Now you can enjoy the Queso you love from your favorite Mexican restaurant at home. It’s easy to make this traditional dip in less than 10 minutes with only a handful of ingredients. Pair it with chips for a quick appetizer or snack, or drizzle it on your tacos, burritos, nachos, and more!
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We often eat out at Mexican restaurants. The adults typically go for the most authentic and unique dishes we can find, while the kids stick to cheese quesadillas and tacos. The one food that we all love and must have is Queso and chips
I often make my own queso to have as an appetizer when we have some of our favorite Mexican-inspired meals at home, like Loaded Bell Pepper Nachos or Mexican Beef Bowls.
Once you make your own homemade queso, you’ll see how easy and delicious it is and wonder why you hadn’t done it sooner!
Why This Recipe Works
Queso is actually very easy to make. All you need to do is melt the cheese with a little heavy cream and stir in the rest of the ingredients. It’s an easy appetizer to make when you have a craving for Mexican cheese dip.
It tastes just like what you’ll find in authentic Mexican restaurants with added tomatoes and green chiles to really amp up the flavor. Did you know that American cheese is the go-to cheese for most Queso dip recipes?
On its own, this recipe is naturally low carb, gluten free and vegetarian.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound American cheese (diced): it’s best to get this from the deli section at your local grocery store.
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 4 ounce can diced green chiles
- 1/2 cup fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
The entire recipe and instructions can also be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. You can print the recipe from the card, if needed.
Prep!
There really isn’t much prep work to do for this recipe except to dice the American cheese into about 1-inch pieces.
Create!
Add the cheese and heavy cream to a small cast iron skillet or pot.
Cook over medium-low heat, whisking often, until melted and smooth.
Stir in the diced green chiles, 1/4 cup of the fire-roasted tomatoes, and the cumin until evenly blended.
Present!
If you prepared the queso in a cast iron skillet, you can serve it right from there. If you used a pot, pour the queso into a serving bowl and top with the remaining tomatoes.
Serve immediately with chips or use this queso dip as a cheese sauce on tacos, burritos, and other Mexican dishes.
Tips and Techniques
- Make sure to buy the American cheese fresh from the deli for the best flavor and melting.
- To spice up the recipe, replace half or all of the diced green chili peppers with diced jalapeños.
- You can swap out the heavy whipping cream for half-and-half or milk, if preferred.
- Store leftover queso dip in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until it is smooth and heated through. Consume within 3 days.
FAQ’s
What Is Queso Made From?
Queso is traditionally made from American cheese, milk, and diced green chili peppers.
What Kind Of Cheese Is Used To Make Queso?
Surprisingly the cheese that most Mexican restaurants use to make their queso recipes is American cheese.
Is Queso Keto?
The ingredients in queso dip are all keto friendly and suitable for low-carb and gluten-free diets, as well.
More Dip Recipes
Love this homemade Queso recipe? Follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook for more!
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Queso
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound American cheese (diced)
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 4 ounce can diced green chiles
- 1/2 cup fire-roasted diced tomatoes (divided)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Instructions
- Add the cheese and heavy cream to a small cast iron skillet or pot. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking often, until melted and smooth.1/2 pound American cheese, 1/4 cup heavy cream
- Stir in the diced green chiles, 1/4 cup of the fire-roasted tomatoes, and the cumin until evenly blended.4 ounce can diced green chiles, 1/2 cup fire-roasted diced tomatoes, 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- If you prepared the queso in a cast iron skillet, you can serve it right from there. If you used a pot, pour the queso into a serving bowl. Top with the remaining tomatoes.1/2 cup fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Tips and Techniques
- Make sure to buy the American cheese fresh from the deli for the best flavor and melting.
- To spice up the recipe, replace half or all of the diced green chili peppers with diced jalapeños.
- You can swap out the heavy whipping cream for half-and-half or milk, if preferred.
- Store leftover queso dip in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until it is smooth and heated through. Consume within 3 days.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted on September 23, 2019. It was updated with new images, step-by-step instructions, tips, techniques, and FAQ’s in May 2024.
