Updated
This white queso recipe is my very favorite easy queso dip. I’ve always been a huge fan of queso blanco, and ever since I learned how to make homemade white queso, I’ve made this recipe more times than I can count. It’s so perfectly gooey, cheesy, and flavorful. I’m so proud that over 3000 home cooks have rated my queso dip 5 stars!
5-Star Reviews
“Made this today as written. Husband kept going back for more and more spoonfuls while we waited for the rest of the dinner to be done. Then he kept telling me different variation ideas. He loved it and was apparently very inspired by the taste. Will definitely make again soon.” – Kimber
Easy Queso Dip Recipe
This super popular homemade white queso dip has been a favorite at my house for years and years. This is my favorite shareable dip to make for Cinco de Mayo, Taco Tuesday, Super Bowl Sunday, or any time we need football snacks. If we are celebrating, we are making this queso dip recipe.
No Velveeta here; just real quality cheese and ingredients melted together and ready to dip. Learn how to make homemade white queso just like what you get at your favorite Mexican restaurant.
White Queso Dip Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 ounces evaporated milk (1 can)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¾ pound white american cheese
- 4 ounces freshly shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped canned jalapenos or chopped green chiles
- 1 teaspoon chili powder or cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg optional
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Chopped fresh cilantro, tomatoes, and jalapenos for garnish
Instructions
- Heat evaporated milk over medium-high heat in a small saucepan. Stir in the cornstarch and whisk to combine.12 ounces evaporated milk, 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Once simmering (bring it to just before boil–when it starts bubbling up the sides, it's ready), immediately reduce heat to low.
- Immediately stir in the cheese in batches, starting with the white american cheese. As you stir in the cheese, increase heat to medium/low and whisk CONSTANTLY while the cheese melts. Once each batch is melted and creamy, add more. Don't stop stirring–you have to whisk the entire time while adding cheese.¾ pound white american cheese
- Once done with the white American cheese, add in the shredded Mozzarella. Again, whisk CONSTANTLY while the cheese melts, insuring you have a creamy blend. If you prefer the cheese a bit thicker, add a bit more Mozzarella.4 ounces freshly shredded mozzarella cheese
- Once all the cheese is melted, stir in the jalapenos, chili powder, nutmeg, red pepper, and salt and pepper (see note).2 tablespoons chopped canned jalapenos, 1 teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- (Optional) If you want the queso to be a bit browned (as pictured), pour the queso into a skillet and place in the oven. Broil for 3-4 minutes, or until cheese begins to bubble and brown.
- Top with cilantro, tomatoes, and more jalapenos if desired.Chopped fresh cilantro, tomatoes, and jalapenos
- Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!
Becky’s Tips
- Some readers don’t like the extra spice from the cumin and nutmeg, so feel free to skip or change the spices as you see fit. If you’re not sure, try adding a smidgen of these spices at a time, and make sure you like it before adding the full amount. If you prefer just the cheesy taste, leave them out completely.
- Keep the heat low! Once the milk lightly simmers, reduce to low to prevent grainy cheese.
- Use freshly shredded cheese—pre-shredded contains additives that affect texture.
- Stir constantly while melting cheese to ensure smooth, creamy queso.
- Queso thickens as it cools. Keep it warm and stir often; a Crockpot on “WARM” works great for serving.
- I love to mix in some chorizo, taco meat, or ground beef, or even some rotisserie or shredded chicken (these ingredients should all be fully cooked first).
- I do not recommend freezing queso because it will be too grainy when thawed and reheated.
- Set the slow cooker to HIGH and add in the evaporated milk/cornstarch and all of the cheese.
- Cover and let the cheese fully melt, stirring regularly.
- Once melted, switch the cooker to LOW and stir in any additional ingredients and spices.
- Keep it in the slow cooker while serving (great option for parties) on warm, and be sure to stir it occasionally.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
How to Make Homemade Queso – Step by Step
Gather all your ingredients together.
Heat the Milk: Heat 12 ounces (1 can) of evaporated milk over medium-high heat in a small saucepan. Stir in 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and whisk to combine.
Melt the White American: Once simmering (bring it to just before boil–when it starts bubbling up the sides, it’s ready), immediately reduce heat to low. Immediately stir in ¾ pound of white American cheese in batches. As you stir in the cheese, increase the heat to medium/low and whisk CONSTANTLY while the cheese melts. Once each batch is melted and creamy, add more. Don’t stop stirring–you have to whisk the entire time while adding cheese.
Add the Mozzarella: Once done with the white American cheese, add in 4 ounces of freshly shredded Mozzarella. Again, whisk CONSTANTLY while the cheese melts, ensuring you have a creamy blend. If you prefer the cheese a bit thicker, add a bit more Mozzarella.
Season the Queso: Once all the cheese is melted, stir 2 tablespoons of chopped canned jalapenos, 1 teaspoon of chili powder, ½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper.
(Optional) Broil the Queso: If you want the queso to be a bit browned, pour the queso into a skillet and place it in the oven. Broil for 3-4 minutes, or until cheese begins to bubble and brown. Top with cilantro, tomatoes, and more jalapenos if desired. Serve with tortilla chips, and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
This white queso is made for dipping tortilla chips, homemade or store-bought.
And don’t stop at dipping, because this queso works as a sauce for all your favorite Mexican dishes. I love to pour it over chicken enchiladas, baked tacos, chicken quesadillas, chicken nachos, and these smothered chicken fajitas. The possibilities are endless. My fridge is never without a batch of this white queso ready to go at any moment.
How to Store and Reheat
When I leftover cheese dip, I pour it into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. To reheat, I add a splash of milk and heat in the microwave in 15-30 second increments, stirring between each increment to make sure it’s fully heated through.
I have been looking for a recipe like this one.
“Real cheese” is a bit of a stretch when talking about American cheese, and generally you should cook over a double boiler else you’ll burn it, which is what I should have done and maybe I wouldn’t have made burnt and curdled thickened oil
Just had white queso for the first time at our local Mexican restaurant and LOVED it. My family eats a lot of Mexican food so I thought I would try out a recipe! This was almost exactly like the one at the restaurant and my family couldn’t get enough of it. Was worried about the spice so we used green chilis instead of jalapenos and it was not spicy at all. Can’t tolerate spicy foods so this was perfect
So glad everyone loved it!
Great idea to use mozzarella. Worked great. I used regular (whole) milk with corn starch, added mozzarella and cheddar and chopped jalapeños with some of the water from the can of jalapeños to thin it. That’s it, and that’s all that was needed. Perfect. Only giving the recipe three stars because the only ingredients I used from it were corn starch, jalapeños & mozzarella, so I can’t rate the original recipe. If I were to rate my version, it would be 5 stars. My husband said it was better than what you can get in restaurants!
I’m going to try your recipe because I love cheddar cheese
I am so disappointed. I made this recipe and it tasted like nothing. Not cheesy at all! So bland. I think the cornstarch was not a great idea. And after that there was nothing I could do to salvage it.
I made this recently. It seemed bland and lacked that irrestible flavor you get from a mexican restaurant queso. I believe it went downhill with the corn starch. I made the corn starch into a slurry with water, as others suggested, and reduced the amount to 1 tsp. It got really thick. I’d like to try it again with no corn starch.
Hi Jay, as per our notes: If you prefer a thinner consistency, skip the cornstarch at the start– but keep it on hand in case you need to thicken it later.
This recipe came out really disappointing, no flavor and the texture was too grainy even with keeping the temp really low…. Not sure what happened here!
Hi Erin, did you use freshly-grated cheeses? That’s really important for keeping graininess down as well. Otherwise, we suspect that the heat was still a bit too high, even if your stove was set to low!
Genuinely killer stuff but I think it comes out way too thick with corn starch added, its already pretty thick without it anyway so I leave it out
Would I use 2 tbs of green chilies instead of 2tbs jalapeños?
Absolutely!
Hello. I just made the dish, and I’m thinking I might have took too long adding in the cheese and it’s very think. I’m keeping warm in a crockpot. What can I do to get more liquid consistency? Thank you
Hi Anthony, if the queso is too thick, gradually stir in some milk until it reaches the desired consistency!