The “chips and dip” area in the grocery store is always an interesting place for me. The variety in salsa type dips is astonishing! So many ways to be creative and change up the flavor in salsa.
Now, I feel like the manufacturers are applying that same mentality to queso dip. One of the popular variations is to use Monterey Jack cheese to make queso dip. And why not? “Mo Jack” cheese is delicious and melty, both great qualities in a cheese for dip.
And it’s just as easy to make yourself. With only 4 ingredients and 10 minutes of your time, you can make a delicious warm queso dip just ready for dipping into with a pile of tortilla chips.
Why I Love this Queso Dip Recipe
I usually make Queso (without Velveeta!) using 4-cheese Mexican blend. In order to make a Monterey Jack version, I simply swapped the cheese blend for a bag of all Monterey Jack. Easy-peasy, and totally delicious!
The only discernable difference with this queso is that it is a lighter color. The bag of 4 cheeses does include Monterey Jack cheese, but also cheddar, queso quesadilla, and asadero cheeses. Since not all these cheeses are “white” in color, the queso made from them will have a tint of orange in the color.
Monterey Jack Queso Ingredients
- Evaporated milk
- Monterey Jack Cheese (shredded)
- Rotel tomatoes with chilies
- Cayenne pepper
How to make Queso with Shredded Cheese
- Start by warming a can of evaporated milk in a small saucepan. Heat to a boil, then add the bag (2 cups) of shredded Monterey Jack cheese. Heat and stir to melt the cheese.
- Now, add a can of Rotel tomatoes and chilis to the saucepan. I usually stick with the original version of Rotel, but the can with habanero peppers is also a good choice, for when you want a little extra kick of spice.
- Speaking of spice, I also add a little cayenne pepper. This can be considered optional, if you are sensitive to heat. I add ¼ teaspoon and find it to be just right. Not “hot” by any means, just a little something to keep the dip interesting.
Sula’s Tips for Queso Dip
- Try different versions (or brands) of Rotel tomatoes to see if you prefer different flavors. I mentioned the habanero peppers version, but there are others to try as well.
- It’s easy to vary the spice by adjusting the quantity of cayenne pepper. If you are sensitive to it, you can omit or maybe just add ⅛ teaspoon to see how it tastes to you. You could also substitute with chili powder for a more mild spice alternative.
- Use the bagged pre-shredded cheese for this dip. In many recipes, we are told to avoid this cheese as it is coated with something (usually potato starch) to help prevent the shreds from sticking together. In the case of this dip, that potato starch helps to thicken the dip as you heat it. It makes the texture perfect!
- I like to make this for dipping air fryer nachos - because you can never have too much cheese!
Mexican Queso Dip Variations
With only 4 ingredients, it’s pretty easy to mix it up a little and make this your own!
The most obvious place to start is with the spice level. You can add a little more cayenne pepper, or maybe add some ancho chili powder for a little more depth of flavor. You can also use different types of Rotel tomatoes. I’ve tried the version with habanero peppers and that definitely brings the heat! There are also Rotel tomatoes with lime juice and cilantro; I’ve tried this and did not detect much difference in taste.
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Don’t have evaporated milk? You can use regular milk, but it’ll probably need a little help to thicken it. Make a cornstarch slurry by adding 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to ¼ cup water. Once the milk and cheese mixture is bubbling, add in some of the slurry, a little at a time, while stirring. Continue until you feel like the mixture is thick and “dippable”.
Substitute for Monterey Jack cheese in Queso Dip
There are 2 important qualities in the cheese used for this queso dip. First, it must melt well. Second, it must be the pre-shredded mix sold in a bag. Those mixes are treated with powders to prevent the cheese from clumping together in the bag, but which also assist us in thickening the sauce.
Try shredded Pepper Jack, which is a slightly spicy version of Monterey Jack. I also recommend Cheddar Jack or 4-cheese Mexican blend. All make a wonderful Queso dip.
How to Store Queso Dip
In the case of leftovers, allow the queso to cool to room temperature. Then transfer to an airtight container and place in the fridge, for up to 4 days.
To reheat, either warm on low heat in a pan on the stovetop, stirring frequently, or microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring after each, until you reach the desired temperature.
📖 Recipe
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Recipe for Queso Dip
Ingredients
- 12 oz can evaporated milk
- 8 oz Monterey Jack cheese 2 cups shredded
- 12 oz can Rotel tomatoes with chilis undrained
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- In a small saucepan on medium-high heat, bring the evaporated milk to a boil.12 oz can evaporated milk
- Continue to heat the milk while you add in the cheese. Heat and stir until the cheese is fully melted. The dip should start to thicken. If it does not, turn up the heat a little, then heat and stir until it thickens.8 oz Monterey Jack cheese
- Add cayenne pepper and canned tomatoes, including liquid, and stir well.¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, 12 oz can Rotel tomatoes with chilis
- Remove from heat.
- Serve warm with tortilla chips.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Bryan
heat needs to be lower, curdled even though i turned it down to med-low
Sula
Interesting, I've never had that happen to me - thanks for sharing!
NE
Not sure what all the hype is about or who wrote the reviews but I followed the recipe completely! It is runny & too much Rotel - not the best for sure! Disappointed!!
Sula
I'm sorry it didn't meet your expectations!
Cleiona
yeah, this recipie was not good at all. is all runny, very liquid. It was just a waste of money. All that food to the trash. I would not recommend anyone to use this recipie. 😒
Sula
Thank you for your feedback. I am truly puzzled at the runny comments. I just made the recipe again and it turned out great. 2 things come to mind: are you using the bagged shredded cheese? As I state in the tips section, this cheese is usually coated with potato starch or something similar, which helps to thicken this dip. The second thing is that the dip should thicken after you add the cheese. If it doesn't, you should turn the heat up a little to thicken what is essentially a cheese sauce before adding the Rotel. I will update the directions to help make this more clear.I really hope you give it another try!
Shannon
Instead of cooking it on the stove, how would I make this using a small crockpot? A friend of mine used this recipe and I loved it which is why I gave it a rating.
Sula
Hi Shannon- a small crockpot will work, but of course it will take longer to get the milk heated up. I think I'd microwave the milk in a jar or bowl first, then transfer it to the crockpot before adding in the cheese. Then let the crock pot continue to heat while you stir to melt the cheese. Once the cheese is melted, add the diced tomatoes and spice. You'll be good to go. 🙂
Amy Liu Dong
Such an amazing dip and it looks so easy to make!
The perfect dip for my favorite snack.
Sula
It's always a hit!
Sherry L Ronning
Your Queso dip tastes amazing!! My family loves Queso dip so I had to try your recipe. It was a huge hit!!
Sula
Awesome!
Anne
This is such a great dip! I like the mild and creamy taste of Monterey Jack and adding the tomatoes is brilliant. It is perfect with fries.
Sula
Yummy idea to have it with fries! Thanks!
Kris
This was the best queso recipe we've ever tried! The evaporated milk and Monterey Jack combo was divine!!
Sula
Thank you so much!
Jennifer
This dip is amazing! It's so creamy and cheesy and it was a breeze to make! My only problem is we ran out of chips!
Sula
Now THAT is a big problem!! LOL
Sarita
Great tip with using the pre-shredded cheese coated with potato starch! This was just the right consistency for staying on those chips!
Sula
Yes! The consistency is important!