not know this?
DJ says
Why is it people like you have nothing better to do with their life than nit pick on people’s posts so why don’t you go back to your closet shut the door and make up your own perfect recipes n shut the hell up it’s ok to be mad cause you have no friends and can’t cook nor read but don’t take your anger out on other people’s posts
Peter says
I’m trying to make this now but it won’t combine. What could I be doing wrong. I used a solid block of cheese not pre shredded.
Mary Younkin says
Hey Peter, did you cut or tear the sliced cheese up as directed in the recipe? It always looks like it isn’t going to combine, right up until the moment it all stirs together.
Ashley says
This is great! I couldn’t find white American cheese here so used both “Mexican melting cheese” and another Mexican cheese( oxacao?) similar to mozzarella and both tasted amazing and closest to our favorite restaurants’. So much better than the stuff you buy in a jar! FYI I have to figure out how much more milk to add so it wouldn’t set firm once cooled but that’s probably the difference in cheeses. My kids don’t like the flavor of jalapeño so made one with just green Chili’s and added a pinch of cayenne to add some heat to their liking.
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad you like it, Ashley.
tiacon says
This is the best recipe! I’ve made this so many times and it’s always a hit. The only thing I do differently is throw all the ingredients in a pot on the stove and cook on low, stirring often. Addictive!!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad you like it!
Dlynn says
We made this for game night and served alongside a popular jarred version. This recipe was so popular I had to make a second batch before the night even got started! I appreciate the simplicity of the recipe and will be making it on a regular basis. Thanks so much for posting.
Mary Younkin says
I’m so happy to hear that you loved it!
Jan Clark says
Awesome!!! Easy to put together…Now I don’t have to stop at my favorite Mexican restaurant to get some to go!!! Thank you! Was Delicious!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so happy to hear that you’re enjoying the queso, Jan!
Scarlett says
Thank you so much for this recipe. My queso blanco came out far too thin. Does it need to cool to thicken?
Mary Younkin says
It should thicken a bit as it cools, Scarlett.
Sue says
This is a crowd pleaser. Each time I’ve served it, people ask for the recipe.
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the queso, Sue.
Maddy says
I don’t have white american cheese, am I able to use pepper jack?
Mary Younkin says
American cheese is the only cheese I’ve found that melts perfectly smooth like traditional queso. It’s worth trying with pepperjack, but I can’t speak to whether or not it will melt smoothly.
AS says
Can this be made on the stove? Or another method other than microwave?
Mary Younkin says
Yes, you can cook it over low heat on the stove if you stir constantly.
Desiree says
Very easy to make, not the most flavorful. Would make it again with some tweaks to up the heat and overall taste..
Mary Younkin says
I love how adjustable it is, Desiree. My guys often kick up the heat a good bit. Glad you figured out a way to make it work for you.
Judith says
I don’t know what I did wrong but there was too much liquid and it never got the right consistency
Mary Younkin says
Did it thicken as it cools? Typically, it’s very thin until it is done in the microwave and then it stirs together smoothly.
Holly H says
Mix and came out far too watery. I searched everywhere for white American cheese and no store in our area had it. I did several searches and website said that Monterey Jack could be a substitute for white American in queso. I’m guessing that’s not the case as my never mixed correctly. Has anyone found a substitute that works? Again I cannot find white American cheese anywhere near me.
Mary Younkin says
Unfortunately, Monterey Jack will not work the same. We’ve made this with plain old yellow American cheese too (we’ve even used Kraft singles in a pinch.) If you ask at the deli, most stores I’ve tried carry it. I hope that helps!
Holly Hansen says
Finally got it!! Found the right cheese. Used 4oz milk and no water. It’s delicious but is missing that “bite”. More jalapeño?
Mary Younkin says
That’s right. For a little more heat, just up the jalapeno and/or green chile. Enjoy!
Shannon Jackson says
I’ve made this recipe a million times and it turns out beautifully. But then tonight, I added some leftover Monterey Jack to the mix and the dip ended up grainy and awful. I learned the hard way that Monterey won’t work.
Jerrie says
Keyboard bullies are the worst!!!!! Thank you for doing your research and sharing this recipe. The time and energy that you put into this shows. Please excuse rude people.