The number one thing I look forward to when eating Mexican food is the white queso dip! I never knew how to make it at home, but once you find out how easy it is to make, you’ll want to serve it on every taco Tuesday from here on out!

Why you should make this white queso dip recipe:
This white queso dip is just like the stuff you get from your favorite Mexican restaurant! It’s super creamy, perfectly spicy and will always make me guilty of filling up way too much on chips and queso before the real meal is even served!!! This recipe only contains 5 ingredients and is ready in less than 10 minutes, so there’s really no excuse to not make it!
Simple ingredients you’ll need for creamy white queso dip:
- White american cheese
- Pepper jack cheese
- Evaporated milk
- Diced green chilies: jalapeno peppers work well here too.
- Ground cumin

What is evaporated milk?
Evaporated milk can be used for a variety of sweet and savory dishes. As its name implies, it’s milk that’s gone through a cooking process to remove or evaporate over half of the water content. This results in a milk that’s thicker than regular whole milk but not quite as thick as heavy cream.
How to make the best Mexican white cheese dip:
- Add the cheeses to a medium saucepan.
- Pour in the evaporated milk.
- Drain the can of green chiles and add them to the saucepan.
- Sprinkle in the cumin.
- Stir until the cheese is melted.
- When the mixture is smooth, serve with tortilla chips.

You can use a double boiler for this recipe too!
A double boiler is great if you want to keep the queso warm for longer. A double boiler is a method used for heating and melting things and requires there to be two containers nestled inside one another. The larger container is full of hot water and the smaller container heats whatever you’re melting (in this case, the queso ingredients).
FAQ:
A simple fix for this is to add more evaporated milk. If your queso is too thin, do the opposite and add more cheese!
White american cheese is more common than you may think! It’s not usually sold in the regular cheese aisle at the grocery store though. If you visit the deli counter they will more than likely be able to slice some for you!
There is a science to the best chip for this white queso dip. My favorite style is a tortilla chip in the ‘scoop’ shape. This way, the queso doesn’t just run right off the chip and is instead cradled in the cup-shaped chip!
Either cover the bowl with plastic wrap or transfer the leftover dip to an airtight container. You can keep it in the fridge for up for 3-4 days! Then, when you’re ready to heat it up again, pop it in the microwave for 30 second intervals, making sure to stir in between until it’s warm throughout.
White Queso Dip (Mexican Cheese Dip)
Equipment
- 1 rubber spatula
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb white american cheese
- 1/2 lb pepper jack cheese
- 1 4.5 oz can chopped green chiles drained
- 1 12 oz can evaporated milk
- 1 tsp ground cumin
For serving:
- tortilla chips I like the scoop variety
Instructions
- Add the cheeses to a medium saucepan on medium-low heat.
- Pour in the evaporated milk.
- Drain the can of green chillies and add them to the saucepan.
- Sprinkle in the cumin.
- Stir until the cheese is melted.
- When the mixture is smooth, serve with tortilla chips.
I’m not a fan of pepper Jack cheese because of the spice (I know I know). What other cheese could I substitute? Or just more white American? Thanks!
Hi Michelle, more white American is what I would do!
Just use regular Jack cheese. It will probably say “Monterey Jack” on the package.
Monterey jack cheese. all pepperjack is, is Monterey jack with peppers 🌶
Hello…
Can you use Rotel (drained) in this recipe?
Thanks!
Joanne
Sure! That would be delish!
If left standing on the counter, Will this mixture harden or stay suspended in a melted state?
Hi James, this queso does solidify a bit as it cools. It can be returned to the stove or microwave and re-heated again for the same smooth, creamy texture as before!
Can I mix and leave everything in a crockpot l?
Yes! It’ll take a little longer to melt in a crockpot but as long as you have the time, it’s a great idea!
Looks great , thanknunso much fir sharing with everyone ❤️
Can I sub out sharp white cheddar instead? Is it fine to throw ingredients in mini crock pot?
Oops! You already answered about the crock pot. I could only find sharp white cheddar in the store!
Sharp white cheddar unfortunately won’t melt the same as white American cheese and will be much more tangy in flavor so I wouldn’t recommend using it. Try checking with the deli counter for white American cheese next time you are at the store!
When you say white American cheese- do you mean white Velveeta- the processed cheese that melts easier and smoother?
White American cheese is something different from Velveeta and can usually be found at your local deli counter. I haven’t tried using Velveeta for this recipe but I’m sure it would be creamy and delicious as well!
I haven’t even given it a try yet but I give this site and recipe 5 stars – you will gain lots of followers with this streamlined site! Thank you!
Thanks Catherine! The support means a lot! 🙂
What do I do if it’s all clumpy and separating?!
If you are using American cheese, it shouldn’t clump and separate. It is a processed cheese so it melts very easily. First, I’d make sure you’re using American cheese, and if you are, just keep letting it warm/melt on the stove until it’s smooth.
Can you freeze half of it for later?
Yup! You can also just split the recipe in half if you want a smaller portion!
Excellent, tasted just like a restaurant Queso. A little spicy so if you wanted you could trade out some of the pepper jack for more American cheese
So glad you liked it! 🙂
This recipe is ridiculously easy and equally as delicious. We’ve made it twice now. This last time, we used Boar’s Head white American & Boar’s Head 3 pepper Colby Jack. Tossed everything in a small crockpot on high for about an hour, stirring here and there. It was a HIT!
Hi Michelle! So happy you love it!
Why is mine gritty? It tastes great! But the texture is off? What did I do wrong?
Can you cook this in the oven?
Sure! Just be sure to stir the dip incrementally so that everything melts evenly.
thanks… I shall do that…👍
thanks for sharing 🌹 delicious treats….🙋♀️👍🦋❤️
So glad you love them!
I used block cheese for both and shredded in the food processor. Taste was there and initially it looked great. But when reheating it was gritty. Tried all the tricks to make it not gritty to no avail. Do I just need the pasteurized cheese?
Hi Jo Anne, I haven’t made this recipe with block cheese before. I always use slices of white american cheese and pepper jack cheese which seems to work well every time! I’d recommend going to your local deli counter and asking for them to cut slices for you rather than buying block cheese or pasteurized! Hope this helps! 🙂
I made this just as the recipe calls for and it was excellent ! Thank you so much for sharing !
Hi Judy, so glad you love it! Thanks for feedback!
I’m making this for a crowd, as in..quadrupling the recipe. So that deli sliced American cheese is getting expensive. Could I use the kind that’s individually wrapped? It’s much cheaper but if it won’t be the same, I won’t do it!
Hi Sarah, I haven’t tried it with the individually wrapped cheese but you’ll want to be sure it’s white american cheese so that your queso doesn’t turn orange! Other than that, I’d think it would be ok since that usually melts easily! If you try it out, come back and let me know how it goes!
How much does this make? Is It appx. a quart?
Hi Angela, I’d say you’re approximation is spot on! Hope that helps… 🙂