This Queso Dip is a copycat of the cheese dip sold in jars and served at your favourite Mexican restaurant. The miracle of this is that it’s silky smooth even when it cools – and reheats perfectly. Imagine the possibilities!
Why this is life changing
This Queso Dip recipe is for everyone out there who has attempted to make a Mexican cheese dip like what you get at Mexican restaurants and found it lacking. If you want the dip to be silky smooth like the stuff you get in jars in aisles (not fridge!) of grocery stores, then the recipes call for fake cheese – Velveeta or other processed cheeses.
Other recipes are made starting with a roux – butter & flour – which is used to make a béchamel sauce into which cheese is added. While this makes a terrific cheese sauce for pouring over vegetables, in lasagna, gratins etc, it doesn’t have that truly silky and rich texture of a cheese dip.
Some recipes call for real cheese and varying combinations of cream / sour cream / mayonnaise – but the problem with these is that when the dip cools down, the cheese congeals. It’s tasty – but you need to keep it warm. And it has a tendency to split when rewarmed.
The solution? Evaporated milk + cornflour/cornstarch + cheese = silky smooth rich cheese dip / sauce. Truly. It works. 🙂
Actually, I shared Nachos Cheese Dip a couple of years ago which is a simpler version of this dip. This Queso Dip is my copycat of the fake cheese dip I tried (Tostitos) and the ultra addictive dips served at Tex Mex restaurants in the States.
I even made my own corn chips using corn tortillas because I couldn’t find white corn chips, like you get in Mexican restaurants. And also because corn chips made using corn tortillas tastes so much more like corn than store bought.
Don’t make this Queso Dip when you’re home alone. I’m supposed to be on my Post Holiday Health Kick (I know, I know, you hear this every time I come back from holidays!!!) and it’s taken astronomical will power to hold back.
I’ve got 3 batches of this Mexican Cheese Dip in my fridge. I’m planning to offload them tomorrow. – Nagi x
PS Except maybe that one little jar. I might keep that for myself…..
PPS I realise that some people may raise their eyebrows at the name “Life Changing Queso Dip”, but for Queso Dip lovers, I deign to say this will be life changing!!!
Queso Dip recipe
Watch how to make it
Queso Dip (Mexican Cheese Dip) recipe video!
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Queso Dip (Mexican Cheese Dip)
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups (tightly packed) cheddar cheese, freshly shredded (Important – read Note 1)
- 1 tbsp cornflour / cornstarch
- 1/2 tbsp (10g) unsalted butter
- 1 large garlic clove , finely minced
- 1/4 small white onion , very finely chopped (~1/4 cup)
- 375g / 13 oz evaporated milk (1 can) , not low fat
- 1 small tomato , finely diced (3/4 cup) (Note 2)
- 1/4 tsp each onion powder, garlic powder, cumin
- 113g /4 oz can chopped green chile, fire roasted (Subs Note 3)
- 1/4 cup coriander / cilantro , finely chopped
- 2 – 3 tbsp milk , any type (to loosen, as needed)
- Salt , to taste (cheese brands differ in saltiness, may not need)
Instructions
- Toss – Place cheese and cornflour in a bowl, toss to coat.
- Melt butter over medium heat in a large saucepan or small pot.
- Sauté – Add garlic and onion, cook slowly for 3 minutes or until onion is translucent but not browned. Add tomato (including juices) and cook for 2 minutes until tomato is slightly softened.
- Add evaporated milk and cheese. Stir, then add chiles and Spices.
- Melt – Stir until cheese melts and it becomes a silky sauce.
- Add salt to taste – amount required depends on saltiness of cheese used – and stir through coriander.
- Adjust consistency – Stir in milk or water to adjust consistency (I use 2 tbsp) – the dip thickens when it cools, and milk can be added later to adjust to taste.
- Remove from heat. Serve warm or at room temperature – it will be soft and scoopable even when it cools.
- Store in the refrigerator. When refrigerated, it becomes the consistency of the cheese spread sold in jars that are not in the refrigerator section. Reheat in microwave and adjust consistency as desired with a tiny bit of milk. If you add too much, just put on stove again until it thickens. Freezes 3 months, fridge 5 days.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
More dips for fellow snack monsters
Life of Dozer
That’s not a peeved look on his face, even though that’s what you might think. It’s a look of contentment and utter comfort in his very cozy sweatshirt. I’m sure of it. He’s not embarrassed. 😈
Pretty darn good recipe, ya’ll not being a Texan. Here is South Texas we fire roast our on tomatoes, or tomatillos (green Mexican tomatoes, not unripe, just green, with a paper husk round them). We also use fire roasted chilies. Any kind will do if ya’ll don’t have a green, hot chili. Just stick ’em on a bbq, blacken all sides, throw in any paper bag fold up and when cool, rub the skins off, chop ’em up and freeze the left overs. We never have them, we use fire roasted anything, in well, anything! Tomatoes, same way, just be fast ’cause they don’t wait. And find someplace that sells masa harina. Fine ground corn meal flour. Making your own tortillas is simple. IF you can find the ingredients. Masa, water, salt, lard.
Hot griddle or cast iron pan as I am guessing if Mexican food is hard to find, a comal would be next to impossible. Great job on that secret “tip”, though. Here’s one for you. Try using chili powder and salt on the fresh from the oil chips. Most of us make them fresh here like you, you can control the salt and add a little extra kick. Mix it up first to see if ya’ll like the heat level. I always add in a couple of pinches of Hungarian Paprika. Gives it that smokey flavor.
That’s a HIGH PRAISE Koni! So glad you enjoyed it, thanks for letting me know! N x
This is delicious! My husband finished the leftovers in the fridge, to be fair it was almost gone by then! Football is starting here, time for game day snacks!
I’m so pleased to hear you enjoyed this Michelle! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know – N x
Will this dip freeze and thaw out without losing texture or splitting? I really want to make it, but want to freeze some so I don’t eat it all at once 🙂
Yes it does! Sorry I thought I wrote that in the storage section 🙂 It will look split when it thaws, but reheat and stir and it comes together!
This was DELISH! My family ate the whole bowl in under 5 min! I followed the recipe exactly except I added a little chili powder because I love that flavor. So yummy!
That’s terrific to hear Kristen! I’m so pleased to hear that. 🙂 N xx
Great recipe, I used cheddar and aged cheddar. It came out really delicious.
That’s so great to hear Peter! Thanks for letting me know – N xx
Hi Nagi, you can find white corn strips – the “Mission” brand – in the supermarkets here in Oz.
Thank you for all your fabulous recipes!
Your butter chicken has been voted the best butter chicken EVER at our house!
Just love Dozer!
Thanks for the reminder Julia! I forgot about those 🙂 I love them. So pleased you like seeing Dozer here too – and the BUTTER CHICKEN! N xx
hi nagi. I lived in Southern California, Arizona and Texas … so I miss Tex-Mex and Cal-Mex so much as well as authentic Mexican!!! Luckily Australia has been slowly providing ingredients. we make our own corn tortillas using masa and a cast iron press … so so easy and so much yummier. here is a list of some retailers:
https://ohmexicoshop.com/where-to-get-mexican-ingredients-in-australia/
If you live in north Sydney, there is a store underground Train station that sells Mexican ingredients, especially from the brand LaMorena (which IMHO, better than La Costena) … and they have green chilis in a can, too!
OMG! That is such a valuable resource, THANK YOU AMBER!!! N xx
Yum – i can’t wait to make that dip on the weekend.
I finally found green chilies in Australia on-line @ USA foods located in VIC. http://www.usafoods.com.au/search?keywords=green%20chilies
Enjoy.
Cheers Claudia –
Thank you Claudia! I will update the recipe 🙂 N xx
I should have added that the other brand is Ortega, which was mentioned earlier. These are available from a company in South Australia.
Yes! I have that brand! 🙂 N xx
Hi Nagi, it may already have been mentioned but I found a couple of places where canned green chillies can be bought, one of them is USA Foods in Melbourne. The brand is Hatch – would these be the same as those you have?
Hi Anna! Thanks for the tip! I haven’t used Hatch before but every brand I’ve tried all seems to taste the same so I’m sure it will be fine! 🙂 N xx
Hi Nagi, interested in the sound of this dip! But wondering IF there are leftovers how to use it up…any ideas please?🤔
Hi LMD! Once it’s refrigerated it becomes the consistency of a soft spreadable cheese, so use it on toast, sandwiches, crackers, or reheat and pour over cooked vegetables, stir through pasta, use as sauce for meats! 🙂 N xx
A) I am so with you on the weird fake cheese business here in the States. B) Dozer looks so cute in his little loungewear I can’t take it!
I’m making this queso this week, definitely!
It cracks me up that they have “MADE WITH REAL CHEESE!!” on the label!!!
Hi Nagi, my local supermarket only stocked the low fat evaporated milk… at 39 weeks pregnant I’d love to make this today but don’t want to bother if it really won’t work. I’m also not keen to shop around too far at this stage! Any advice? P.S. My friends, family and I love your recipes as they are always so delicious and easy, thank-you!
Hi Sarah – oooh not long now! Fingers crossed for a quick delivery 😉 Am pretty sure low fat will work, it’s more about the cornflour thickening it rather than the fat content in the evaporated milk. It obviously won’t be quite as rich but still super tasty! So pleased you and your family enjoy my recipes, thank you ro trying them! N xx
Just made it for lunch and happy to report it was really great, even with the low fat stuff. I just left out the milk at the end as it didn’t seem to need it. Thanks again Nagi! 😊 One happy pregnant lady over here!
Whoot! Now remember – satisfy EVERY craving you have! (And in a couple of weeks, get someone else to deliver to you!) N x
This looks amazing. I’m going to wait a bit before I try it though… trying to lose a few pounds and I can just see myself downing it all at one sitting. Oink oink is me.
Just a thought- if you can’t find canned green chilies locally, you might have a look on eBay. Don’t know what the shipping charges would be like, but maybe worth a look!
OINK is ME! 😉 What a great idea to check eBay, I’ll check! N x
I would like if I may to point some things about this recipe. First it is delicious but it’s not “Mexican” at all. I mean I’m mexican and also a cooker and a foodie. In Mexico we don’t have, I mean by origin, Cheddar, Monterrey Jack and those kinds of melting cheeses. We don’t use them at all in our cuisine. Our first surprise as mexican is when we try a “mexican” restaurant in USA and find tons of cheddar over anything. As melting cheese we have always use cheese from Spain. The most common is the Manchego Cheese, not a very expensive, instead a commercial manchego cheese. As long as this cheese can be aged to increase its flavour, it looses some of its creamy texture, so a young creamy manchego can do it fine with any mexican recipe. These melting cheeses are pure Tex.Mex that is ok and delicious too but not mexican. In Mexico the original cheeses are Panela, a white fresh very wet cheese with smooth flavour, Cotija, our mexican parmesan even it has a international denomination, more milky flavour than parmesan and it can be used instead of it, its a little bit more salty. White Cheese, Queso Fresco (Fresh Cheese), Queso Añejo, a special kind of añejo Cheese with red Chile all around and Oaxaca Cheese one that can be shreded and that its very popular as melting Cheese. Thank you for your recipes I’m a fan.
PS The main reason I describe it as a Mexican Cheese Dip is for people who don’t know what Queso is. In Australia, Tex Mex is nowhere near as common as in the states, and also Queso dip is not that common. So I knew that many people reading this would see the title “Queso” and not know what it was, that’s why I put Mexican Cheese Dip in brackets! Thank you again for your wonderful tips on Mexcian cheese, I have to say I did NOT know that Manchego was a common sub, we get that here!
Thanks for your answer Nagi, yes I only wanted to point something about mexican and Tex Mex that’s all. Thanks again I’m a fan.
I really appreciate it 🙂 Right now I’m working on a taqueria style steak tacos, I’m SO EXCITED!!! I will be interested to see what you think!
Gosh Lorenzo, I whole heartedly agree, it is about as Mexican as Teriyaki! I know that, I promise I never mentioned once that it was authentic in fact, I repeatedly say it’s a copycat of American fake cheese dip in a jar and American Mexican restaurants. I was in Mexico last year so I know how different REAL Mexican is, and when I share something that is intended to be authentic, I repeatedly say it’s as close as I can get to real deal Mexican 🙂 PS Oaxaca was one of my favourite places that I have ever visited in my travels. EVER! N xx
This cheese dip is definitely going to change my life! I’ve read that evaporated milk is the way to go to make good cheese dips, will have to try this soon, looks super good!
It’s amazing! A trick I learned a long time ago, never looked back! N x
It looks delicious! I am definitely gonna try it today for my Saturday movie night. Thanks so much for sharing.
Hope you do Christine! N xx
So much easier than recipes using a roux, which are never ss creamy as I’d like. Will definitely try this!
I promise this is much creamier!! N xx
Mission white tortilla chips from Woolies, are they still available? I’m on the low-salt no sugar regime, and these things make excellent nachos, even if they’re the wrong shape.
I do like the idea of making my own, though.
Ah yes! They are, I just saw them this arvo 🙂 They used to have triangle ones which were my fave! N xx
Always love to read your recipes (& sometimes try them out), but more importantly LOVE to see dear Dozer.
He’s gorgeous.
I LOVE hearing that 😂