There are days when you just have a craving for Mexican restaurant-style queso dip and our Tex-Mex Queso is a quick and easy recipe for satisfying your cheesy needs. It is additively delicious and is perfect for tailgates, Super Bowl parties, or just as an indulgent afternoon snack.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
Creating great homemade queso does not take a lot of ingredients and it comes together quickly.
The full ingredient list and measurements are listed in the printable recipe below.
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese: You can substitute cheddar cheese with other types of cheese such as asadero cheese (or white American cheese), pepper jack, or Monterey Jack. The key is using freshly grated cheese. Store-bought shredded cheese contains additives such as potato starch to keep the cheese from clumping. This can prevent the cheese from completely melting and produce a queso that tastes grainy.
- Evaporated Milk: To keep the queso creamy and smooth you will want to use evaporated milk instead of regular milk or water. The evaporated milk contains high protein levels with less water, making the queso creamy and less likely to seperate.
- Cornstarch: The cornstarch acts as a thickening agent and also helps the keep the fat from seperating out.
- Green Chiles: Adding green chiles will give the queso some flavor and a little bit of heat.
- Tomatoes: If you don’t have any fresh tomatoes you can substitute a can of diced tomatoes. Just be sure to drain out all the liquid before adding it to the queso.
How to Make Tex-Mex Queso
Here are the quick step-by-step instructions with visuals; you can find the full instructions with the exact ingredients in the recipe card below.
Pro-tip: Skip the store-bought shredded cheese. It can contain additives to help prevent it from clumping but will produce grainy queso.
1. Cook the Onions and Garlic: Melt butter over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add garlic and onions, cooking slowly for about 3 minutes or until onions are translucent.
2. Cook the Tomatoes: Add diced tomatoes and cook for an additional 3 minutes or until tomatoes begin to break down/soften.
3. Whisk in the Cornstarch and Evaporated Milk: In a medium bowl, combine evaporated milk and cornstarch. Whisk until cornstarch is dissolved. Add milk and cornstarch mixture to the saucepan with vegetables.
4. Melt the Cheese: Stir until the mixture begins to thicken and then add shredded cheese. Continue to stir until cheese has completely melted.
5. Add Chiles and Spices: Add cumin, salt, black pepper, green chiles, and cilantro and stir.
6. Simmer: Bring queso to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes.
7. Serve: Serve warm topped with pico de gallo and accompanied by tortilla chips.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Pork sausage, ground beef, or chicken are great additions to this queso.
- Tex-Mex queso can also be prepared in a slow cooker. After the queso has been simmered for 2-3 minutes transfer it to a slow cooker and set to warm. Serve queso directly from the slow cooker to keep it smooth, creamy, and warm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftover queso in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Queso can be reheated quickly in the microwave. Using a microwave-safe bowl add queso and a splash of milk and heat in 15-30 seconds increments, stirring between increments to make sure it’s heated thoroughly.
Queso is perfect with tortilla chips but can also be used as a topping for baked potatoes, drizzled on top of loaded nachos or tacos, as a dip for taquitos, or as the cheese on your favorite burger.
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Other Recipes to Try
If you enjoy our easy queso recipe, we recommend checking out some of these:
Tex-Mex Queso
Equipment
- Large Saucepan (4 Quarts)
- Cheese Grater
- Medium-Sized Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ cup white onion diced
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 cup tomato diced
- 1 13 ounce can evaporated milk
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 ½ cups cheddar cheese freshly shredded
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper freshly grated
- 1 4 ½ ounce can green chiles
- 1 tablespoon cilantro chopped
- Pico de Gallo for garnish
- Tortilla Chips for dipping
Instructions
- Melt butter over medium heat in a large saucepan.
- Add garlic and onions, cooking slowly for about 3 minutes or until onions are translucent.
- Add diced tomatoes and cook for an additional 3 minutes or until tomatoes begin to break down/soften.
- In a medium bowl, combine evaporated milk and cornstarch. Whisk until cornstarch is dissolved.
- Add milk and cornstarch mixture to the saucepan.
- Stir until the mixture begins to thicken and then add shredded cheese. Continue to stir until cheese has completely melted.
- Add cumin, salt, black pepper, green chiles, and cilantro and stir.
- Bring queso to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Serve warm topped with pico de gallo and tortilla chips.
