What We Love About This HOMEMADE QUESO Recipe:
Creamy: It’s so creamy and cheesy! The evaporated milk helps a lot with that, and of course all that shredded cheese and cream cheese. The texture of this dip is silky smooth and we love it!
Flavor: This homemade queso dip is a lot better than the bottled or jarred kind. The garlic, onion, and jalapeno add lots of flavor and you can make it as spicy as you like with more of the jalapeno!
Homemade Queso Dip Ingredients:
Cheese – Cream cheese, shredded sharp cheddar, and shredded Monterey jack! Shredding your own cheese will always produce the best results and using a good quality cheese adds extra creaminess and flavor.
Garlic, Onion & Jalapeno – These will add flavor and a bit of heat to the queso dip! You’ll finely chop and mince these up and then sauté them in some butter.
Spices – Just a bit of cumin, chili powder, and onion powder for mixing with the garlic, onion and jalapenos as they cook. We also season with a bit of salt to taste before serving!
Milk – One of my secret ingredients for making silky smooth and creamy queso dip is evaporated milk. We also
Pico de Gallo – This is optional, but we love spooning some over the top.
What Readers are Saying!
“This queso recipe was a huge hit! I made it as part of a game day food spread. The guys devoured it. It went so fast I almost didn’t get any- haha! Will definitely be making this again!”
– Kelly
How To Make Queso Dip:
Veggies: This easy queso recipe starts by softening up onions and jalapeno in a skillet with a little butter. Once they have softened up you can stir in the minced garlic and the spices.
This mixture will add loads of flavor and a nice texture to our queso dip! The jalapenos add just the right amount of heat and flavor.
Cheese: My secret ingredients to making super creamy homemade queso are evaporated milk and cream cheese! They both work together to make an ultra creamy, smooth cheese sauce that just works beautifully.
Add the evaporated milk and cream cheese to the same skillet with the veggies. Once the cream cheese has all melted, you’ll stir in handfuls of Monterey jack and cheddar until the queso is smooth and melty!
We like to thin ours out with a little bit of milk and then sprinkle the top of the queso with some Pico de Gallo. A scoop of guacamole right on top is really good too!
This recipe really cooks quickly and it is the perfect thing for dipping those chips!
Ingredients
▢2 tablespoons butter
▢1 medium onion finely chopped
▢1 medium jalapeno minced
▢3 cloves garlic minced
▢2 teaspoon cumin
▢2 teaspoons chili powder
▢½ teaspoon onion powder
▢12 ounces canned evaporated milk
▢8 ounces cream cheese
▢8 ounces shredded sharp cheddar
▢4 ounces shredded monterey jack or pepper jack
▢1/4 cup milk see note
▢1 tablespoon hot sauce such as Cholula
▢salt to taste
▢Pico de gallo for serving
Instructions
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat.
Stir in the onion and jalapeno and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until vegetables have softened.
Add the garlic, cumin, chili powder, and onion powder and cook for 30 seconds more.
Add the evaporated milk and cream cheese to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until the cream cheese has melted, about 5 minutes.
Reduce heat to low and add the shredded cheese a handful at a time, whisking constantly, until all of the cheese has been added and the sauce is smooth and creamy.
Add additional milk as desired to reach the consistency you prefer. Season with hot sauce and salt to taste. We add a fair amount of salt here, but keep in mind that chips are usually salty as well.
Top with pico de gallo before serving.
Tips & Notes:
Cheese: Use a good quality, sharp cheddar cheese for the best flavor.
Seasoning: We’ve had a few reviews saying this recipe isn’t packing a ton of flavor. I’d recommend tasting the dip and then stirring in additional seasoning to suit your tastes. You can add additional cumin, onion powder, and salt to suit your tastes or stir in garlic powder. Extra hot sauce will also add a little kick.
Thickness: We usually add around 1/4 cup of milk to thin this out, but you can make it as thick or as thin as you prefer.
