Ingredients for Mexican Restaurant-Style Cheese Dip
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 cans (4 oz each) chopped green chilies, undrained
- 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
- 1/2 cup milk (plus more as needed for consistency)
- 1 pound white American cheese, cubed
- Optional: 1–2 tablespoons pickled jalapeño juice (for extra restaurant-style flavor)
- Optional: chopped cilantro or diced jalapeños for topping
Most restaurant-style white queso recipes call for white American cheese from the deli counter because it melts into a perfectly smooth, velvety sauce. Butter provides a rich base and helps bloom the spices and chilies. Milk thins the melted cheese to dipping or pouring consistency, and is often added gradually in similar queso recipes to fine-tune texture. Onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, and green chilies mirror the seasoning of many Tex-Mex and Mexican-American cheese dips, while pickled jalapeño juice is a commonly recommended “secret ingredient” for authentic-tasting restaurant queso.
Step-by-step instructions
- Melt the butter
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Starting with butter is typical in queso recipes for flavor and to give the chilies and spices something to bloom in. - Add chilies and spices
Add the undrained chopped green chilies, onion powder, garlic powder, and cumin to the pan. Stir and cook for about 1 minute, just until the mixture is warmed and fragrant. This step helps wake up the dried spices and blend their flavor with the chilies, similar to techniques used in stovetop queso and chili con queso recipes. - Add cheese and milk
Reduce the heat to low. Add the cubed white American cheese to the saucepan. Pour in 1/2 cup of milk to start. Stir continuously as the cheese begins to melt, scraping the bottom and sides of the pan. Keeping the heat low and stirring often is a standard recommendation in queso recipes to avoid scorching and graininess. Once the cheese has mostly melted and the mixture is smooth, assess the consistency and add more milk a splash at a time until it reaches your preferred thickness for dipping or drizzling. - Make it restaurant-perfect
For more authentic restaurant-style flavor, stir in 1–2 tablespoons of pickled jalapeño juice from a jar of pickled jalapeños. Many copycat white queso recipes note that this brine adds both heat and a tangy note that closely matches restaurant queso. Stir until the cheese dip looks glossy, creamy, and fully combined. - Serve
Serve the cheese dip warm in a bowl with tortilla chips or use it as a sauce over nachos, tacos, burritos, rice bowls, or steamed vegetables. Keeping it warm over very low heat or in a small slow cooker on “warm” is a common tip in queso recipes for parties.
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