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Author:
Isabel
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This homemade Queso Dip recipe is easy to make and comes out creamy and smooth every time! Now you can make your favorite restaurant queso at home!
Getting an order of chips and queso whenever I go to a Mexican restaurant is an absolute must. What’s not to love about melted cheese paired with fresh tortilla chips? And a margarita on the side, of course. I just can’t help myself – it’s one of my favorite things in the world!
Growing up, I used to make the classic Velveeta cheese dip. You know the kind I’m talking about. A block of Velveeta, a jar of chunky salsa and a splash of milk. I used to love that stuff. In fact, I still do! But today I want to use the real stuff. 100% real cheese.
I’ve made it my mission to come up with the best queso dip recipe I can possibly make. And I’m proud to say that I finally did it.
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The Creamiest Queso Recipe
After experimenting and making 3 different test batches of homemade queso dip, I’ve finally perfected this recipe so that it comes out luxuriously creamy every time. The secret ingredient?
Cream cheese.
The cream cheese holds all the melted shredded cheeses together and keeps the queso silky smooth for a longer period of time compared to using no cream cheese at all. Which means you can sit back and enjoy your queso without having to worry about it getting chunky or hard once you take it off the heat.
How to Make Queso Dip
- Heat a large saute pan over low to medium heat. Add butter and melt.
- Add onions, garlic, jalapeno and salt. Saute for 5 minutes, until vegetables soften and become fragrant.
- Add 3/4 cups of milk and cream cheese. Stir continuously until cream cheese has melted and is mostly smooth, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
- Add shredded cheeses in small increments, stirring each increment into the mixture until it has completely melted before adding the next.
- Stir in the remaining 3/4 cups of milk until fully combined. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the red salsa. Serve immediately.
Tips for making The Best queso
- Buy block cheese instead of the pre-shredded kind. The pre-shredded cheese at the grocery store is often covered with additives that are meant to reduce clumping, which doesn’t always produce the best texture when melted.
- For the creamiest results, use whole milk.
- If the queso dip is too thick, stir in a splash of milk until it reaches your desired consistency.
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4.58 from 162 votes
Easy Queso Dip Recipe
servings: 8 servings
Print Pin Review Save
Prep: 15 minutes minutes
Cook: 20 minutes minutes
Total: 35 minutes minutes
This Mexican Queso Dip recipe is easy to make and comes out creamy and smooth every time! Like your favorite restaurant queso at home!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ medium onion, minced (yellow or white)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeño pepper minced (seeds removed if you don’t want it spicy)
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups milk, divided
- 8 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes
- 6 ounces mild cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 ½ cups)
- 6 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 1 ½ cups)
- 2 tablespoons red salsa*, plus more to taste
Instructions
Melt the butter in a large sauté pan or deep skillet over medium heat.
Add in the onion, garlic, jalapeño and salt and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften and become very fragrant.
Add in ¾ cups of milk and cream cheese. Stir continuously until the cream cheese has melted and is mostly smooth, about 5 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low and add in the shredded cheeses in batches, stirring each batch into the mixture until it has completely melted before adding the next.
Stir in the remaining ¾ cups of milk until fully combined.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the salsa. Taste and add more if desired. Serve immediately with tortilla chips.
Notes
- Red salsa: You can use your favorite smooth or chunky red salsa. For a smoky flavor, use 2 tablespoons of minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce instead.
- If the queso dip is too thick, stir in a splash of milk until it reaches your desired consistency.
- For the creamiest results, use whole milk.
- I recommend buying block cheese and shredding it yourself instead of buying pre-shredded cheese. The pre-shredded cheese at the grocery store is often covered with additives that are meant to reduce clumping, which doesn’t always produce the best texture when melted.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 319kcal (16%), Carbohydrates: 8g (3%), Protein: 13g (26%), Fat: 26g (40%), Saturated Fat: 16g (80%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 0g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 91mg (30%), Sodium: 705mg (29%), Potassium: 183mg (5%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 4g (4%), Vitamin A: 1050IU (21%), Vitamin C: 7.4mg (9%), Calcium: 390mg (39%), Iron: 1.1mg (6%)
Author: Isabel Orozco-Moore
Category: Mexican
4.58 from 162 votes (135 ratings without comment)
Leave a Reply
Jen
This turned out great! I put it in a crock pot for my Halloween party and everyone loved it. I used extra milk to keep it extra creamy throughout the night!Reply
Rachel
Would this recipe work for a crockpot? Maybe cook on stove and keep on warm in crockpot? Very excited to try this!
Reply
Ana @ Isabel Eats
Hi Rachel! Yes this should work!
Reply
SueBee
Did this work? Any adjustments?Reply
Mike Binder
Everyone loved itReply
Randy
This is my go-to Queso recipe, hands down. The only change I make is to reduce the cream cheese from 8 oz to about 6 oz. I also prefer the original version, which called for one 10 oz can of Rotel chopped tomatoes with green chilis, drained as opposed to the red salsa. If you have issues with the texture, I can almost guarantee that you have the heat too high. I’ve made that mistake before and the result is not delicious. That said, follow the recipe; start on medium low and then reduce to low, stirring constantly. Perfect every time!Reply
See AlsoCrispy Bean and Cheese BurritosAna @ Isabel Eats
Thank you so much for sharing Randy!
Reply
Mike
I would say if it came out lumpy, it’s on you. It’s a delicious queso.Reply
Mike
Turned out smooth and fantastic.Reply
Mike
I didn’t think it would work sauté in the butter with the peppers and onions, worked fantastic, I believe the best queso ever made. Again fantastic.
Reply
Ron
Just tried it and it was not good. Just tasted chalky.
Reply
Ana @ Isabel Eats
Hi Ron. We’re sorry to hear that, thank you for your feedback.
Reply
Michelle B
Was excited to try this. Haven’t found a queso recipe yet that lives up to the claim of being smooth and creamy. Unfortunately this didn’t either. Followed the recipe exactly but it turned out clumpy not smooth. Tastes good but texture is weirdReply
KP
YummyReply
Audrey B
Love a good Queso, I decided to throw in some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce too for that smoky spicy flavor 10/10
Reply
linda ledesma soto
There are WAY too many tomatoes in the “can” tomatoes & chilis, is there another “brand” that is not so tomato y?Reply
Ana @ Isabel Eats
Hi Linda! I’m not sure about that. Next time you may try only using half the can of tomatoes so that it’s to your liking. I hope this helps!
Reply
Alice
Try using a 4 or 8oz can of green chilis. That’s what I always use because I don’t like tomatoes.
Reply
Joy E. Powers
I thought it turned out great, just how the recipe said! Hot queso! Yum!Reply
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