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)
Rebecca George-Burrs says
Has anyone had success making this ahead of time, freezing it, and reheating?
Mary Younkin says
Rebecca, I have never tried it.
robbyn says
easy and absolutely delicious! glad i kept looking for “pickled” jalapeños i thought any normal jarred jalapeños were considered pickled but it found actual pickled jalapeños
i used a wand blender to chop jalapeños with the milk and then added to the cheese and worked awesome
thanks so much for the recipe i’m already making it again!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad you like the recipe, Robbyn!
Vnikolic says
Flavor is awesome, but texture is grainy vs smooth…
Mary Younkin says
Did you substitute a different cheese by any chance? American cheese is the only cheese I’ve found that melts perfectly smooth.
Shelly says
Could this be done in a crock pot?
Mary Younkin says
Absolutely. I have a small one just for this purpose.
Mary says
Was probably cooked past the melting point and curdled
R says
Excellent, thank you for this recipe!
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad you like it!
Shelley says
My kids loved this recipe. I made it milder and just used the green chilies and omitted the jalapeños. Hero for tonight.
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad it was a hit, Shelley!
Bill says
Love this stuff! Easy and the Thanksgiving crowd loved it. How long do you suppose it would last refrigerated (assuming you can keep everyone out of it)?
Mary Younkin says
That is a big assumption on your part, Bill, and not possible in my house, but 3-5 days should be fine. Good luck!
Emily says
I just made this and it tastes like a local restaurant made it. Very good and super easy. I used heavy whipping cream instead.
Cheryl Lubratovic says
I made this exactly as the recipe says and it did not thicken up. It was like milk. I had to add the other half pound of cheese for it to thicken up like queso! Luckily I bought a pound of cheese.
Mary Younkin says
Did you cook it for the full amount of time, stirring frequently until completely smooth? It should be very liquid initially and thicken up significantly within about ten minutes of cooling. I’m not sure how you would’ve even been able to add another half pound of cheese. Was this shredded cheese? I’ve only made it exactly as written and it turns out exactly the same every time. I do hate when new recipes don’t turn out, so I can appreciate your frustration, Cheryl. Unfortunately, without being in your kitchen with you it’s hard for me to guess what might have gone wrong.
Abbi says
THE ABSOLUTE best. I just made this and I must say that this recipe just saved our saddened hearts here in hawaii where you can find no white queso in any Mexican restaurants or stores. We have been suffering for years 😉 Thank you for this! My only complaint is that I didn’t find it sooner.
Mary Younkin says
That is awesome to hear, Abbi. I am so glad your family loves it!
Bert Hone says
Tastes exactly like the cheese dip at Mexican restaurants. You nailed it!!!!! Thank you, Bert
Mary Younkin says
Yay! I’m so glad you like it, Bert.
Fonda Marshall says
I found sliced Land of Lakes white American cheese prepackaged in my Kroger deli will that work?
Mary Younkin says
That will work perfectly, Fonda.
Blanca Daniel says
Can this be Prepared and kept warm in a crockpot?
Mary Younkin says
Yes, it can, Blanca. Keep your crock pot on warm or low and stir often.
Patricia says
Is it possible to make this on the stove?
Mary Younkin says
Sure thing, Patricia. You’ll just need to keep the heat very low and watch closely while stirring.
Shelby Olsen says
I love this dip! I didn’t have white American cheese, but I tried it with yellow American. We live In a small town and I couldn’t find the pickled jalapenos, so I looked up a recipe. It was a basic pickle recipe, using jalapenos, instead of cucumbers. So, I used some of the juice and cut up part of a jalapeno.
It turned out great! My oldest son and I ate the whole batch on New Year’s Eve!
I made it again on New Year’s Day for a get-together at my youngest son’s home. It is so good!
Mary Younkin says
It is not hard to eat a mass amount of this dip, Shelby.
Michelle Bogusky says
I made your queso dip and it was absolutely delicious! I omitted the jalapeños and just used the green chiles as I didn’t want it to spicy. Thanks for sharing!😀
Mary Younkin says
We enjoy it that way too, Michelle. So many ways to customize it to your liking.
Worked at a Mexican restaurant 6 years says
SO good. It was a hit at work. I did double up jalapeno juice and added an extra half table spoon of diced jalapenos but it was amazing. Tastes exactly like the restaurant queso 😋😋
Mary Younkin says
That is high praise. Thank you so much.
Elana says
I didn’t have whole milk, so I used what I had in the fridge – 1% milk. I added half the water and it turned out great!
Mary Younkin says
Good to know that worked, Elana.
MollieBee says
Hi Mary,
If Making this in a crock pot, how long to cook it and what setting?
Mary Younkin says
Mollie – I would suggest following the microwave directions and then put on warm or low in the crock pot.
Shelby says
How important is the “pickled” jalapeño? Could it be jarred “sliced tame” jalepenos?
Mary Younkin says
You simply need jarred jalapenos or even canned ones. That will work great, Shelby.
Elaine says
Is there another name that white American cheese goes by as I can’t find it in the markets? Maybe white cheddar?
Mary Younkin says
It is not the same as white cheddar. You can use any color of American cheese in the deli. Happy queso making!