Homemade Queso Dip

Published: May 28, 2013 · Modified: Jan 3, 2024 by Lois · As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. This site contains affiliate links · 36 Comments

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A delicious and easy recipe for Homemade Queso Dip.Your family will love this easy appetizer recipe and you'll love knowing there's no fake cheese! That's right, this recipe is made with real cheese and the taste is amazing. And if you really like this recipe, you're going to love my recipe for homemade salsa. Both are perfect for summer barbecues or football parties.

Check out all the other Easy Appetizers for even more delicious ideas waiting to be discovered!

Homemade Queso Dip made without fake cheese. Who knew it was even possible? Do you love appetizers as much as I do? I'm always looking for new ones to make to serve for my family and friends.

Homemade Queso

One of our family's favorites is queso dip, but I'm not in love with fake cheese. Sorry to all you lovers of the blocks of fake cheese. And this recipe is a Greek Yogurt Queso Dip. I use Greek yogurt in the base but you can substitute sour cream if you prefer.

My son loves the jar version of queso dip, but I knew I could make ahomemade queso dip that would taste so much better and I think I did! I promise to never buy the jar or fake cheese again. And you will too once you taste how delicious this recipe is!

Homemade Queso Dip - Easy Delicious No Fake Cheese Recipe (2)

Family Reviews

My son said the homemade queso dip wasn't "hot" enough which is probably because I only used one jalapeno without any seeds or ribs. BUT...my daughter said it was perfect! So I guess it's up to YOU on how much heat you want.

This recipe was so easy and can be made the day before your party or gathering. Just heat in the microwave or put the mixture in your crock pot to get it warm and bubbly again.

Plank cheese grater
Bamboo wooden spoons - I like to use bamboo because they never get stained!

Ingredients

This is an overview of the ingredients and instructions. Be sure to see the recipe card below for exact quantities, detailed instructions and special notes.

Butter
Flour
Jalapenos
1 can of green chillies; 4.5 ounce size
2 clovers of garlic
½ cup milk or half and half
1 can Rotel tomatoes; 10 ounce size
Shredded cheese. I used a combination of cheddar and pepper jack
¼ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter and then add the flour. Let the flour cook for a few minutes until slightly browned.

Add the jalapeno, garlic and green chillies and cook for a few minutes. Then add the ½ cup of milk and stir until slightly thickened. Add the can of tomatoes and continue to cook for a few minutes, until everything is combined.

Turn the heat down and start adding your cheese; a little at a time until the cheese is melted and combined. Remove from the heat and add the yogurt or sour cream.

Taste and adjust the seasonings by adding salt and/or pepper.

WHAT TYPE OF CHEESE IS BEST FOR HOMEMADE QUESO DIP

I love cheddar cheese, obviously for the color and taste.
Pepper Jack is another great cheese to use that will add spice to the dip.
If you want more of a white queso dip, try white cheddar cheese combined with Monterey Jack cheese.

Homemade Queso Dip - Easy Delicious No Fake Cheese Recipe (3)

HELPFUL COOKING TIPS

Depending on how spicy you like your queso dip, you may want to add some of the jalapeno ribs or seeds to the dip.
Store any leftover dip in a air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
If you refrigerate the dip and notice it is too thick, simply add a little extra milk then reheat in the microwave in 30 second intervals until it is the consistency you desire.

Homemade Queso Dip - Easy Delicious No Fake Cheese Recipe (4)

Ready for more great appetizers?

Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos
Mini Spinach and Bacon Quiche
Another great recipe for chips is Homemade Guacamole
Zucchini Pizza Bites– low calorie and low carb!

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Yield: 2 cups

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

A delicious and easy recipe for Homemade Queso Dip. Your family will love this easy appetizer recipe and you’ll love knowing there’s no fake cheese!

Ingredients

1 tbsp.butter
1 tbsp.flour
Jalapenos; 1 to 2 with seeds removed and diced
1 can of green chillies; chopped; 4.5 ounce size
2 clovers of garlic; chopped
½ cup milk or half and half
1 can Rotel tomatoes mild or whatever strength you desire; 10 ounce size
3 cups shredded cheese. I used a combination of cheddar and pepper jack
¼ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter and then add the flour.
Let the flour cook for a few minutes until slightly browned.
Add the jalapeno, garlic and green chillies and cook for a few minutes.
Then add the ½ cup of milk and stir until slightly thickened.
Add the can of tomatoes and continue to cook for a few minutes, until everything is combined.
Turn the heat down and start adding your cheese; a little at a time until the cheese is melted and combined. Remove from the heat and add the yogurt or sour cream.
Taste and adjust the seasonings by adding salt and/or pepper.

Notes

Depending on how spicy you like your queso dip, you may want to add some of the jalapeno ribs or seeds to the dip.
Store any leftover dip in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
If you refrigerate the dip and notice it is too thick, simply add a little extra milk and reheat in the microwave in 30 second intervals until it is the consistency you desire.

Pin this recipe and save it for later!

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

Homemade Queso Dip - Easy Delicious No Fake Cheese Recipe (9)

This recipe has been updated since it first appeared in 2013 with new photos and a new printable recipe card that includes nutritional information. I hope you enjoy the updates as much as I enjoyed working on them!

Reader Interactions

Comments

Suzanne says
January 06, 2020 at 9:34 am
This dip is delicious!!
Reply
- Lois says
  January 06, 2020 at 10:18 am
  Thanks Suzanne!
  Reply
  See Also
  Venison Tenderloin Recipe - Pan Seared Deer Tenderloin
Marisa Franca says
February 02, 2019 at 3:28 pm
What an amazing sounding dip! Homemade dips made with lots of honest to goodness cheese will always go far in taste and texture. That dip wouldn't make it to kick off. Will be keeping this recipe.
Reply
Veena Azmanov says
February 01, 2019 at 4:23 pm
Now that looks like a luxury. Love how simple and easy this is. We love dips and sauces in our home so this is definitely a must try.
Reply
Denise says
January 30, 2019 at 6:35 am
I'm so happy to find a queso dip that doesn't have fake cheese. I have yet to find one that my son likes as much as our local Mexican restaurant so I can't wait to see if this is "the one"! LOL
Reply
- Lois says
  January 30, 2019 at 9:53 am
  Hope your son likes it! Thanks for visiting.
  Reply
Michelle Frank | Flipped-Out Food says
January 29, 2019 at 8:51 am
Ooohh, my Superbowl party needs this queso! I love that there's no fake cheese. I remember my mom nuking an entire vile block with cans of RoTel, et voilà! BLECH. GROSS. Your dip looks fabulous!
Reply
Jolina says
January 28, 2019 at 7:34 pm
This looks so delicious! And we're definitely going to make ours hot and hotter 🙂 This will be a hit on game day for sure.
Reply
Gloria says
January 28, 2019 at 8:03 am
This is my kind of dip. We went through a few tubs of this from Costco over the holidays. I know this would be so much better. Party perfect...and movie night perfect too.
Reply
- Lois says
  January 28, 2019 at 10:55 am
  Yes, you can really taste the difference using real cheese and cheese from a tub. Thanks for visiting!
  Reply
Jenny says
May 13, 2018 at 6:59 am
The queso dip looks so cheesy good! My husband loves hot dip to! Thanks for sharing at #HomeMattersParty
Reply
- Lois says
  May 13, 2018 at 6:21 pm
  Thank you Jenny. My hubby loves the dip hot also!
  Reply
Stephanie Newman says
February 13, 2016 at 4:59 pm
I am saving this!! I love dips, especially cheese based ones. Yum!!
Thanks for sharing at #HomeMattersParty!
Reply
Jamie Jeffers says
February 10, 2016 at 1:16 am
I've never tried non-fake queso before. I'll have to try this one!
Reply
Steph @ somewhatsimple says
February 06, 2016 at 12:44 am
I am so hungry right now- this looks great! Thanks for linking up to Link Party Palooza, have a great weekend!
Reply
Jane and Sonja says
August 31, 2015 at 2:21 am
I've never tried queso dip before but it looks really delicious! Thank you for sharing on #HomeMattersParty.
Reply
CJ Huang says
August 28, 2015 at 5:34 pm
We're fans of queso dip here too! I'm not a fan of the processed cheese products, so this recipe sounds like one I have to try. 🙂 I hope you can stop on by and share this or any other recipe with us on Five Friday Finds!
Reply
Steph @ Three Loud Kids! says
August 28, 2015 at 12:33 am
Ok now Im going to be craving queso forever now because this looks delicious!
Reply
Denise says
August 26, 2015 at 10:05 am
I love queso dip too! Can't wait to try this. Love that's homemade. (found you on Wed Rounup)
Reply
Iryna Bychkiv says
August 24, 2015 at 8:54 pm
Looks so good!
Reply
Noreen says
January 05, 2015 at 1:35 am
This looks tasty, and it's nice that it's made with real food ingredients.
Crafty Journal
Reply
Melissa Bo says
January 02, 2015 at 2:13 am
This looks delicious! =)
Reply
Malia Sturgeon says
December 26, 2014 at 5:49 am
I completely agree with you! I hate velveta! Love this recipe, it makes sense and sounds delish! Pinned 🙂
Reply
Evelyn @ My Turn for us says
January 26, 2014 at 4:02 pm
I love queso, I mean totally love queso!! Not want to buy that prepackage stuffs either so this is a perfect recipe for me!!!
Hugs
Pinning and sharing!
Reply
Karen Goodman says
October 27, 2013 at 3:02 pm
I LOVE this recipe, and it would be perfect for my new link party. This link party is called 'Required Ingredient Recipe Link Party' and I'll be holding it every Sunday, starting right now.
The idea is to focus on a single ingredient each week and I'm starting off with cheese because everyone loves cheese!
I'm planning to do a ton of promotion to get this link party off the ground, so any recipes you post should get lots of attention.
Regardless of if you link up or not, I'm pinning this recipe! Yum!
Hope to see you at the link party...
http://futureexpat.com/2013/10/required-ingredient-cheese/
Reply
Joy says
August 19, 2013 at 6:34 pm
Lois, this looks fantastic, and I can't wait to try it! PINNING now for future reference! 🙂
Love, Joy
Yesterfood
Reply
Desiree Shuga says
July 12, 2013 at 4:13 pm
Sounds great, and bonus... simple!
Reply
Kathy Shea Mormino says
June 07, 2013 at 3:30 am
Hi, hopping by from Fluster Buster's linky party and loving this more natural version of questo dip! I would like to invite you to link up at my weekly Clever Chicks Blog Hop: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/05/clever-chicks-blog-hop-36-plus.html
I hope you can make it!
Cheers,
Kathy Shea Mormino
The Chicken Chick
http://www.The-Chicken-Chick.com
Reply
Cynthia Landrie says
June 02, 2013 at 7:56 pm
I have to admit, I have used the fake stuff! Now that I have seen your recipe, I know I will never use it again! Thank you so much for linking this to the In and Out of the Kitchen Link party! I am featuring your recipe in my Top 10 post that will go live Monday morning! Thanks again!
Cynthia at http://FeedingBig.com
Reply
Marsha Baker says
June 01, 2013 at 2:48 am
Looks fabulous! Fresh is always best. Thanks so much for sharing at Weekend Potluck.
Reply
Cynthea says
May 30, 2013 at 9:47 pm
thanks for a recipe that does NOT use Velveeta 🙂 I too do not like fake cheese. This recipe looks awesome!
Reply
AnnMarie aka Vintage Junkie aka NaNa says
May 30, 2013 at 1:07 am
I fell in love with queso dip when I first tasted it at Moe's Southwest...theirs is smooth and white. This looks great and a must try! Found you on Fluster Buster and following you now via GFC.
Reply
Robin Buster says
May 29, 2013 at 1:57 am
I'm so happy that you joined us and shared your Queso Dip. This is one of my families favorites. Thank you for coming by and partying with us at Fluster's Creative Muster, I hope to see you next week.
Robin
Fluster Buster
Reply
Frances Kendrick says
May 29, 2013 at 12:14 am
That looks wonderful!! We love to get this dip at Chili's. I can't wait to try yours!! Thanks for sharing!
Stopping by from Fluster Buster!
Frances
http://www.notionsfromnonny.com
Reply
fromcalculustocupcakes says
May 28, 2013 at 2:35 pm
This sounds yummy. I love queso!
Reply
Young Adventures... says
May 28, 2013 at 1:57 pm
I love this kind of dip, but like you I have not made it much because I'm not a fan of the fake stuff either. I will be trying this recipe for sure putting, it on the grocery list for next week. My family will love it! Thanks Lois.
Reply

Homemade Queso Dip - Easy Delicious No Fake Cheese Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why put evaporated milk in queso? ›

Evaporated milk works best in queso because it doesn't have that excess of water and it can help your dip reach a delicate balance between super thick and too thin. (As in you're not constantly having to alternate between adding more milk and then more cheese.)

Read The Full Story ›

Is queso a fake cheese? ›

Queso Blanco: This “white cheese” dip is made from white melting cheeses like Monterey Jack, often blended with milk, cream, or sour cream. It's known for its mild flavor and creamy texture.

Show Me More ›

What is queso dip made of? ›

Place cheese, milk, and butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir until cheese is melted. Add green chilies, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper; stir until smooth. Thin with more milk if sauce is too thick.

Get More Info Here ›

What makes queso taste like queso? ›

Whether it's orange or white, queso can contain green chiles or jalapenos or both, and it may be spiced with a dash of cumin or chili powder. Some even add meat to queso, like ground beef or spicy sausage.

What are the ingredients in queso melt? ›

Pasteurized processed american cheese (american cheese [milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes], water, cream.

Find Out More ›

Is there a difference between queso and cheese dip? ›

Scanning the internet and the supermarket shelf, we realized that the cheese sauces are divided into two basic categories: Queso Dips, which include some amount of heat, spices, and other flavorings, and Cheese Dips, which are cheese and little else.

Get More Info Here ›

What do Mexicans call queso? ›

Essentially 'queso' means melted cheese as used in Northern Mexican cuisine, which has evolved into Tex-Mex cooking. A slice of cheese, or shredded cheese on a salad, would not be 'queso'. Queso is melted cheese, either in a pot for dipping, or poured over something. In American use, the cheese would likely be.

Why is my queso rubbery? ›

Thing is, once cheese is heated too far beyond its melting point, the proteins firm up and squeeze out moisture—the same way protein does in meat. When this occurs you're left with rubbery, clumpy bits of cheese protein that separate from the fat and moisture.

Read The Full Story ›

Why does queso get watery? ›

Once a cheese container is opened, the product is exposed to its surroundings where various enzymes can break down the thickness or viscosity of the cheese-based sauce. Use of utensils that have come into contact with saliva (double dipping) or any other food may accelerate the loss of viscosity of the cheese sauce.

Learn More ›

What does evaporated milk do to cheese? ›

Those starch molecules thicken the sauce, while the concentrated milk proteins from the evaporated milk add that signature dairy flavor, without all the water you'd get from cream or regular milk. Translation? Smooth, shiny, perfectly emulsified cheese that doesn't clump, taste floury, or break into greasy pools.

Show Me More ›

What does adding evaporated milk do? ›

This old-school pantry staple brings velvety texture to soups, makes decadent desserts, prevents curdling in milk-based sauces, and even tenderizes proteins. What do Samwise Gamgee from Lord of the Rings, Howie Dorough from the Backstreet Boys, and the evaporated milk from your grandma's pantry have in common?

See Details ›

What is a substitute for evaporated milk in queso? ›

Thus, heavy cream can easily be substituted for recipes that call for evaporated milk. How to Substitute: For 12 ounces of evaporated milk, combine 3 ounces of whole milk and 9 ounces of heavy cream.

Tell Me More ›

Is it better to use evaporated milk or regular milk in mac and cheese? ›

Key #2: Use Evaporated Milk

The second big key was to use evaporated milk as the base liquid. Evaporated milk is a highly concentrated source of milk protein micelles—bundles of proteins that can act as powerful emulsifying agents—which help to keep the sauce creamy and smooth.

Homemade Queso Dip - Easy Delicious No Fake Cheese Recipe (2024)

Homemade Queso

Family Reviews

Ingredients

Directions

WHAT TYPE OF CHEESE IS BEST FOR HOMEMADE QUESO DIP

HELPFUL COOKING TIPS

Ready for more great appetizers?