One of my favorite appetizers to order at my local Mexican restaurant is queso. I love the warm white cheese that comes out with an endless basket of tortilla chips!
It’s dangerously addicting. Lucky for you, it’s also very easy to make at home!
There is an endless array of possibilities when it comes to this recipe for restaurant style white queso dip.
This recipe is for you whether you just want some nice warm queso to snack on, or if you want some delicious cheese sauce to dump in your burrito bowl, or if you want some loaded nachos.
You can keep this simple queso recipe as-is, or you can spice it up with your favorite add-ins!
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Why you will love this restaurant style white queso dip recipe
When it comes to ultimate snack foods, this one wins the prize! This warm white queso dip hits the spot with your favorite tortilla chips and it’s dangerously addictive.
This is a regular recipe in our house. I probably make it at least once a month if not more.
We love having a loaded nacho night and I serve this queso with taco meat, diced green onions, pico de gallo and my favorite salsa that I ALWAYS have on hand in my fridge.
One thing I do guarantee, is that this white queso dip recipe will satisfy your cravings!
Tips
This recipe is straightforward, but please be aware that while you are making the roux and melting the cheese, it needs to be stirred constantly with your undivided attention.
Ingredients
There are only 5 ingredients in this restaurant white queso dip. One thing that I always try to avoid in my recipes is processed food and especially processed cheese.
Having got that out of the way, this is a queso dip recipe WITHOUT Velveeta or other processed cheese. We want our food to be real and to taste good!
Let’s discuss the quality of our cheese for a moment. There is no need to go out and buy an expensive block of cheese, BUT one thing that you should consider is to buy a block of cheese that you have to shred yourself.
Why shred your own cheese?
If you grate your own cheese, you ensure that it melts properly and tastes better.
When you buy pre-shredded cheese from the store, it is filled with additives that actually prevent it from melting correctly, and that’s the last thing you want in this recipe!
Also, a word on the fat content of milk in our queso. I use whole milk, mainly because that is what we drink.
You can easily substitute it with 2%, maybe even 1% milk, but you might need to add a little more flour to make sure you get a good consistency in the end. However, I don’t recommend using skim milk.
Ingredients for homemade queso:
- Pepperjack cheese (or Monterey cheese)
- Whole milk
- Butter
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
How to make homemade white queso dip
The first step you need to do is to shred your cheese and have it all ready. Next, melt your butter in a medium sized saucepan.
After the butter is melted, add the flour and salt and whisk it together. Continue to mix it over the heat for about 1 minute so that the raw taste of the flour cooks away. It may be clumpy.
While whisking constantly, slowly add the milk just about ½ of a cup at a time. Constantly stir it!
It will bubble up and thicken at first. Continue adding the milk and whisking it.
After all the milk is added, continue cooking and whisking it over medium heat for 8-10 minutes. It should thicken up quite a bit.
Make sure not to let the milk come to a boil. It’s ok if it scalds and bubbles on the side, but you want to avoid it boiling.
After it has thickened somewhat, you can begin adding the cheese, about 1 handful at a time. Mix it while you add it and once it is melted, add another handful.
After all of the cheese is completely incorporated, it should be slightly thick, but still runny enough to be a really great cheese dip!
If you think it is too runny, you can add more cheese or cook it longer. The longer you cook it, the thicker it will be.
White queso dip from a restaurant usually is on the thinner side. If you want a thicker queso dip, only add 1 ½ cups of milk instead of the full 2 cups.
Serve warm with tortilla chips and enjoy!
Variations
There are so many ways to dress this up and customize it to your liking!
- You can add a can of diced tomatoes and green chilies and serve it in a slow cooker for a party.
- One way I like to enjoy it is by pouring it over a tray of nachos and adding taco meat, pico de gallo, green onions and salsa to it! Those are the ultimate nachos that you can have as a fun dinner with your family!
- If you would rather have homemade yellow nacho cheese, replace the pepperjack with sharp cheddar cheese.
Substitutions
This recipe can easily be converted to be gluten-free. All you need to do is substitute the flour for a gluten-free flour or thickener like arrowroot powder.
Equipment
- Cheese shredder
- Stainless steel saucepan
- Whisk
FAQ’s
What do I do if my queso is too runny?
If your queso is not thick enough, you can continue cooking it until it thickens up. If that is taking too long, you can always add more cheese to it.
Both of these methods will thicken your cheese sauce up.
What do I do if my queso is too thick?
If you find yourself in this situation, slowly add milk to your queso while the heat is on and stir it together.
You can continue to add milk a little bit at a time, until it reaches your desired thickness.
📖 Recipe
White Queso Dip
Equipment
- Cheese shredder
- Stainless steel saucepan
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 8 oz. block pepper jack cheese or Monterey cheese
- 2 cups whole milk*
- 2 tablespoons butter salted
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- Dash of salt
Instructions
- Coarsely shred the cheese.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and add the flour and salt.
- Whisk it together and cook it for about one minute. It may be clumpy
- While whisking constantly, slowly pour the milk in, only pouring about ½ cup at a time. Whisk and cook until it thickens, then pour more milk in, repeating this step until all of the milk is incorporated.
- Cook and stir constantly for about 8-10 minutes until the milk mixture has slightly thickened.
- Add a large handful of cheese and stir it in until melting.
- Repeat step 6 until all of the cheese has melted and cook it for 5-10 minutes until it reaches the thickness you want it to be.
- Serve warm with tortilla chips and enjoy!
Jaime Bach
This was just like my favorite restaurant it worked great I loved the steps that you gave me to follow. It really made sense. Thank you so much I will put this in with my favorite recipes.