Simple 5 Ingredient Recipe for White Cheese Dip
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Love homemade Queso? This recipe for White Cheese Dip contains no processed cheese products and is sure to be a favorite with everyone at your next gathering!
White Cheese Dip is a simple dip to be used with tortilla chips or it can be used as a cheese sauce over burrito bowls or your favorite meals. It only takes 5 ingredients and the amount of spicy kick can be adjusted to fit your needs.
White Cheese Dip Recipe
Don’t you just love all the yummy munchies and treats that we get to dig into over the holidays! Special dips seem to be especially fun because they are delicious, warm and comforting. Plus they are easy to make and can be easily adjusted to feed a crowd.
This 5 ingredient white queso is such a simple little dip recipe but it has a wonderful kick from the pepper jack cheese and the green chilis. I know that you will enjoy it! You can use this recipe for game day, for holiday parties, or just for when you feel like making a fun snack for friends.
This recipe will rival the Queso Blanco Dip that you might get at your favorite Mexican restaurant. The best part here is that you know exactly what’s in it! (Aka, no Velveeta!)
Tip: Love queso? Make it a meal with this Queso Chicken Recipe . You can even sub the queso in that recipe for this one!
So without further ado…let’s get started.
Ingredients for White Cheese Dip Recipe
- Pepper Jack Cheese. If you don’t want to have a spicy kick in your dip, you can use another white cheese in place of pepper jack such as Monterey Jack cheese.
- Cream Cheese. This will be how we will get the perfect and still keep it thick without adding any overly processed cheese products. I buy this cream cheese in bulk.
- Sour Cream. This will help to give the dip a little bit of a tang and will help thin it out a bit.
- Whole Milk. Do yourself and your guests a favor, stick with whole milk in this recipe and don’t use skim or anything else that will have the flavor watered down!
- Tomatoes & Green Chilies. You can buy this pre-canned at the store (Rotel) or you can use a homemade version if you can it up yourself. Just make sure you drain it before adding it in. If you can’t find it at the store, use a can of diced tomatoes and a can of green chiles.
Variations for White Cheese Dip
- You can add in a can of drained black beans to give it another level of flavor and to make it a little more filling. Actually, that would be a great addition to a burrito!
- Instead of Rotel, you could add in salsa if that’s what you have on hand. It will be a little bit different flavor but it will still be good!
- Adding in 1/2 pound of cooked and drained ground beef almost makes this into a meal. Mix it all together and use it to top a burrito bowl!
- Cook up and add some chorizo or cooked, crumbled sausage into the dip!
Why Make Mexican White Cheese Dip at Home
You know that the best reason for making this at home is that you know all of the ingredients in it! But for fun, let’s compare.
Tostitos makes a Queso Blanco dip that currently costs $4.98 for 15 ounces (just under 2 cups). It contains at least 24 ingredients, one of which is MSG and another is artificial flavors.
You can get a side of Queso at Chipotle for $5.25 that comes with a small amount of queso and a few chips.
This recipe will cost about $8.23 for a total of 48 ounces of dip. To put that into perspective:
Tostitos: $0.33 per ounce
Chipotle: $0.65 per ounce
Homemade: $0.17 per ounce
These comparisons are never to make you feel bad or like you shouldn’t to go out to eat, but it’s fun to really add up the cost savings of making things at home!
FAQs About White Cheese
What kind of white cheese is used in Mexican restaurants?
If the restaurant is more traditional, it’s probably Queso Blanco. If not, it could be anything from White American Cheese to Monterey Jack or even White Cheddar.
What is the white cheese used on tacos?
White cheese that is used on tacos is usually Monterey Jack but may also be true Queso Blanco that is traditionally used in Mexican dishes.
Can I freeze White Cheese Dip?
Since this recipe contains sour cream, cream cheese, and milk, none of which will come out of the freezer with their original smooth texture, it’s not recommended to freeze this dip recipe.
How do I store leftover White Cheese Dip?
You can store any leftover White Cheese Dip in an airtight container in the fridge. To heat it back up, you can use the microwave or stovetop.
Can I make White Cheese Dip in the Crock Pot?
Yes, you can make White Cheese Dip in the slow cooker as long as you put it on low and stir it often. Be sure and turn it off or to the keep warm setting as soon as it’s warmed through and melted together so that it doesn’t burn.
How to Make Pepper Jack Cheese Dip:
Start by shredding your pepper jack cheese if you haven’t already.
In a saucepan, melt together the cream cheese, sour cream, milk, and shredded cheese.
You will want to make sure that you are using full-fat dairy products for this recipe to help it bind together and stay creamy when you melt it. So be sure to use the full fat cream cheese (not fat-free or 1/3 fat) and use full fat or whole milk sour cream (not light).
Once the cheese has all melted, add in the tomatoes and chilis.
Tip: If you do not want to use store-bought canned tomato products you can use your own home-canned tomatoes (1 1/2 cups) and diced green chilis.
I know that some of you make a wonderful home-canned “rotel” and that would work perfectly in this recipe! Just be sure to drain everything first or your dip will be soupy.
This white queso dip recipe is ready to be enjoyed as soon as everything is heated through. Don’t leave it on the stove too long or you may end up with a curdled mess!
You can also make this recipe in the slow cooker, but you may want to add a little more milk to keep it from getting too thick and you may need to use an immersion blender to combine the ingredients together.
Want to print this recipe for White Cheese Dip? Grab it below:
Recipe for White Cheese Dip
Ingredients
- 1 lb pepper jack cheese shredded
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1 cup sour cream
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 1 10 ounce can tomatoes & green chilies, drained
Instructions
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Start by shredding your pepper jack cheese if you haven't already.
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In a saucepan, melt together the cream cheese, sour cream, milk, and shredded cheese. You will want to make sure that you are using full-fat dairy products for this recipe to help it bind together and stay creamy when you melt it.
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Once the cheese has all melted, add in the tomatoes and chilis.
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This white queso dip recipe is ready to be enjoyed as soon as everything is heated through. Don't leave it on the stove too long or you may end up with a curdled mess!
More Homemade Dip Recipes
- Homemade Queso
- Spinach Cream Cheese Dip
- Cream Cheese Taco Dip
- 7 Layer Dip Recipe
- Jalapeno Popper Dip Recipe
- Homemade Dill Dip Recipe
- Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Dip Recipe
- Yogurt Fruit Dip Recipe
Will you give this recipe for White Cheese Dip a try?
This recipe for White Cheese Dip was originally published on Little House Living in October 2016. It has been updated as of September 2022.
Looks great! So glad they are all simple ingredients!
This sounds like utter yummo. Must try it. Thanks, Merissa!
Looks really good! Cannot wait to try it!
GUARANTEED TO MAKE THIS SOON. THANKS FOR SHARING
THE RECIPE.
PAM
Hello,
I have a couple of questions. Can this recipe be made with Monterey Jack cheese instead of the pepper jack cheese (I will be having kids eat it and don’t want it to spice for them). Also, how long does it need to be in a slow cooker because I would like to make it that way?
Thanks in advance 🙂
I have been craving something like this. It hits the nail right on the head! Yum! 🙂
just printed – thanks!
Yum! One of my favorite Mexican foods! Thanks for posting this.
Merissa- Your White Queso is my feature pick at Friday Favorites Linky Party. Thank you so much for sharing, I can’t wait to try it! Blessings! -Kelly
Thanks so much for sharing your awesome White Cheese Dip with us at Full Plate Thursday this week! Have a great day and come back to see us real soon!
Miz Helen
Sounds yummy. We love Queso.
How much does this make? a pint? a quart? I don’t see that info in the recipe. Thnk you.
So I just tried this recipe and wasn’t crazy about it mainly bc I used bagged shredded pepper jack cheese instead of shredding my own. I didn’t have a shredder. I’m assuming that was the reason why the consistency was not smooth and creamy like in a restaurant. I used everything “whole” like the recipe calls for, so that’s the only thing I can think of. It just wasn’t smooth and creamy. Oh well.
Can I buy the shredded cheese in a bag
You can if that’s what you need to buy. Just remember that some shredded cheese has added ingredients that might alter the texture of the final recipe.