Queso Blanco (2024)

Avoid the "hangries" with this crave-able, protein-packed Queso Blanco—a white cheese dip made with real milk! This budget-friendly snack comes together in a flash, delivers essential nutrients thanks to dairy milk, and is something the whole family will love.

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Updated September 29, 2023

This recipe is written in partnership with Milk. Love what's real.

You know what “hangry” is, right? It’s irritation or anger brought on by intense hunger.

Been there? We have, too. So our team is always putting our heads together to come up with great snack ideas that the whole family will love come game or movie night. Enter: Queso Blanco.

What Is Queso Blanco?

Queso Blanco is essentially a gussied up version of a white cheese dip. It's one of those unicorn recipes: filling, inexpensive, and easy to prepare.

It's made with real dairy milk which provides nine essential nutrients including high-quality protein; it's a great snack for the whole family, and even more kid-friendly if you have older kiddos who fancy themselves chefs. With little to no effort, they can test out their cooking chops by whipping up a batch.

How Do You Make It?

Real milk is the star of the show here: It's thickened with a simple roux (a mixture of flour and melted butter) to create a sauce, which is then flavored with white American cheese and a variety of spices.

It's really easy to make, but to avoid curdling, whisk in the shredded American cheese off the heat, or over very low heat.

TIP! In the event that your dip does curdle slightly, whisk a tablespoon or two of real milk into the warm dip to smooth it out again.

What Kind of Cheese Is Best?

White American cheese is the go-to for creating a smooth dip that holds up to extended warming times without the fear of curdling.

Avoid pre-shredded, packaged cheese if you can. Using cheese that you grate yourself eliminates the added starches in which most pre-shredded cheeses are coated. Those starches are great in preventing clumping in the bag, but they also make it difficult to achieve a smooth queso blanco.

TIP! If you aren’t able to find blocks of white American cheese in your dairy section, head on over to the deli and ask them to cut a chunk for you.

What Should I Serve With Queso Blanco?

Serve your queso blanco with a topping of fresh pico de gallo, and scoop it up with your favorite tortilla chips, pretzel bites, or pita chips. And of course, a glass of real milk!

Also, what makes this dip even more appealing is the fact that you can use it in any number of other recipes. Queso blanco with chips is, of course, the classic snack food, but stirring cooked taco meat into it creates a chili con queso. Serve this dip over fries, steamed broccoli, or even grilled chicken for a jazzed up side or a more substantial meal.

How Do I Reheat My Queso?

If you have leftovers, be sure to store them in the fridge for up to 48 hours.

The queso blanco may be reheated with a splash of milk on the stove over medium-low heat, or in 30 second bursts in the microwave until warmed through.

Queso Blanco

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Total Time20 mins

Servings10 servings

Yield2 1/2 cups

Ingredients

For the dip:

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all purpose-flour
See Also
7 Mexican Cheeses You Should Know
1 1/4 cups real whole milk
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
10 ounces (about 4 cups) shredded white American cheese
1 tablespoon diced canned green chiles or jalapeños, optional

To garnish:

Fresh pico de gallo
Chopped cilantro
Sliced jalapeño peppers

Method

Make the roux:
In a 3-quart saucepan (preferably one with sloping sides) melt the butter over medium-low heat. Once the butter is completely melted, sprinkle the flour over it and whisk the two together until a very loose paste forms. Cook the roux for 1 minute.
Make a béchamel sauce:
Pour the milk into the roux in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly. Adding the milk to the roux slowly helps avoid clumps.
Add the spices:
Once all of the milk has been whisked into the pot, add the cumin, garlic, salt, onion powder, and black pepper. Whisk the spices in completely while bringing the milk up to a simmer.
Thicken the sauce:
Whisk the milk sauce frequently until small bubbles appear on the surface. This should take 3 to 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, the milk sauce should thicken to the consistency of a bisque or soup.
Gradually whisk in the shredded cheese:
Once the milk sauce has thickened, decrease the heat to the lowest setting. Whisk in the shredded cheese a heavy pinch at a time, adding the next batch of cheese only when the previous batch has melted completely.
Stir in the chiles:
Once all of the cheese has been whisked in, add the diced green chiles to the queso blanco. Taste the sauce, adding more salt if needed.
Adjust the consistency:
When first prepared, the sauce will be slightly thin. This is to allow the queso to thicken properly as it cools. If you find your queso is too thick, add more milk, a tablespoon at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency.
Keep warm over very low heat:
If you plan to serve the queso blanco over the span of a couple of hours, keep the dip warm over very low heat. Stir every 10 minutes to keep it smooth. If the top of the dip starts to firm up, simply stir to replenish its creamy consistency.
Serve with pita or chips:
and a glass of real milk!

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
323	Calories
23g	Fat
12g	Carbs
17g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10
Amount per serving
Calories	323
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 23g	30%
Saturated Fat 13g	67%
Cholesterol 77mg	26%
Sodium 1311mg	57%
Total Carbohydrate 12g	4%
Dietary Fiber 1g	2%
Total Sugars 8g
Protein 17g
Vitamin C 5mg	27%
Calcium 1276mg	98%
Iron 1mg	6%
Potassium 368mg	8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.