Smooth and creamy, there’s nothing better than a big bowl of warm queso dip. This dip recipe is going to be the only one you’ll need once you give it a go. It’s the best white cheese dip and uses real cheese, not velveeta! All you need are a few ingredients, and you can have this restaurant-style queso recipe in no time.
Perfect for dipping chips or taquitos in or drizzling over nachos, burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, or even birria tacos, this cheesy sauce works with everything! You will love how easy it is to make from scratch as well. It’s going to disappear fast, so you’ll want to make extra.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Cornstarch — this helps thicken the homemade queso, making it perfect for dipping!
Evaporated milk — make sure to buy evaporated milk and not sweetened condensed milk. The two cans look similar but are different. Evaporated milk help keeps the dip from separating and turning clumpy as it cools.
Chile — I use canned green chiles, but you can also use jalapeno. Make sure to remove the seeds, so the dip is not too spicy.
Cheese — you can usually find white American cheese at the deli counter of a grocery store. You can ask them to cut off a ¾-pound block for you to shred at home or cut the slices into thin strips.
Tomato — you can dice roma tomato, cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, or even use drained canned diced tomatoes.
How to Make Queso Dip
1. Place the cornstarch in a small bowl. Add a few tablespoons of evaporated milk to the bowl and whisk to dissolve the cornstarch. Set aside.
2. Finely dice the onion and garlic.
3. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, add the onion, and cook until just starting to soften. Stir in the chiles, garlic, and cumin. Cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the remaining evaporated milk and whisk in the cornstarch mixture.
4. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 4 minutes. Adding a small handful at a time, slowly whisk in the cheese until incorporated and melted.
5. Stir in the tomatoes and add salt to taste.
6. Serve immediately topped with chopped cilantro, diced tomatoes, and sliced jalapeños, if desired.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Ideally, you should shred your own cheese for this queso recipe. You can easily do so with a food processor if you do not want to grate the cheese. Pre-shredded cheese tends to be clumpy when it melts, so shredding your own from a block will yield a smoother queso.
- If you cannot find white American cheese at your local grocery store, you can use yellow American cheese instead or replace half of the cheese with pepper jack for a spicier kick. Some people also like to use cheddar cheese, but I prefer the more neutral flavor of American cheese.
- For easier incorporation into the hot milk, let your cheese sit out at room temperature for 10 minutes before starting the recipe.
- Make sure you continuously whisk the queso dip in the saucepan as you melt the cheese, so it stays creamy and melts smoothly.
- Pico de gallo, guacamole, and salsa make for delicious toppings for this recipe as well.
- It is normal for a skin to form on your cheese dip as it sits, but it’s easily dissolved if stirred back into the hot dip.
Frequently Asked Questions
What else can I add to this queso recipe?
If you want to bulk up the queso dip, you can add cooked crumbled chorizo, bacon, or taco meat on top. Just make sure you drain the meat well, so you don’t add any grease to the dip.
How do I store this dip?
You can refrigerate leftover queso in an airtight container for up to 1 week. When ready to enjoy, reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
How do I keep queso warm?
The best way to keep a large batch of this queso recipe warm for a party is by transferring the dip to a slow cooker. Turn on the keep warm setting on the crockpot and occasionally stir the homemade queso dip.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Queso recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Queso Dip
Equipment
- Small saucepan or pot
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 can evaporated milk (12-ounce)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup white onion finely chopped
- 1 can green chiles or diced jalapeno (4-ounce)
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- 8 ounces white American cheese shredded or diced (see Notes)
- ¼ cup diced tomatoes
- salt to taste
Toppings:
- chopped cilantro
- diced tomatoes
- sliced jalapenos
Instructions
- Place the cornstarch in a small bowl. Add a few tablespoons of evaporated milk to the bowl and whisk to dissolve the cornstarch. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until just starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the chiles, garlic, and cumin. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour in the remaining evaporated milk and whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 4 minutes.
- Adding a small handful at a time, slowly whisk in the cheese, until incorporated and all of the cheese is melted. Stir in the tomatoes and add salt to taste. Serve immediately topped with chopped cilantro, diced tomatoes, and sliced jalapeños, if desired.
Notes
- Ideally, you should shred your own cheese for this queso recipe. You can easily do so with a food processor if you do not want to grate the cheese. Pre-shredded cheese tends to be clumpy when it melts, so shredding your own from a block will yield a smoother queso.
- You can usually find white American cheese at the deli counter of a grocery store. You can ask them to cut off a ¾-pound block for you to shred at home or cut the slices into thin strips. If you cannot find white American cheese at your local grocery store, you can use yellow American cheese instead or replace half of the cheese with pepper jack for a spicier kick. Some people also like to use cheddar cheese, but I prefer the more neutral flavor of American cheese.
- For easier incorporation into the hot milk, let your cheese sit out at room temperature for 10 minutes before starting the recipe.
- Make sure you continuously whisk the queso dip in the saucepan as you melt the cheese, so it stays creamy and melts smoothly.
- Pico de gallo, guacamole, and salsa make for delicious toppings for this recipe as well.
- It is normal for a skin to form on your cheese dip as it sits, but it’s easily dissolved if stirred back into the hot dip.
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