Smooth and silky queso blanco dip, made using real cheese, that tastes like the one from your favorite Tex-Mex restaurant! Packed with flavor, yet so easy to make, and party ready in just 20 minutes!
This is one of my Dip recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
It’s no secret that I love Tex-Mex food, and queso is a must have!
We don’t go out to eat often, but when we do, most of time it’s to a Mexican restaurant, and we always order some queso.
Sometimes plain queso, and sometimes queso with chorizo (so good!), but we just go to town on that cheese dip and chips!
You can buy jars of white queso (sometimes called queso blanco) at the grocery store, but I would rather make my own so I can control the ingredients and make it just the way we like it.
This recipe is super easy, and is ready in 20 minutes or less!
Why you’ll love this recipe!
Who doesn’t love a bowl of creamy and silky queso?
- Easy – this recipe is incredibly simple, in fact, cubing up the cheese is the most difficult part!
- Customize-able – whether you prefer your queso mild or spicy, with a meat topping, etc, I’ve got you covered in the “variations of this recipe” section below.
- Versatile – obviously we all love dipping chips into queso, but it’s also fabulous drizzled over tacos, smothering burritos or chimichangas, spooned over some southwest stuffed potatoes, etc.
What do I need to make this recipe?
- Evaporated milk – this adds creaminess, but evaporated milk doesn’t tend to curdle, so it makes this recipe more fool-proof.
- White american cheese – I know it sounds weird, but this is the cheese that gives the queso that classic restaurant-style taste.
- Pepper Jack cheese – this cheese adds a bit of heat, as well as creaminess.
- Diced green chiles – you can use mild or hot.
- Jalapeños – you can use jarred slices and dice them yourself, or pick up a jar of the pre-diced ones.
- Jalapeño juice – this isn’t pictured, but just scoop out a tablespoon from the jar.
How to make restaurant-style white queso:
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Warm. Add the milk, green chiles, jalapeños, and juice, and heat until warmed through.
- Add cheese. Add the cheese right to the saucepan and stir until melted.
- Serve. Top with tomateos, jalapeños and cilantro and serve warm.
Helpful Tip!
I do highly recommend picking up blocks of white american cheese and pepper jack, rather than using anything pre-shredded/sliced. Many of those are coated in a substance that prevents clumping, and that doesn’t allow the cheese to melt as well as it should.
Variations of this recipe
- Milk – I’ve only tested this recipe with evaporated milk, but I think it would also work well with other types of dairy (such as half and half or whole milk). Just keep an eye on it so it doesn’t come to a boil or curdle at all.
- American cheese – while I haven’t tested it, I think using an equal amount of Velveeta’s queso blanco would work well. I don’t love the texture of Velveeta, but this is your queso, not mine 🙂
- Pepper jack – we love the added kick from this cheese, but you can replace it with an equal amount of additional white american cheese.
- Spicier – if you’re a fan of the heat, you can use medium or hot green chiles and jalapeños, use more, add some cayenne pepper, etc.
- More mild – to reduce the heat, make sure you’re using mild green chiles and diced jalapeños. You could also omit either the green chiles or jalapeños, but I wouldn’t omit both, as they add a lot of flavor.
- Meat – for a fun twist, add some spiced ground beef (we like to use taco seasoning), ground chorizo, or a mix of both! Just make sure you’ve drained the meat REALLY well, or you can make your sauce greasy.
- Other topping options – I like to serve this queso topped with some sliced jalapeños, diced tomatoes, and some minced cilantro.
FAQ’s
No, I don’t make any claims of authenticity when it comes to this recipe. This is simply my version of the dip our family loves from our local tex-mex restaurants.
I haven’t tested this recipe in a slow cooker/crockpot, so I can’t say for certain. However, I *think* it would work well, provided you stir it every 30-60 minutes to make sure the cheese is melting well. I do like to transfer it from the stovetop to keep it warm in a slow cooker for parties and big dinners though!
Making white queso ahead of time
This recipe doesn’t take much time to come together, but if you’d rather make this dip ahead of time, you absolutely can.
Just whisk it as it reheats, adding a splash of milk if it’s too thick for your liking.
Storage
Leftovers should be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Reheat either on the stovetop or in the microwave. If queso is too thick, add a splash of milk when reheating.
More Tex-Mex Style Recipes:
My Favorite Saucepan!
I know this is an expensive brand, but I wanted to be honest with you about the pan I use to make sauces like this queso, and this All-Clad pan is it. You can certainly use any brand of saucepan you’d like, just make sure it has a heavy bottom (look for reviews mentioning even heat distribution).
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
Queso
- 2 cans (12 oz each) evaporated milk
- 16 oz block white american cheese
- 8 oz block pepper jack cheese
- 4 oz can diced green chiles drained
- 1 Tbsp jarred diced jalapeños
- 1 Tbsp juice from jalapeño jar
Garnishes
- sliced jalapeños
- diced tomatoes
- minced fresh cilantro
Instructions
Prep cheese
- Shred or cube the 16 oz block white american cheese, and 8 oz block pepper jack cheese, and set aside.
Warm milk
- Add 2 cans (12 oz each) evaporated milk to a saucepan and heat over MED LOW heat until warmed.
Make queso
- Add 4 oz can diced green chiles, 1 Tbsp jarred diced jalapeños, and 1 Tbsp juice from jalapeño jar, and stir to combine.
- Add cheeses and cook, covered, and stirring often, until cheese is fully melted. Keep an eye on the heat as you’re melting the cheese, dropping it back to low if need be.
Serve
- Serve hot with desired garnishes (sliced jalapeños, diced tomatoes, minced fresh cilantro, etc) and serve with tortilla chips for dipping.
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Chef Tips
- This recipe makes approximately 3 cups of queso, which you’re free to divide into as many servings as you’d like.
- I’ve listed this as serving 9, which is about 1/3 cup of queso per serving. But of course, the exact serving size is up to you.
- Be sure to check out the “variations of this recipe” section in the post above this recipe card for information on how to make this queso more mild, more spicy, etc.
- Storage instructions are in the post above this recipe card, under the heading “storage”.
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
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