How Do They Make White Cheese Dip at Mexican Restaurants
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 my Queso Blanco recipe about five minutes in the microwave to get fully melted and combined. Yours 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.
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.
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 the Hot Bean Dip too!
Kitchen Tip: I use this bowl and this spatula to make this recipe.
Queso Blanco Dip 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!
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Servings: 8 servings, about 1/4 cup each
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- 1/2 pound White American Cheese roughly chopped into 1" pieces
- 2 tablespoons chopped green chiles frozen or canned will work fine
- 1 tablespoon pickled jalapeno slices diced fine
- 1 tablespoon juice from the pickled jalapenos
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/4 cup water
- dash of cumin
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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.
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Serve hot, poured over just about anything that you want to make more delicious. Enjoy!
The recipe is made with simple white American cheese (not to be confused with another cheese product that is shelf stable). I found both Boars Head and Land o' Lakes American cheese in the deli section at my grocery store.
Calories: 113 kcal · Carbohydrates: 2 g · Protein: 5 g · Fat: 9 g · Saturated Fat: 5 g · Cholesterol: 29 mg · Sodium: 491 mg · Potassium: 55 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 1 g · Vitamin A: 305 IU · Vitamin C: 3 mg · Calcium: 308 mg · Iron: 1 mg
{originally posted 10-4-13 – recipe notes and photos updated 4-17-20)
Filed under: Appetizers & Snacks, Dips, Mexican, Recipes, Sauces
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Hi, I'm Mary. I'm the author, cook, photographer, and travel lover behind the scenes here at Barefeet In The Kitchen. I'm also the author of three cookbooks dedicated to making cooking from scratch as simple as possible.
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How Do They Make White Cheese Dip at Mexican Restaurants
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