Mexican white cheese sauce is easy to make. It takes just 15 minutes and uses just a few ingredients. One of the biggest questions I get about making Queso Dip is what type of cheese to use. Throughout this post, I talk about the variety of Mexican cheeses found throughout grocery stores that can be used to make an authentic homemade queso blanco every time.
Queso Cheese Dip is a classic appetizer I love to indulge in frequently. Once you try my recipe to make restaurant style queso dip at home, you’ll be making it all the time.
How to Serve Queso Dip
Homemade Queso Dip is the quintessential Mexican side dish to serve on top of tacos, burrito bowls, tamales, taquitos, enchiladas, and to smother over other classic Mexican dishes. I make my own tacos bowls with ground beef, Mexican rice, beans, sour cream, tomatoes, lettuce, pickled jalapenos, and top it all with queso dip. Next, I use salt-free tortilla chips to dip into the taco bowl and eat it all together! It’s pure bliss and it’s something I make frequently. Get ready because I’ll be sharing my homemade burrito bowl recipe next with an Instant Pot Taco Bowl recipe.
White Asadero Mexican Cheese Dip also doubles down as the perfect appetizer to serve for Game Day. I love to serve this cheesy dip with guacamole, salsa, and 7-layer taco dip. The combination of Mexican dips on a platter is commodity throughout the year.
Mexican Cheeses for Queso Dip
Authentic Mexican Queso Dip is made with real Mexican cheese. Although there are a few varieties of cheeses that can be used to make Queso Dip, I alternate using asadero cheese and quesadilla cheese. This cheese comes packaged in a round circle. Asadero Cheese is an excellent melting cheese with a creamy-smooth, velvety texture. It’s also the cheese that authentic Mexican restaurants use to make their dip. Cacique brand cheese carries a lot of Mexican cheese varieties and I can usually find them by the specialty cheeses.
APPROVED CHEESES TO USE FOR QUESO
In case you can’t get your hands on this type of cheese, this recipe may not work. Cacique does carry shredded queso quesadilla cheese right where you’d find other shredded cheese brands, but do not use it. Only use Cacique rounds of cheese. I have used these Cacique cheeses before such as queso quesadilla cheese for queso dip and it’s pretty delicious as well. Besides Asadero Cheese and Queso Quesadilla Cheese, Oaxaca Cheese, and Queso Fresco Cheese are both other options of Mexican cheese that work for this queso dip recipe. Take a look at Cacique brand packaging before heading to the store. Queso Blanco (white cheese) never uses processed American cheese.
DO NOT USE SHREDDED CHEESE. ONLY USE CACIQUE CHEESE THAT COMES IN A ROUND CIRCLE. SEE ABOVE PHOTO.
Shop around at a few local grocery stores while you’re out getting groceries next time to see if any of them carry Cacique brand Mexican cheeses. I use this strategy while grocery shopping and I keep a mental note as to where I found something that I’d like to use in the future.
Authentic Mexican Queso Dip
Queso Blanco takes just a few minutes to make. I melt 10 ounces of cheese and milk on low heat over the stove top. Any hotter and the dairy may foam and create a crust that sticks to the sides of the saucepan. I always try to avoid this as I dislike the texture of the crust in my dip.
Authentic Queso Dip is easy to make. Cicique Asadero Cheese works because it’s the perfect Mexican melting cheese with a mild flavor. Heating the cheese with half & half on the stove top allows the cheese to become soft and melt. I like to add chopped green chiles, diced tomatoes, and cilantro to the Queso Dip to develop those Mexican flavors even more.
Classic Queso Dip Meals
Serve classic queso dip with tortilla chips for an authentic homemade appetizer with real restaurant flavors.
Drizzle cheese dip over carne asada tacos, taco bowls and scoop eat bite with tortilla chips. Try these Ground Beef Street Tacos with cheese on top. Top Roasted Brussels Sprouts with melted cheese or Roasted Broccoli.
Mexican Queso Dip
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsp butter
- 10 ounces Cacique Asadero Cheese or Cacique Queso Quesadilla Cheese (or any queso cheese in a block form) SEE PHOTO BELOW FOR CORRECT CHEESE TYPE** Only use Cacique cheese in rounds. Do not use pre shredded cheese.
- 1 cup half and half
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ tsp salt
- 4½ ounces chopped green chiles canned works just fine
- 2 jalapenos chopped
- 2 vine-ripe tomatoes, diced optional
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- tortilla chips, to serve optional
Instructions
- Melt butter on low heat. Whisk in flour. Whisk for 2 minutes.
- Add grated Asadero Mexican Cheese or Queso Quesadilla cheese.
- Stir in 1 cup half and half. Whisk on low heat until cheese sauce is melted and mostly smooth.NOTE: Sauce may be lumpy until heated and melted. If it does not melt, turn up the heat a very little, whisk, and add in a splash of half and half until it is smooth.
- Remove from heat and keep stirring until smooth. More half and half may be added to thin out queso dip to desired texture.
- Stir in chopped green chiles, chopped jalapenos, diced tomatoes, minced garlic cloves, and cilantro.
- Pour into serving bowl and serve with tortilla chips or serve over your favorite Mexican dishes.
- NOTE: This recipe has been updated as of 3/2022 to reflect comments. It appears newer stovetops heat too high on low so a roux of flour and butter has been added to the recipe to fix it.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate and it’s accuracy is not guaranteed to be exact.
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updated 3/21
24 Responses
I have been looking for an authentic Mexican recipe for queso for such a long time! I really want to try this recipe but I hate cilantro. Is there something different I could replace cilantro with for taste?
Sure thing! Just do not add cilantro if you are very sensitive to it. I will say the cilantro will not be overpowering. Many authentic Latin American dishes contain cilantro.
I used Cacique Oaxaca cheese (it’s all I had) in the ball and this came out great. It’s a pretty forgiving recipe if you use the right type of cheese. I used heavy cream to thin it a bit and Hot Rotel along with canned chilis. I’m in AZ so I can find all of the Cacique cheeses. Will try Asadero next time. A non stick pan makes this super easy to clean up.
Thanks for the update. We love Cacique Asadero for this recipe and will stick with that to get the creamy queso dip we love. Thanks so much for a recipe without American white cheese or Velveeta.
Thanks, Tom. Melting shredded cheese can be fickle at times and I’d rather everyone get the same great recipe in one try! If you can find it, try Cacique Asadero Queso Quesadilla Cheese in the same round shape. It’s pretty delish, too!
Hey there. I’ve made this recipe several times using Cacique Queso Quesadilla cheese (kind of orange) and it comes out just fine. For me, a bit on the liquid side but I prefer that to my previous failures using the roux method and it comes out like a string. This is my go-to queso dip recipe once a week or so. Today though I am going to try part Queso Quesadilla and part Oaxaca, and see how that works. Will let you know!
Sounds delicious, Michael. Whenever I make a batch, I pick a new Mexican cheese to try with the recipe. Can’t wait to see what you come up with next.
Had the same experience as the other person, cheese didn’t melt well. It ended up lumpy 🙁
I used Pueblo Lindo brand Queso Fresco. So bummed… it did taste good, but no so good with the texture.
Even tried to puree it in the blender…. a little better, but still a bit grainy.
Did you use a block of cheese or the shredded variety? The block of cheese will melt. The shredded variety may not due to starches and less moisture.
Hi Marc, I have updated the recipe include use of only Asadero Cheese or Cacique Queso Quesadilla Cheese. It appears that other thickeners may be used in a variety of cheeses that may be contributing to the melting issue. I do hope you give it a try again with the updated recipe.
Queso fresco isn’t a good option. It will never melt because it’s an acid set cheese. Check this out…
https://www.seriouseats.com/2015/08/the-science-of-melting-cheese.html
I’ve never had that happen. What kind of cheese did you use? You can try Queso Quesadilla Cheese and I would stick with cacique brand cheese. It’s possible you could add more milk and turn the heat on the stove up until it melts.
So happy to find a queso recipe that calls for an authentic Mexican cheese instead of white American cheese! Thank you!
Queso is one fun dip to have on the table on any gathering. With any appetizers this creamy dip would go down so well.
Queso is always a fun dip for parties and one of my favs! It’s been so long since I’ve had it…now I’m craving ;D
Looking at that queso dip was making my mouth water! I don’t know if I ever had it, but I’m sure I’d love it on tacos!
Gorgeous cheese dip recipe! I adore dips, especially with cheese (who doesn’t, right?). And who can argue with a Mexican style one! Sounds amazing. Though I never heard of asadero cheese. Will definitely look for it.
Can you really have a bbq or outdoor party without a Mexican dip?? I don’t think so. I believe there is law out there somewhere. The queso dip looks outrageously good. I know my family would tie into it in no time at all. I’ll just have to make sure there are plenty of scoopers.
I have SUCH a weakness for queso. It’s the one thing I absolutely can’t turn down if it’s in front of me!
I’ve never heard of Asadero cheese. But I am that person who will spend an hour in the grocery tasting and looking at cheese! I’ll have to find this one, but I love a good Mexican queso. This one is definitely going on my tailgating list this fall.
OMG this looks amazing! I have never heard of Asadero Cheese before! I’m so used to Cotija cheese! I bet the green chilis really bring out the flavor! So excited to make this!!
I have to say that queso dip is one of my all time favorite dips and this looks so creamy and delicious. I can see why you named it outrageous! I can’t wait to try it.
I have so many bbq parties to host this summer. I am always on the lookout for LOTS of appetizer ideas. This looks fantastic. I will give it a try for my next gathereing.