Restaurant-Style White Queso

This white queso recipe is just like the cheese dip at your favorite Mexican restaurant! It’s super easy to throw together in just about 5 minutes and way cheaper than going out. Deliciously creamy, cheesy, and just a little spicy (but you’re in control of that!), I make this for my family often, and my kids (and husband!) always get SO excited when I do.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

• Who doesn’t love queso? A big bowl of hot, melty, cheesy goodness that you can scoop up with tortilla chips without a care in the world? Come on. Don’t pretend like you don’t look forward to it every time you head to a Mexican restaurant. This recipe recreates that restaurant-style queso blanco right in your kitchen in just a few minutes so you can treat yourself any time you want!
• You’re in total control of the heat levels in your white queso. Feel free to add more jalapeños or jalapeño juice than called for below, or if you’re heat-averse, you can dial them back or skip one (or both) altogether.
• This is a super easy recipe to scale up for larger groups. Just add more of everything until you’re happy with the serving size, flavor, and consistency!

Serve Your Queso with…

Homemade Air Fryer Tortilla Chips

Bacon Chips (Keto)

Air Fryer Frozen French Fries

Chef’s Tips

• You want to use cheese from the deli counter rather than prepackaged shredded cheese. Typically the prepackaged versions use starches and other fillers to prevent clumping, which also prevents them from melting well. You can have the deli counter slice the cheese for you, or pick up a block and shred it yourself.
• The queso will firm up as it sits and cools. For a thinner consistency, add more half and half. For a thicker consistency, add more cheese.
• You can make the queso ahead of time (up to 3 days) and refrigerate it in an airtight container, then reheat it in the microwave and serve. I recommend microwaving in 30 to 60 second bursts, stirring well between each, until the queso is hot and melty.

Other Deliciously Cheesy Recipes

• Baked Brie and Steak Cheese Fries
• Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
• Keto Cheese Sauce
• Air Fryer Grilled Cheese
• Cheesy Keto Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole

Hey – you’ve made it this far, so now we’re basically best friends! If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a quick review & star rating ★ below. Make sure you follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook, too!

Restaurant-Style White Queso (Queso Blanco)

Prep:10 minutes

Cook:5 minutes

Total:15 minutes

This creamy, cheesy white queso recipe brings that delicious restaurant appetizer straight to you in no time at all.

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6 servings

Ingredients

• ▢ ¾ cup half and half
• ▢ 8 ounces white American cheese from the deli counter, sliced or shredded; approximately 2 ½ cups
• ▢ 1-2 tablespoons pickled jalapeños diced
• ▢ 1-2 tablespoons pickled jalapeño juice from jar of pickled jalapeños
• ▢ salt to taste

Equipment

• medium saucepan
• Whisk

Instructions 

• Warm half and half in medium saucepan over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add cheese in small increments, whisking well between addition, allowing cheese to melt almost completely before adding next handful.
  
• When all cheese has been added and melted, whisk mixture vigorously over low heat. Add 1 tablespoon diced jalapeños, 1 tablespoon jalapeño juice, and 1 big pinch salt, then whisk until completely smooth.
• Taste queso and add jalapeños and/or juice as needed for more tang and spice. Stir well and constantly to prevent queso from sticking or burning. Once desired taste has been achieved, transfer queso into bowl and serve hot.

Notes

• You want to use cheese from the deli counter rather than prepackaged shredded cheese. Typically the prepackaged versions use starches and other fillers to prevent clumping, which also prevents them from melting well. You can have the deli counter slice the cheese for you, or pick up a block and shred it yourself.
• The queso will firm up as it sits and cools. For a thinner consistency, add more half and half. For a thicker consistency, add more cheese.
• You can make the queso ahead of time (up to 3 days) and refrigerate it in an airtight container, then reheat it in the microwave and serve. I recommend microwaving in 30 to 60 second bursts, stirring well between each, until queso is hot and melty.
• Make it Vegan: Check out our vegan queso recipe for the BEST vegan queso blanco ever!

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 181kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 48mg, Sodium: 706mg, Potassium: 96mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 521IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 428mg, Iron: 1mg, Net Carbs: 2g

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

 

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

 

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

© Author: Cheryl Malik