LUXURIOUSLY SMOOTH QUESO MADE WITH REAL CHEESE. BETTER THAN A MEXICAN RESTAURANT!
A popular Tex-Mex dip, this rich and velvety Queso Dip recipe is a winner! Flavour packed with onion, garlic, jalapeños, tomatoes, cilantro and spices. Move over Velveeta! There’s nothing like a good Queso dip made with real cheese to dunk your fried tortillas or corn chips!
QUESO
Ahhhh Queso. A world famous cheese dip made even more spectacular with special additions to make your guests love it even more that any regular dip. Some cheese dips start off great, but as they begin to cool down, they can become grainy and clumpy.
To combat this result, we use a secret weapon: evaporated milk! You’ve seen it make an appearance in many of our recipes, including our super popular creamy hot chocolate and reader favourite Slow Cooker Tortellini Soup. My solution to get a perfect consistency in creamy recipes without giving you a gluggy floury after-taste.
Our Queso recipe is no exception!
HOW TO MAKE QUESO DIP
SUPER simple to make and quick to throw together in a pot OR right in the skillet you’re serving in, as pictured above. Just let cool slightly before serving.
Start with your flavour base:
Sauté green onions: white parts only for a deeper flavour, reserving the green parts of the onion to stir through right at the end. 1 bunch of green onions is the perfect amount, then add fresh garlic.
Add tomatoes: use finely diced Roma, cherry or grape tomatoes for a sweeter flavour. Make sure you throw in those tomato juices as well!
Spices: We use fire roasted green chiles to get that smoky flavour through the dip, but you can use pickled jalapeños OR fresh chiles. The choice is yours! Ground cumin, onion powder and cayenne pepper add to the flavour profile but can be substituted for whatever you have on hand, or omitted completely.
Make your dip is mild or as hot as you like by adding more cayenne or throw in some red chili powder or hot sauce. The beauty of our queso dip is how forgiving it is!
Create that smooth, silky sauce!
A combination of cornstarch and evaporated milk creates that silky smooth sauce. Let them simmer together and thicken slightly before adding your cheese.
TIP: Taste test dip with the chips you’re serving them with so as not to over-salt! Adjust seasonings if needed.
Take the experience to a whole other level by frying up your own Tortilla chips! Just cut tortillas into triangles (you should get 8 pieces per tortilla); shallow fry in oil, drain on a paper towel lined plate and season straight away with flaky sea salt.
You’ll love them more than store bought chips!
MORE DIP RECIPES
Buffalo Chicken Dip
Guacamole
Spinach Artichoke Dip with Bacon
Easy Satay Dipping Sauce
Avocado Hummus
Queso (Mexican Cheese Dip)
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound 225 g fresh Cheddar cheese, shredded (smoked, sharp or American cheddar)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3/4 cup green onions, finely chopped
- 2 large cloves garlic minced
- 3.5 oz (100 g) diced tomatoes, (Roma, grape or cherry tomatoes)
- 1/2 teaspoon each ground cumin and onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, (add more to taste if desired)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch cornflour
- 13 oz (375 g) evaporated milk, (full fat)
- 4 oz 120 g fire roasted green chiles, (or jalapeños)
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Instructions
- Melt butter in a medium-sized pot over medium-heat. Sauté the green onions (white parts only) for 4 minutes, until soft. Then add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the tomatoes in with juices with the chiles, cumin, onion powder and cayenne pepper. Cook while stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes until soft and fragrant.
- Mix cornstarch into the pot, then pour in the evaporated milk, stirring well to combine.
- Bring to a boil, then add the cheese, mixing well. Cook, while stirring, until cheese just melts through the milk and transforms into a smooth sauce. Take off heat immediately.
- Stir in cilantro, green onions (reserved green parts) and season with salt to taste if needed. Mix well.Serve warm.Tip: Queso thickens when cooled.
CBacher says
Super yummy!I Used 1 10oz can of Rotel Hot fire roasted tomatoes enstead of 2 seperate cans of chiles and tomatoes. Also 13oz was an odd amount of milk, evaporated milk comes in 12oz can, and I only used one. Also I added a tsp of cayenne , I lik it hot:) Very tasty! Will be making again!! Ty!!:)
jodi says
love this recipe! do you know if this can be frozen? My husband is a huge fan, this works perfect with tacos, his favorite meal.
Mart says
CRAZY GOOD. Made this almost exactly. Used half normal cheddar, half processed cheddar ( thats what I had in the cupboard) and lef out the cayenne and used smoked jalapeño chillies In adobo ( great product from an amazing local mexican place here in Cape Town) I can totally live on this!!!
Sophie says
Hi
Can i make this ahead of time and reheat on the stove?
Thanks
Aly says
This was perfect. It was a hit for everyone. No adjustments, we added a bit more cayenne, like optionally suggested.
Lilliana says
can you substitute regular 2% milk instead of evaporated milk?
Britt says
Don’t think you can probably substitute sweetened condensed milk for the evaporated milk. They are very different things. 🙁
Valerie says
Super happy with the outcome of this recipe — definitely on repeat! I used my electric fondue pot to keep the dip warm for serving. As I am more likely to have evaporated milk and block cheese on hand than Velveeta, so I appreciated that this recipe made use of what I consider ‘staples’ in my house. A suggestion, if I may? In the ingredient list, with the exception of the green onion, the components were listed in their recipe-ready state (cheese, shredded; tomatoes, diced; garlic, minced; etc.). Might you consider adding “white and green parts separated” to the green onion line? I combined the two as I prepped and may not have separated them when I discovered I was supposed to add them independently. {grin} I am by no means being critical — I mention it only because prep notes were included with the other ingredients and I find things like that to be quite helpful in the kitchen.
Sabena Sabena says
Just made it and loved it. Here in Indonesia we doesnt have the peppers so replaced with one similar to serrano and it’s still perfect! Love you for posting and sharing this.
Gina says
Made it. Loved it. Making it again right now.
New favourite recipe site.
Ben says
Smashed it out of the park! You rock my world. Best Queso the texture is outstanding. Love your work as always.
Mark says
YES YES YES THIS QUESO TURNED OUT BRILLIANTLY! The best dip I ever made. Thank you Karina!
Bethy says
Oh my gosh we just made this and it’s hard to not drink it out of the pan. The fried tortilla chips are a brilliant idea! Also the buffalo chicken dip, cowboy caviar and wedges all gone in seconds. Now I’m showing everyone your blog while we wait for the game to start.