A local, very popular Mexican restaurant has a killer white queso. Queso Blanco. It’s this incredibly smooth, cheesy concoction like nothing I have ever been able to reliably replicate at home with expensive Mexican cheeses. When asked, I was told it was Monterrey Jack. But I’ve tossed enough grainy and separated queso in the trash to know that monterrey jack alone does not a good queso dip make! And now I know why. They don’t use expensive Mexican cheeses. They use white American cheese.
White American cheese. I would have never, ever guessed. It melts so smoothly, we’re talking Velveeta smooth. And using it to make a queso perfect for dipping chips requires far less bargaining with higher authorities. White American cheese is only sold at the deli counter of my HEB so I have them cut 3 slices on 10 and then shred it at home. Monterrey Jack is optional – it gives the cheese a little stretch factor but I don’t miss it when I don’t use it.
This is the queso I’ve always want to make at home without using Velveeta (don’t get me wrong, I love me some Velveeta!). This is the queso we spend far too much money on to get at a restaurant. This is the queso that I’ve attempted to blog for 4 years now. I was pretty psyched to be able to make it several times at home without a single issue. Makes me wonder if my beloved Kerbey Queso might also use white American cheese…
And if you ever find that your small crockpot is missing – or was mistakenly added to the Goodwill box – you’re not out of luck – you can use a candle warmer! I’ve used it for chocolate before and with the Super Bowl guests arriving, I was desperate. It worked beautifully! The queso stayed scoopable and I stirred it everytime I walked by to melt the skin that had formed on top. Just make sure that the bottom of your bowl is small enough to fit – it should completely rest on the warming plate and not the plastic molding around it.
Restaurant-Style Queso Blanco
Get smooth and creamy restaurant-style chile con queso at home.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil (veggie, olive, canola - whatever you have)
- 1/4 cup white onion, diced
- 1 large jalapeno or serrano, seeds and stem removed; diced
- 12 oz white American cheese (I have the deli give me 3 slices on 10), shredded
- 4 oz Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded (optional; don't use pre-shredded)
- 1/4-2/3 cup cream, half-and-half, or whole milk
- 1 roma tomato, seeds removed and diced
- 1 small bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a saute pan. Cook the onion and pepper until softened and reduce heat to medium-low.
- Add the shredded cheese and 1/4 cup of the cream. Stir until mostly melted.
- Add the tomatoes, cilantro, and additional cream a little at a time until you reach desired consistency.
- Serve with chips, on migas, or my favorite - a stack of still-warm homemade tortillas.
Notes
Yields: ~2 cups
Estimated time: 15 minutes
{ 58 comments… read them below or add one }
i love queso but usually buy it pre-made. i never would have thought to use american cheese in it though!
Oh my goodness. I could have written the first paragraph of this post myself. I’ve tried so many cheeses trying to figure this out but never have. So glad to finally know the answer. I can’t WAIT to try it because I have some ideas for variations. I’m not exactly sure what “3 slices on 10″ means but I’ll ask for it and see what happens.
Paula – they’ll understand! the big metal slicers they use at the deli have number marks that corelate to slice thickness. 10 is the thickest (that they advertise). Each slice will be ~4oz. The thick slices makes them easier for me to grate.
Me and my pregnant appetite are eternally grateful to you for this. (My thighs are decidedly less so.)
Oh.my. I have been looking for this for the longest time. And I also would have never guessed white American cheese. Thank you so much for discovering this! I can’t wait to try it out!
I have a weakness for Queso and have had some serious cravings lately. This version sounds so awesome I’d eat it for breakfast if I had some in front of me right now
congratulations on the solved mystery!That is one cheesy delicious looking queso blanco!
Oh wow. I need to make this immediately. You know, my seven months living in Dallas totally spoiled me, and I have yet to find queso that I like as much as the kind I had while living there. That pretty much goes for all Tex-Mex food, though…and Central Market. Apparently, I need to move back!
I can’t wait to try this!
That queso looks gorgeous!! I’ve been looking for a nice alternative to the stuff in a jar, so I definitely want to give this a try. Congrats on your cheesy success!
Oh my, are you referring to a restaurant that starts with Esca and ends with lantes? If so I adore their queso blanco. If not then I need to know what other queso blanco I’m missing out on. Can’t wait to try this! Thanks!
I too have been searching for the perfect recipe, I am going to be trying this one soon.
Thank you…from the bottom of my heart. I, too, have thrown out too many sad, greasy bowls of monterrey jack-queso-wanna be. This is a keeper.
I think I remember that that’s why American cheese was invented, to be better at melting. That’s why it’s the best for burgers. “Gourmet” and “upscale” eateries use it a lot more than they, or anyone else, would like to admit, but as for me, I say “HOORAY” for science and food inventions that make food delicious and fool proof.
One of my friend’s mom has a great story about queso at a restaurant. She said it was so good that she asked the waiter what was in it. He asked the cooks, and cheerfully replied with, “Vellyveeta!” (evidently how he pronounced it)
Anyway, I’d love to give this a try! I’ve made queso in a similar way, just hadn’t tried it with white American. Agreed that fresh tortillas make the best queso vehicle…
I’m bookmarking!
Thanks for not giving up till you found out how they did it!
Wow – a delicious and deadly recipe! gracias
Oh this is getting made in conjunction with the Nacho bar we’re doing for Halloween on Sunday – looks like a winner!
This could be a full dinner, right? I <3 this stuff!
I am super excited to try this. I always had to go out for good queso.
i’ve never had white american cheese… or so i thought! maybe my favorite local mexican place subscribes to the same philosophy!
Wow – a delicious and deadly recipe! gracias
This recipe looks great! What is the local Mexican restaurant? I am always on the hunt for some great Mexican food in Houston!
My local Mexican restaurant makes amazing white queso and I have always suspected that it had American cheese in it! You have definitely confirmed my suspicion!
OMG, I LOVE KERBEY QUESO! I don’t know how they make it but I can’t leave Austin because a life without this cheese is a life not worth living!
This looks so good. I am a BIG fan of Mexican food and a friend of mine would just die for this stuff. I am going to make it for her. Thanks for the inspiration!
Oh yummy! Thank you, thank you for your dedicated research!
Will be making this weekend!
I’m curious too which restaraunt, is it Berryhill? If so can’t wait to make this at home.
That looks really great – there was a place where I went to school in Waco, TX that had this absolutely fantastic white queso, and being the stupid college students we were, we all just figured it was mozzarella. So we went home and melted a couple pounds of mozzarella and confirmed that we were stupid college students. In retrospect, I do suspect that it was some kind of queso fresco, or even American. All that to say, I’m dumb, and your queso is making me hungry.
I must must must make this. I’ve been craving queso for months now and my closest (good) queso seller is an hour drive away. <3
I made this the other day and it was so delicious! Thanks!
This looks delicous! Do you have to use the onion?
@D, Nope! You can use more or less of anything you like!
Hi,
I am making this for super bowl, can I make it a day or two ahead of time?
@Irene L., Definitely. Just give it a few 30-second spins in the microwave and stir in between before serving.
Thanks for such a quick reply!
I was really excited to try this, but I didn’t think it was very good. It was really bland, and the white American cheese made it taste kind of waxy.Bummer.
I just made this today for the superbowl and it turned out great! I also added some pepper jack and garlic salt to have more flavor. Thanks so much as I was looking for something other than the typical Velveeta this year!!
Oh my goodness. This is so good! I can’t belies I finally found a queso recipe that takes like the one in the restaurants here in Austin. Even my husband loved it and he always says he likes velvetta better when I’ve tried a new queso recipe. I personally hate velvetta queso. I did use about 4 small serranos the second time around because the jalapeño just didn’t cut it the first time – it tasted like bell pepper. I also added salt and alot of cream to reach a creamier consistency so that might have been the problem for the poster that said it was waxy and bland. Now that I have a base recipe I can begin to experiment with different additions. Btw have you ever tried to do this with yellow American cheese?
@Nadia, Glad you liked it! I haven’t tried yellow American cheese. My husband despises the stuff so I never buy it. He will eat Velveeta occasionally, though
Thanks for explaining the 3 slices on 10. I’m going to be trying this recipe this weekend!
We made this dip and LOVED it. It seriously is addicting. We dipped with tortilla chips but I will definitely try your suggestion of warm tortillas next time! And there so will be a next time, many many more! Thanks for sharing.
This sounds excellent! I am buying the stuff on the way home tonight. My wife never likes any queso blanco except when we eat out! Cant wait to try it!
This looks amazing! I’m doing a nacho bar for my twins’ birthday party on Saturday, and will definitely be adding this queso blanco. Can I throw it in a crockpot on low so it stays warm during the party, or will that screw it up? Thanks!
It performs wonderfully in the crockpot – just stir it every once in a while!
Thanks! It was a HUGE hit at the party. I had many requests for the recipe, and people even raved about it to my clueless husband! He honestly thought they were talking about the shredded cheese I also put out since he never got a chance to try the queso.
Glad I found this webpage! Austin native here, so *I* knew what you meant by 3 slices on 10. Unfortunately, I now live in Albuquerque, where you’d think they know how to make great queso anyway. Not so. And no deli in the entire city has numbers on their slicers! I’ve tried explaining at several stores how the numbers allow customers to have consistent slices each time, but they stare at me blankly. Oh well. Local Sunflower has the white American by the block, so I’ll be trying this recipe ASAP. Thanks!
I have literally tried for years to get a Kerbey employee to spill the beans on their queso recipe. It’s a closely-held secret. Most of the employees don’t know it, and the ones who do are sworn to secrecy on pain of death.
I’ve heard that they use 3 cheeses and that one is asadero, which is very smooth when melted. They have to use American as a base because regular cheese just doesn’t melt like processed cheese does. I would suspect MJ for the third. Add some cream and some combination of spices, and you’ll have something that won’t taste anything like Kerbey’s.
what do you mean 3 slices on 10???
love it love it love it love it!!! Thank you sooo much!
Thank you for elevating queso above Velveeta and Ro-Tel – not that there’s anything wrong with that…
OMG!!! I love taco Cabana, I recently went to dallas over this thanksgiving weekend. I was reminded of how great their Queso was… I thought “what kind of cheese is that”. Today I was craving queso all I had in the fridge was sliced amercan cheese, I googled found this page… NOW I KNOW! ilt’s almost the same, I added garlic but… wow THANK YOU FOR THIS PAGE!!
I have been looking all over for a good Queso recipe. I tried one with Velveeta cheese. It was so salty I threw it out.
Betty
also, you could add 1/4 of a round of cacique asedero cheese( instead of the jack) ( it’s a small wheel of mexican cheese), just to give it more body and flavor. its alot better than the M-jack ( i worked at a mexican resturaunt, and they used asedero instead of the jack) it keeps it creamy while adding a diff element of cheese-y flavor and goodness. GREAT recipie !!!!
Made this last night and served as an appetizer and the comments I received were “this is awesome”. I even, by accident, put to much Monterrey Jack Cheese in and it still was delicious. I served it with the Brie and Brisket Taco’s – dinner was a big hit!
Glad you liked it! I’d have to agree… dinner sounds amazing
This was okay. I felt like I kept adding more and more half & half. Never got to a creamy consistency. And finally stopped adding liquid because it was diluting the flavor. It was okay. Still on the hunt. One post said to add a certain Mexican cheese. Maybe velveeta is the only way to get that creamy texture.
This is liquid gold! Made it for watching the playoffs today and it was fantastic! So happy to have a queso recipe reminiscent of my time working in Houston! Thank you foodie bride!
Awesome! I too love the Kerbey queso, and this is without a doubt the best queso dish I have ever made myself. Thank you!