The Best Queso Dip Recipe (aka Cheese Sauce) – Cheese sauce makes or breaks any nacho recipe. The Best Queso recipe is easy and flavorful, with sharp and smoky notes.

Best Queso Cheese Dip Recipe scooped up on tortilla chips

Best Queso Recipe

You say party, I say nachos… Party! Nachos! Party! Nachos!

Sorry. When we get to the end of football season, everything tends to come out in chant format.

What I meant to say, was that it would be a shame to have a Super Bowl Party and forget the spicy cheese sauce.

You’ve probably tried the 2-ingredient version with one unnamed block of highly processed cheese product and one can of tomatoes and chiles.

I’m not knocking either of these products, or the queso they make.

I’m just saying… You can do better.

The Best homemade Queso cheese recipe is easy and flavorful, with sharp and smoky notes.

This my friends, is The Best Queso Dip Recipe I’ve ever made.

Start with fresh onions, garlic and jalapeños, sautéed until soft, then add creamy half & half, smoky chipotle peppers, and three fabulous cheeses, including smoked cheddar to add a huge punch of flavor.

The reason so many people stick with said processed 2-ingredient cheese sauce is that it’s nice and smooth.

However, if you know how to thicken your queso recipe and use quality cheeses (without fillers) you can create the best cheese sauces you’ve ever tried.

This is the Best Queso Recipe, Perfect for Nachos, Burritos, and All Your Dipping Needs!

Sauteed onions and garlic

How To Make This Cheese Dip Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 shallot, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1-2 jalapeños, seeded and diced
  • 1 1/2 cups half & half, or evaporated milk
  • 2 chipotle chiles, diced (canned in adobo sauce)
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes and softened
  • 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
  • 8 ounces smoked cheddar cheese
  • 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions

  1. Place a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add the butter, shallots, garlic, and jalapeño. Saute for 3-4 minutes to soften, then add the half & half and chipotle peppers.
  2. Whisk in the cornstarch. Allow the mixture to come to a simmer, so the half & half can scald (not necessary with evaporated milk). Then lower the temperature to medium-low. Next stir in the cream cheese and mustard.
  3. Slowly start adding the shredded cheese. Stir and add by the handful, until the sauce comes together. If you prefer your cheese sauce a little thinner, add an extra splash of half & half. Serve immediately, or keep warm in a slow cooker or fondue pot.
Mixing queso ingredients in pot

How to Thicken your Cheese Sauce

The best way to thicken your homemade queso is to use cornstarch as the thickening agent instead of flour.

It can be tricky to know when to choose cornstarch and when to choose flour. But the general rule of thumb is that if you plan to cook something a longer time, use flour, and if you need your thickening agent to act quickly, use cornstarch.

Flour produces a much better flavor over time, but must be cooked quite a bit to ensure your recipe is smooth, not gritty.

Dropping shredded cheese in pot

Tips For Homemade Queso Dip

  • In this queso recipe, there are so many bold ingredients to add flavor, so we don’t need to rely on the flour to build flavor. Cornstarch is the answer for a very smooth creamy consistency.
  • It’s also important to mention that block cheese, shredded at home, produces a much better texture than pre-shredded cheese covered in additives to ward off clumping.
  • Once you’ve scalded the half & half (also important for texture) keep the heat down and be patient as you slowly stir in the fresh shredded cheese.

You’ll be amazed by how rich, creamy, and zesty this smoky homemade queso sauce is.

The Best Homemade Queso Recipe in crock

Check the Recipe Card for Instructions on How to Make the Best Queso Recipe!

Cheese sauce dripping over tortilla chips

Pour this Mexican cheese dip over tortilla chips, fries, broccoli, burgers, pretzels, and corn chips yourself...

Just kidding, let’s stick to food!

Pour it over all things food, and enter cheese-lover’s heaven.

Not quite what you are looking for? Try our:

LOOKING FOR MORE CHEESY RECIPES? TRY SOME OF YOUR FAVORITES:

Check the printable recipe card below with the nutrition information including calories, carbohydrates, protein, cholesterol, sodium, fiber, vitamin c, and calcium percentages.

The Best Queso (Cheese Sauce) Recipe
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The Best Queso Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Cheese sauce makes or breaks any nacho recipe. The Best Queso recipe is easy and flavorful, with sharp and smoky notes.
Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 shallot, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1-2 jalapeños, seeded and diced
  • 1 1/2 cups half & half, or evaporated milk
  • 2 chipotle chiles, diced (canned in adobo sauce)
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes and softened
  • 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
  • 8 ounces smoked cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions

  • Place a medium sized pot over medium heat. Add the butter, shallots, garlic and jalapeño. Saute for 3-4 minutes to soften, then add the half & half and chipotle peppers.
  • Whisk in the cornstarch. Allow the mixture to come to a simmer, so the half & half can scald (not necessary with evaporated milk). Then lower the temperature to medium-low. Next stir in the cream cheese and mustard.
  • Slowly start adding the shredded cheese. Stir and add by the handful, until the sauce comes together. If you prefer your cheese sauce a little thinner, add an extra splash of half & half. Serve immediately, or keep warm in a slow cooker or fondue pot.

Video

Notes

NOT A FAN OF SMOKED CHEESE? If you don’t like smoky flavors, use all sharp cheddar.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup, Calories: 280kcal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 22g, Saturated Fat: 14g, Cholesterol: 72mg, Sodium: 439mg, Potassium: 153mg, Fiber: 0g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 790IU, Vitamin C: 3.4mg, Calcium: 377mg, Iron: 0.5mg
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Mexican
Author: Sommer Collier
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