Easy Queso
- PREP 10min
- COOK 10min
- TOTAL 20min
I love this homemade queso made with cheese, milk, chiles, and pickled jalapeños. For the smoothest queso, use some American cheese. Or skip the American cheese and swirl in a bit of cream cheese instead. Read why in the article above. If you don’t like the idea of cream cheese or American cheese in your queso, you can still make queso dip! Use any melty cheese, but remember that the dip won’t be as smooth and is best eaten immediately.
You Will Need
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 small garlic clove, finely minced or grated, optional
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
1 cup (236ml) whole milk
1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
1 ½ cups (170g) Monterey Jack, cheddar, American cheese, or a combination, shredded or torn if using slices, 6 ounces
2 ounces (56g) cream cheese, optional, see notes
1 (4oz) can chopped green chilies, mild or hot
2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapeño, plus 1/2 tablespoon pickle brine, optional
Homemade tortilla chips, for serving
Directions
Heat butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, cumin, and a pinch of salt, then cook until the onions are soft and smell sweet, about 5 minutes.
Pour in 3/4 cup of the milk. Bring the milk to barely simmering.
Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 1/4 cup of milk and cornstarch together.
When the milk is barely simmering, whisk in the milk and cornstarch mixture. Continue to whisk until the milk comes to a low simmer, then simmer for 1 minute. During this time, the milk should thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Turn the heat to low, and then stir in the cream cheese and the torn or shredded cheese, handful by handful, so that they slowly melt into the sauce.
When the cheese is completely melted and smooth, remove the saucepan from the heat and add the green chilies, jalapeño (optional), and jalapeño pickle juice (optional). We added all the green chilies, but you can add less; add a tablespoon until you are happy.
Taste the dip, and then, if the flavor does not pop, adjust with a bit more salt. Serve warm with tortilla chips.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Cheese: We love the flavor combination of sharp cheddar and a mild melty cheese like Monterey or Pepper Jack, but queso made this way is a bit thicker and slightly less smooth than what comes out of a jar or what you are served at restaurants. For a silky smooth, practically unbreakable queso, swap at least half of the cheese for American cheese (simply tear the slices into small pieces). It is the American cheese that more closely mimics jarred or restaurant-style queso.
- Cream cheese: If you are against American cheese, consider adding the cream cheese suggested in the above recipe. This smooths the sauce out and makes reheating a bit easier. If you do use American cheese, you should not need the cream cheese (unless you want to add even more creamy cheese flavor).
- Reheating queso: Warm the queso slowly in a saucepan over low heat on the stove. Reheating too quickly can cause the dip to break on you (which means some of the fat separates). Using American cheese or cream cheese is a good fail-safe against the queso breaking.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.