White Queso, also known as Mexican Cheese Dip, is a creamy dip made with a blend of cheeses, green chiles, evaporated milk and a few spices. This Mexican white cheese dip is inspired by the smooth queso served at Mexican restaurants.
White Queso Recipe
This queso blanco dip is smooth, creamy and ready in about 20 minutes. Serve it with crispy tortilla chips, fresh vegetables or warm tortillas.
Here are a few more of my popular queso recipes: Salsa Con Queso, Smoked Queso, Rotel Dip and Choriqueso. You can also browse all of my queso recipes for even more variations.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here are the main ingredients needed to make Mexican cheese dip, and substitution ideas.
- Green Chiles – canned or fresh green chiles work. Use your favorite. Of course you can always roast peppers at home.
- Cheese – I use a combination of white American cheese and Pepper Jack. American cheese melts exceptionally smoothly, while Pepper Jack adds more cheese flavor and a little heat. If needed, Monterey Jack, white cheddar or mozzarella can be used as substitutes. See my Best Cheese for Queso guide for more options.
- Evaporated Milk – this is used to melt the cheese and thin out the queso. You can sub in half and half, if needed.
For Serving: Besides tortilla chips and veggies, try serving it with pork rinds, crackers, baguette slices, pretzel bites, or pita chips.
White queso is known for its smooth texture, but it can turn grainy if it’s overheated. See how to prevent grainy queso? for troubleshooting tips, or learn how to keep queso smooth for a creamy, restaurant-style texture.
For more help choosing cheese, troubleshooting texture and exploring different styles of queso, visit my Ultimate Guide to Queso.
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White Cheese Dip Uses
Queso isn’t just a dip! You can use it in many other recipes, especially Mexican recipes.
If you’re building a party or game day spread, browse my dip recipes for more hot, cold and cheesy dips to serve alongside this white queso.
Tips for Making Mexican Cheese Dip
- Shred block cheese yourself. Pre-shredded cheese contains anti-caking agents that can prevent queso from melting as smoothly. If you’re using deli American cheese, tear or chop the slices into smaller pieces before melting.
- Keep the heat low. Heating cheese too quickly can make it grainy instead of smooth and creamy.
- Queso naturally thickens quickly as it cools. To avoid this, transfer the cooked queso dip to a slow cooker set to warm immediately after cooking.
White Queso
Ingredients
- ½ lbs white American cheese (*Note 1)
- ½ lbs pepper jack cheese (*Note 2)
- 1 12 oz can evaporated milk
- 1 4.5 oz can chopped green chiles, drained
- ½ tsp cumin
- ⅛ tsp garlic powder
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 pinch cayenne (*Note 3)
GARNISH AND SERVING IDEAS
- tortilla chips, bread or veggies, for serving
- chopped fresh cilantro, tomato and jalapeños, for garnish
Instructions
- Add the American cheese, pepper jack cheese and evaporated milk to a medium-size saucepan over low heat. Do not use a higher temperature as the cheese will be gritty. Stir until the cheese is melted and smooth.
- Add the green chiles, garlic powder, cumin, salt and cayenne and stir to combine.
- Remove from the heat, top with garnishes and serve with tortilla chips. To maintain the proper texture, transfer to a small slow cooker and keep on warm. (*Note 4)