White Queso Dip – Like your Favorite Mexican Restaurant!

White Queso Dip

If you are like me – every time you go to a Mexican Restaurant you are ordering queso (and probably the large one). If my husband and I go to any other type of restaurant, we usually spend an eternity trying to force each other to decide what type of appetizer we want to share. If we go to a Mexican place, it is just an unwritten rule – we ARE getting queso. I have been trying for a while to make the perfect white queso dip at home, and it has been really difficult. But today, I finally got it right! I guess it just needed to be Cinco de Mayo for it to work out!

Here are some tips for making my White Queso Dip:

You can find white American cheese at the deli counter in your grocery store. You will get it sliced and then cut it into chunks at home. I really like this Boars Head cheese (white, not yellow!).

We really like spicy food, so I used two jalapeños and one habanero all with the seeds and membrane intact. This gave us a pretty hot, and delicious queso. If you would rather yours be more of a medium temperature, you can leave the habanero out. If you like mild queso, leave the jalapeños out as well.

Because I prefer a thinner queso dip, I added about four tablespoons of whole milk at the end to get to the consistency I like. If you would rather yours be thicker, you may not need to add any milk at all.

Please let me know how this White Queso Dip turns out for you, and happy Cinco de Mayo!

I would love to hear what you think of this recipe. Please let me know in the comments below, and don’t forget to select a star rating. Thank you and enjoy!

White Queso Dip

This easy to make White Queso Dip is like the kind you can find in your favorite Mexican restaurant and it can be made as spicy or mild as you like.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Appetizer, sauce, Snack
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: american cheese, appetizer, cheese dip, dip, easy, evaporated milk, habanero, jalapeno, mexican, milk, Queso, restaurant style, tomato, vegetarian, White
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 280kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 tsp vegetable oil omit if not using peppers
  • 2 jalapeno peppers diced (omit for mild queso)
  • 1 habanero pepper minced (omit for medium or mild Queso)
  • 12 oz evaporated milk
  • 1 lb white American cheese cut into small chunks
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tomato diced
  • 2-5 tbsp milk if needed

Instructions

  • Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat.  
  • If you are using jalapeños and/or habaneros (otherwise skip to the next step):    Add the oil and peppers.  Sauté until the peppers begin to char. 
  • Add the evaporated milk to the pan and whisk often until it begins to bubble. Add the cheese, cumin, chili powder and salt.  Whisk together continuously until the mixture is smooth and fully melted together.  
  • Add the diced tomato and stir it in.  If you would like your Queso to be thinner, you can add milk a tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency.  

Nutrition

Sodium: 1143mg | Calcium: 709mg | Vitamin C: 9mg | Vitamin A: 865IU | Sugar: 6g | Fiber: 1g | Potassium: 254mg | Cholesterol: 69mg | Calories: 280kcal | Saturated Fat: 13g | Fat: 22g | Protein: 14g | Carbohydrates: 8g | Iron: 1mg

If you like this recipe, you may also like my Restaurant Style Salsa, Fresh Homemade Guacamole or my Corn, Bacon and Jalapeño Dip.

Thank you so much for stopping by! Please stay a while and check out some of my other recipes. I hope you come back soon! – Regan

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