Pepper Jack Queso Recipe

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Cabot Cheese.

This homemade queso dip recipe uses pepper jack cheese to bring a moderate amount of spice and keep the ingredient list to a minimum. It’s the perfect cheese dip when having friends over or to enjoy solo while watching your favorite show or movie.

What Is Queso?

For all of the Spanish speakers out there, you’ll know that “queso” simply translates to “cheese.” However, queso the dish refers to a Tex-Mex staple of melted cheese that is used for dipping or spooning, whichever method is preferred for getting it into one’s mouth. In my opinion, what sets it apart from just a regular cheese dip is the type of spices and other flavorings that are usually included, such as cumin and chiles.

Types of Queso Dip

There is a wide variety of quesos made with different combinations of cheeses and other ingredients. Depending on the recipe, you can see ingredients such as Monterey Jack, cheddar, cream cheese, chiles, tomatoes, onions, chili powder, cumin, chorizo, and mushrooms called for. One of my friends asked “Will it queso?” after looking at my recipe for ripe plantains with chorizo, and the answer is highly likely “yes.” The possibilities are endless.

But for those that have heard of “queso blanco,” that term refers to a white queso made using white cheese (which is what we use in this recipe, though the spices add some color so that it’s no longer quite blanco). And meanwhile, “queso fundido” means “melted cheese” or “molten cheese,” which is thicker than queso dip and is, more or less, mostly just melted cheese.

What Cheese Do You Use for Queso?

Any cheese that melts well is great for making queso dip. In this particular instance, I use Cabot Pepper Jack cheese. Some other types of cheese that would work well are Asadero, Monterey Jack, and most cheddars.

Pepper Jack Queso Ingredients

While there are numerous iterations of ways to flavor queso dip, I chose to keep this one fairly simple in terms of the ingredient list. The pepper jack cheese has chiles in it, which makes it a sort of two-for-one ingredient. The other ingredients that you need to make this queso dip recipe are butter, diced onions, minced garlic, canned evaporated milk, cornstarch, and spices.

How to Make Queso from Scratch

It all starts by cooking the onions and garlic with the spices. (Add the garlic after a few minutes to make sure it doesn’t burn.) Then we add in our evaporated milk, which is used to yield a creamier, more luscious dip.

One key thing to remember is that it’s preferable to shred the cheese yourself, as pre-shredded cheese often has another ingredient added that can impact the consistency of the final product. So after shredding our cheese, we toss it with cornstarch, which both makes it easier to add into the saucepan in increments and helps keep the sauce from separating. Once all the cheese has melted and it’s simmered for a few minutes to activate the cornstarch, you’re ready to go!

What to Serve with Queso Dip?

Queso is the ultimate cheese dip for tortilla chips if you ask me. Buy you can also use pretzels, pita chips, and veggies if you want. And to be honest, you could probably dip a shoe in queso and it would still taste good.

How to Store and Reheat Queso Dip

I’m currently living alone, so there’s no reason I should eat a whole recipe of queso dip by myself in one sitting. Lucky for me, this recipe will last for a few days just fine stored in the refrigerator after it has cooled down. (It will thicken when it cools.) To reheat queso dip, put it in a microwave safe container and microwave for 30-second increments, stirring after each, until smooth and heated through.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Cabot Cheese.