This is the best and most authentic restaurant-style Mexican cheese dip you will ever taste.
This easy recipe for restaurant-style Mexican Cheese Dip is my favorite cheese dip in the whole world. If you go out to a Mexican restaurant and you order the cheese dip, you will fall in love.
Now you can make it at home! It only uses 3 simple ingredients and is much cheaper and lower in carbs to make at home than it is to order at the restaurant. Hit up your local grocery store for all the ingredients to make this delicious melted cheese dip.
Once you see how easy it is to make this cheese dip, you will want to make it again and again and again. It goes great with my Chipotle Chicken Nachos. You can even use it to top enchiladas and more.
By the way, if you LOVE cheese as much as I do, then you have to check out my recipe for Flamin' Hot Cheetos Mozzarella Sticks.
It features delicious White American cheese I get from the deli counter and green chiles. If you don't like green chiles, you can use cayenne pepper or chili peppers to give it a little kick instead. I used whole milk as the base, but you can use heavy cream or half and half. You will need more than a splash of milk, so make sure you have enough on hand.
Then, add a sprinkling of garlic powder and onion powder to take it over the top.
For the cheese, Mexican restaurants use white American cheese, but some of my readers have been experimenting and some have used Pepper Jack cheese and Monterey Jack and say it is delicious with this cheese. Just make sure to use real cheese. Don't use pre-shredded or the kind that is in plastic wrappers. The type of cheese you use is very important.
How to Make Restaurant-Style Mexican Cheese Dip
You can make this cheesy dip in a double boiler over medium heat on the stove. If you don't have a double boiler, you can use the microwave or just a saucepan on the stovetop on medium-low heat. Just make sure and watch it and don't let it burn or scorch.
Of course, you can always make it in a crock pot to serve on a Taco Tuesday or even for a Cinco de Mayo party!
This cheese dip is crazy delicious and super easy to make. I love to serve it in the cute little salsa bowls that you can find at most Mexican restaurants. I purchased a set of 3 on Amazon for only $3!
We started making this a long time ago -- in fact, it was when we had our first experience at a Mexican restaurant. I just started venturing out into the world of making homemade foods. My daughter and I hit the stores up looking for the ingredients to try and create our favorite cheese dip at home.
I have to say we succeeded. It turned out even better than we expected it to.
You can double or triple this recipe to make enough for your next get-together. I have never tasted anything like this cheese dip. I will be honest, I like it even better than I do the actual Mexican restaurant cheese! Seriously, this is one of the best Mexican dishes I have made yet.
You can even make a big plate of nachos and serve it with ground beef, hot sauce, and all the delicious taco toppings, and then pour this all on top.
How to Store This Easy White Queso Dip
Once it has cooled off, place it in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator. The cheese dip will stay good for a couple of weeks. To reheat, place the cheese in a microwave-safe bowl and heat to your desired temperature. It makes the best leftover queso dip.
Looking for other tasty Mexican-inspired recipes? Check these out
- Cilantro Lime Rice
- Homemade Mexican Rice
- Pineapple Salsa – Perfect for Tacos or Dipping
- Easy White Queso Dip
- Quick and Easy 15 Minute Shrimp Tacos #15minutesuppers
- Easy Guatemalan Guacamole
I love serving this over roasted chicken or steak and making it a thorough main dish meal. Of course, it is always great to serve on game day with all the fixings!
Cinco de Mayo Party Food
- Carne Asada Street Tacos from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
- Horchata from That Recipe
- Pulled Beef Torta from Creative Cynchronicity
- Tropical Sangria from Art of Natural Living
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Have you ever made homemade dips before? What are your favorite options to add in?
Mexican Cheese Dip
This is THE only cheese dip you will ever want or need. It tastes just like your local Mexican restaurant cheese dip.
Ingredients
- ½ pound White Land O Lakes American Cheese - you have to use this brand
- 2 tablespoons of diced green chiles, chopped super fine
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
- ¾ cup to 1 cup red topped milk
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cube the cheese and place in a saucepan with green chiles, garlic powder and milk.
- Heat on medium heat for 10-12 minutes until the cheese has melted.
- Once it is all melted together, if the cheese is still too thick, you can add more milk to thin it out to your desired consistency
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
¼ cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 111Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 400mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 0gSugar: 2gProtein: 6g
You look so nice! I love the color of the jeans, very slim and sexy 🙂 The cheese dip, to die for!
visiting and following via over 40 blog hop. I LOVE that cheese dip!! We also get it at the restaurant. There is a kind that some grocery stores sell that is pretty good. I don't remember seeing Land of Lakes cheese, only butter? Maybe it's regional? I also homeschool 🙂
@Adena, land o lakes is in Most deli sections of the grocery store
Could I use Monterey Jack cheese in place of the land O lakes cheese?
I have never tried it with Monterey Jack cheese, but I bet you could because it is a great melting cheese.
@Lisa, I did it with Monterey Jack and it was horrible. Super salty, and grainy. I melted it on medium low, And it didn’t turn out well. I also didnt add any salt because it was already so salty and I used tillamook cheese(a good cheese) it was no bueno
That is why we used the white cheese from Land O Lakes. It is the perfect blend for this cheese dip. If you follow the recipe the way I made it, your cheese dip will turn out delicious.
@Jennifer Sikora, I agree her recipe is how I make it also. I was given the recipe from a local Mexican restaurant. They did not put the peppers in theirs, only the juice.
Is it possible to do this in a crockpot and keep on low for parties?
Yes -- you just might have to add a little more liquid since it is in the crockpot. I will do some testing this week and update the recipe with crockpot instructions as well.
I have looked EVERYWHERE for blocks of white American cheese and have had no luck. Where did you get yours?
I buy mine in the deli section at Kroger or Walmart. I just tell them I would like a 1/2 pound not sliced. Hope you can find it!
What size can of Chiles do you start with?
It is a 4.5 ounce can...I only use part of it, but feel free to add more if you want a spicier cheese dip.
Does it matter what % the milk is?
I don't think so but I have only made this with full red top milk. I am sure you could use blue top milk which is 2% -- I don't know that I would do skim.
@Jennifer Sikora, can you clarify what red top milk is? Around here, they sell skim, 1%, 2%, and whole (those are in order of increasing fat content). Does red top mean one of those? Every grocery store uses different tops around me, no standard top colors.
Red top milk is whole milk
I tried making this tonight but my cheese and milk didnt combine together. I dont know what I did wrong!!!
I am not sure either. Are you sure you used White American Cheese? Sometimes you need to use a whisk and really mix together well. Tell me your steps and I will try my best to help you figure it out.
@Megan, mine did the same!
Sorry you had issues. You might have had the heat too high when making it.
Are you using fresh chilies? When using canned chilies it is runny and doesn’t melt the cheese properly.
No. I used the canned chopped chiles. I only use about two tablespoons which is what the recipe suggests. If you are using the whole can I can understand why your cheese dip is runny. Plus, as the dip cools down, it thickens. If you use it right off the stove, it is runny because it is super hot. If you want it thicker, use less milk.
I used the canned chilies and the juice from the chilies just separated from the cheese. The hotter the cheese got the more the juice separated from the cheese. I’ll give it one more shot.
Yeah -- don't add the juice. I never mentioned using the juice in my recipe. I only used 2 tablespoons of the chopped green chiles from the can. If you leave the juice out, you will be fine.
Have just tried Mexican dip the last year or so at restaurant but have never tried to make it until now I do want to after seeing you make this. I have purchased white American sliced cheese before but is it still the same or ok to use? ...or buy from deli? Can't wait to try yours! thanks,
I think as long as it is American cheese you should be okay. The only kind I have ever used is what I get from the deli.
Would you suggest using Velveeta’s queso blanco cheese as an alternative in case we can’t find the white American cheese?
I think that would work. I have not used it before, but it sounds similar.
How long does this keep fresh in the fridge?
It will keep for about a week
what can I use instead of the chilis I cant eat spicy only very mild things I love Mexican food. And so does my hubby but we can't have anything spicy is there an alternative that I can use sweet peppers diced small? Thank u for the recipes kimmi
You can leave them out altogether if you want. I add it to mine because I like the spicy flavor.
Is this recipe crockpot friendly? Also, can I make a day ahead and reheat.
I have never made it in a crockpot but I am sure you can.
Replace some of the milk (1/4 cup) with pickled jalapeño juice and add 1/2 tsp cumin - life changing
I had some of this cheese dip when I was in Tennessee at a Mexican restaurant. It was very good and not spicy at all. I do not like real spicy foods. Anything I usually eat like with tacos or salsa has to me mild. Medium is even hotter than I like it. What would you recommend as far as the amount of chilis? I imagine that dip has some in it.
If you do not like it spicy, you can totally leave the chilis out completely. I just like that kick of heat in the end. I have made it with and without and it is fine either way.
Mine didn’t work like the cheese melted but looks sticky and it’s like the milk and cheese didn’t mix
Are you sure you used the right cheese and the right kind of milk? Sometimes people try to change one of the ingredients and then it does not come together properly. You have to use what I suggested in the recipe.
Hi, my friends own a Mexican restaurant, husband makes the cheese dip. They use butter instead of milk. Would that work with your cheese?
No. The cheese I use has to have a good amount of liquid to stay melty. I think it definitely needs the milk.
I used Monterey Jack cheese with 1% milk added about 2 teaspoons of corn starch. Added cumin, red pepper flakes and a dash of nutmeg, it’s so creamy and delicious.
Land O Lakes white American cheese melts best. And I added jalapeño peppers with some juice from the peppers for a better kick.
I'm sorry,this is completely not authentic Mexican Cheese Dip! This is White Bread America fast food cheese dip. Shame on You!
Sorry, you feel that way. At our Mexican restaurant, this is how they make it and it is the cheese dip that we crave. If you don't like it, move on! Thank you.
This was not good at all my guests barely touched it and some told me it didn't have any Mexican flavor and was too runny with whole milk I should have used half and half, and this recipe should not have salt and pepper in it I guess I will keep searching.
Sorry you feel that way. It is the exact recipe that they use at Mexican restaurants. And the salt and pepper are optional which I have stated in my recipe. Out of thousands of people who have tried and successfully made this, I am sorry that you did not like it.
I've been making this dip for over a year now and have had nothing but good comments about it. The only thing I add is either 1/2 can of green chilies or a jalapeño that I soak for 15 minutes in ice water and then dice in food processor. Over all 👍👍
I love hearing that. It really is the best cheese dip out there.
I followed the directions PERFECTLY and I had the exact cheese it called for but for some reason my cheese and milk never combined. I read the comments to see if anyone else had the same problem, which I see that I’m not the only one. I whisked it. No luck.
Just a huge disappointing mess and $ wasted.
I am sorry that you had that issue. You can watch my video here and it shows exactly how I make it. https://youtu.be/Ce0zJUZnx04v=Ce0zJUZnx04
This is not what Mexican restaurants use in the Midwest. It’s not just white American. There are other cheeses involved. I’ve tried every combination of white American, spices and peppers, and sometimes pepper Jack. They must be using a queso cheese, cortina or melting cheese or something like that, but it is definitely not just American and pepper Jack.
Where we live here-- this is what our Mexican restaurants use -- white American cheese.
Possibly asadero, but definitely not just white American and pepper Jack.
It is what I said it was. I talked to the people at my Mexican restaurant. She brought out the cheese and showed me what they used. White American cheese.
Can't wait to try it!!
You will love it.
Why is it important to use that particular brand of cheese? Surely an alternative would work just as well or better or close to it.
Other cheeses do not melt well. I have tried several different kinds and this one is the best for melting and to give you the authentic flavor from the Mexican restaurant and it is what our restaurant uses. They showed me and told me what they use.