Queso Recipe Made From Scratch

This queso recipe is made from scratch and is the best queso I’ve tasted in Texas – and I’ve tasted A LOT! (just ask my pants)

Homemade Queso Recipe

Queso is a mainstay of the Texan diet. Back in Canada, I don’t think I ever bought “cheese dip” or ordered nachos and cheese at the movie theatre or anywhere. Totally different story in Houston! Here, I could swim in queso! I love it and order it every time I eat at a Tex Mex restaurant. You can buy pre-made queso in jars or cans and each time I try one, I get my hopes up… only for them to be dashed at first dip! I even tried making my own queso using the popular recipe on the back of the Velveeta box – just melted Velveeta and Rotel; it tasted like plastic and we threw most of it out.

Luckily, my husband started experimenting in the kitchen and came up with a queso recipe that we all LOVE including my picky eater!

This recipe uses real cheese and evaporated milk, fresh onion, garlic and cilantro, and one cup of canned diced tomatoes with chilies. It comes together fast but will disappear even faster!

What kind of cheese is used to make queso?

My hubby uses packaged grated cheese in this queso recipe. He has used all kinds of cheddar but favours the Mexican cheese blend. If you’re ambitious, you could grate your own and it would work the same, as long as it is real cheese versus processed cheese.

How to Make Queso Dip

The trick to good queso is getting a good consistency – not too runny but not too thick. In this queso recipe, that’s achieved in two ways: by coating the grated cheese with cornstarch and using evaporated milk.

Now, you’re almost done! One last step to make your queso experience extra special: warm up your tortilla chips!

Okayyyyy, two last steps if you have an awesome husband like I do!

The Perfect Texas Snack

I admit that before I moved to Texas, I didn’t really know the difference between queso and chile con queso.  Guess what? It’s the same thing. Queso is just the shortened version of the term that means cheese dip with chilies. It’s a nickname! Some people add meat to their queso, some people use fresh diced tomatoes and chilies. Some people use white Mexican cheese. I suppose I might try some of those variations one day IF I ever get tired of this queso recipe as is. However, I don’t think that will happen anytime soon!

My recommendation: go get yourself some grated cheese and a can of diced tomatoes with chiles and whip up this queso recipe tomorrow. It’s delicious, fast. easy, and you can call it Can-Tex-Mex because it is a Mexican dish made by a Canadian in Texas! Hope you enjoy!

xoxo Nicole

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Queso

This queso recipe is made from scratch using grated cheese, evaporated milk and canned tomatoes with chilies. It comes together fast and will disappear even faster!

Course Appetizer

Keyword queso

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 6 people - haha I could it eat it all myself

Author The Spirited Thrifter

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp butter, melted in saucepan
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
• 2 cloves minced garlic

Cook in saucepan until onions and garlic are golden.

• 1 can evaporated milk
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder

Stir evaporated milk, garlic powder and onion powder into saucepan.

• 2 1/2 cups shredded Mexican Blend cheese
• 1 tbsp cornstarch

Toss grated cheese with cornstarch to coat then add to saucepan, stirring till melted and smooth.

• 3/4 cup canned diced tomatoes with chilies, drained

Stir into saucepan.

• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

Stir into saucepan.

• nacho chips

Place nacho chips on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and heat in 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes till warm.

Serve queso hot with warm chips, preferably alongside a mojito or margarita or both, no judgment.

Try to share with your children but if you don't feel like it, just point out all the green bits.

IF by some weird happenstance you have some queso leftover, it can be reheated in the microwave. Stir it up before dipping.