Chef John's Queso Dip

Name: Chef John's Queso Dip
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: ½ pound sharp white Cheddar cheese; 1 tablespoon cornstarch; 1 tablespoon butter; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced, dark green parts set aside; 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste; ¼ teaspoon ground dried chipotle pepper; ½ teaspoon ground cumin; 1 (4 ounce) can fire-roasted diced green chiles; ½ cup seeded and diced Roma tomatoes; 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk; ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro; 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste (optional); 1 tablespoon diced Roma tomato

Rating: 4.7 stars

23 Ratings
17 Reviews
4 Photos

I used to make something very similar to this queso dip at the Mexican restaurant I worked at in college, where we called it 'chili con queso.' At first I thought it could be thicker, but later I realized the saucy texture was the key to its addictive irresistibility. Instead of too much cheese piled up on your chip, we just get a beautiful, silky coating, and as soon as you finish one, you can't wait to dip another, and another, and another, until there are no chips left.

By Chef John

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Recipe Summary

prep:

20 mins

cook:

10 mins

total:

30 mins

Servings:

Nutrition Info

Directions

Step 1

Grate Cheddar cheese into a bowl. Sprinkle in cornstarch and toss to coat.

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Step 2

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and light parts of the scallions. Sprinkle in salt, chipotle, and cumin. Cook and stir until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add green chiles and 1/2 cup tomatoes; cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Pour in evaporated milk and bring to a boil. Add the Cheddar cheese and stir just until melted; immediately remove from heat.
Step 3

Stir in cilantro. Season to taste, adding cayenne if desired. Garnish with reserved green onion parts and 1 tablespoon diced tomato.

Chef's Notes:

Any melted cheese, or a combination, goes great in this.

Make sure you use a tortilla chip to taste for seasoning, as it already has salt on it.

Since this doesn't get completely firm, even after cooling down, you can make this ahead of time, and just leave it out, although that can be a risky maneuver, as there may not be a lot left when your guests arrive.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:

136 calories; 9.5 g total fat; 31 mg cholesterol; 428 mg sodium. 6.1 g carbohydrates; 7.2 g protein; Full Nutrition

Reviews (17)

Most helpful positive review

Rob Guthm

02/18/2019

"Our Queso is Ready For Our Faceo!" (hall of fame contender) Read More

Helpful

(3)

Most helpful critical review

Miki

02/03/2020

This wasn't the best. For some reason the diced green chilies made it bitter. Won't be making this again. I didn't get any complaints but not to my liking. A bit of salt helped but not enough. Read More

23 Ratings

5 star values: 19
4 star values: 2
3 star values: 1
2 star values: 1
1 star values: 0

Reviews: Most Helpful

Most Helpful Most Positive Least Positive Newest

Rob Guthm

02/18/2019

"Our Queso is Ready For Our Faceo!" (hall of fame contender) Read More

Helpful

(3)

poshlynne

02/17/2019

This is better than our local Mexican Restaurant offers. I made exactly as written using half white cheddar and half mont. jack. It is so super easy and quick to make. Read More

Helpful

(3)

Rob Guthm

02/18/2019

"Our Queso is Ready For Our Faceo!" (hall of fame contender) Read More

Helpful

(3)

Kelly Class

02/15/2019

This was a big hit with the family. Will be making this again. We ate it like nachos. Was really good with sour cream. Read More

Helpful

(2)

Jean Dowdle

12/31/2019

taste is awesome except I got the taste of uncooked cornstarch....any suggestions on how to correct that? otherwise it was easy and yummy! will certainly make again but maybe with a rue instead of just the starch mixed in with the cheese....thoughts? Read More

Helpful

(1)