Easy Homemade Queso Dip

If there is any dip I might bathe in, it would be queso dip. Today, I am sharing my delicious Easy Homemade Queso Dip recipe with you so that you can soak in it too. Well, bathe your chips in it. 

Jokes aside, this is a great recipe that can be made quickly with some cheese, salsa, and a few pantry staples. It is fast and simple, but the best part is it’s delicious! Make this Homemade Queso Dip for your next Super Bowl party or just to eat something tasty.

🧀 What makes this recipe special?

There are a million recipes out there to make queso with Velveeta. Not trying to hate on the ‘veeta, but I want you to have a special queso dip. This is it.

This queso is made with cheddar cheese, and it really is a homemade-style dip that isn’t the norm. Not only is it made from scratch, but it is super quick and easy. This recipe just takes 20 minutes! 

It is intended for corn chips, but it could be used for anything that needs a nice cheese dip with a bit of flavor. 

While you can use store-bought salsa in this queso dip, we make use of our Homemade Salsa recipe to make it extra memorable. Other great game day recipes we love include these Cheesy Fried Pickles, or you can go all out with a special Chicago Deep Dish Pizza. Another great dip to serve alongside this queso is this simple sour cream dip.

🌶️ Ingredients

Cheese and salsa are the stars of this recipe, but there is a short list of essential supporting ingredients. Here is what you will need:

• Butter
• All-Purpose Flour
• Whole milk
• Cheddar cheese
• Restaurant-style salsa
• Salt & pepper
• Chili powder (optional)
• Cayenne powder (optional) 

See the recipe card for quantities.

Spices

We add a few spices to our recipe, but you can make this your own if you want. Would you like more spices? Perhaps add a bit more cayenne pepper or add some canned green chiles? Try it!

There are many options here, but the recipe I provide is a great queso recipe as it is. 

🍲 Instructions

The recipe is simple and can be made in less than 20 minutes with just a few ingredients. We start with a simple béchamel-style sauce, add cheddar to make it a cheese sauce, and then stir in salsa. It really is that easy. 

Cheese Sauce

Start with a simple cheese sauce in this recipe, which will require butter, milk, all-purpose flour, and shredded cheddar cheese. If you have ever made a roux or Mornay sauce, this should be familiar.

If not, it is super simple. We have used a similar sauce in several recipes, like our Cauliflower Au Gratin and Macaroni and Cheese.

First, melt butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour to make a smooth paste. Cook the roux for 1–2 minutes while stirring. Then, gradually whisk in the milk until smooth. Keep stirring as it heats, because the milk can scorch on the bottom of the pan.

Continue cooking over medium heat until the sauce reaches a gentle simmer and noticeably thickens. Reduce the heat to low, add the cheddar cheese, and stir until the cheese is completely melted and the sauce is smooth.

Now, we have a delicious cheese sauce.

Add the Salsa

Once the cheese sauce is made, stir in the salsa. Use whatever salsa you like, but I love a good restaurant-style salsa. While I recommend using the ratios in my recipe, you can add more or less to your taste. 

🤷 Substitutions and variations

There are a few ways that this can be changed up.

• Cheese – This calls for cheddar, but Monterey, pepper Jack, Swiss, or any meltable cheese would work great. 
• Milk – I use whole milk, but 2%, skim, or heavy cream can also be used with varying results.
• Spices – I give some recommended spices, but you can really change this up to make it your own. Paprika or many other seasonings could work. Instead of cayenne powder, you could add some canned diced peppers. 

🎓 History Tidbit

Chile-and-cheese dishes have long roots in Mexican cooking, while the dip we now call chile con queso developed into a distinctly Tex-Mex favorite in the United States. Recipes using the name appeared in American cookbooks by the late 1800s, and a dip-style version was published in a San Antonio cookbook in the early 1920s. Today, queso is a staple of Tex-Mex restaurants and home kitchens.

❓ FAQ

📝 Tips and tricks

• Use a restaurant-style salsa for best results, but any salsa will work.
• Here is my homemade restaurant-style salsa recipe.
• Cheddar cheese is what we use, but any meltable and shreddable cheese, including Swiss and pepper Jack, would work for this.
• Try adding canned green chiles or cooked taco meat for different flavors.
• I use this for corn chips, but it would also be great as a taco topping or to pour over burritos. 

🛠 Optional equipment

• Slow Cooker – optional for keeping the finished queso warm while serving.

😋 Did you make this recipe?

That is awesome, and thank you so much for giving this Homemade Queso Dip recipe a try. If you could leave a rating in the comment area below, it would be greatly appreciated. This lets me know how I am doing and also helps others decide if they want to make this recipe. Most of all, thanks for visiting Ramshackle Pantry.