Lusciously creamy and smooth, this hot cheese dip recipe is the easiest thing you’ll make for your game day party! Irresistibly cheesy and velvety smooth queso dip, just the way you like it.
UPDATE: This’s Day 1 of 5 Days of Cheesy Dip Series. Kicking off this awesome cheesy week with my favorite creamy cheese dip in the entire world! I also made a quick video for you to show just how easy it is to make this goodness! Did you catch that video above?
Come back EVERY day of this week for a new cheese dip recipe. I hope you’ll love them as much as I do!
There are only two reasons I love to go to our local Mexican restaurant.
1. Their delicious queso sauce!
2. Frozen margs.
That’s it! Two of my favorite things, besides macarons and chocolates, of course. If I didn’t have to worry about my waist line (and my health), I’d have those two things every day!
Inspired by my favorite queso sauce, I made this deliciously creamy, rich cheese dip with a spicy kick!
Oh boy, you have to have some great company to share this goodness. Resist the temptation to have it all by yourself, be nice and share the love. Your scale will thank you later.
Now, onto the fun part. How to make this stuff?
To be honest with you, I almost gave up on this whole cheese-dip idea. My first couple trials left me with nothing but a couple pounds of rubber of cheese. Literally, just weird rubber concoction, the complete opposite of what I’ve been striving for. I wanted lusciously CREAMY SMOOTH hot dip!
Well, after a little research on the web (thank you, Google!), I learned that most restaurants use white American cheese to make their cheese sauce.
I’ve been using wrong types of cheese! (Apparently no mozzarella, provolone, or extra sharp cheddar for creamy cheese dip! Please don’t make fun of me. That’s all I had in my fridge, ok?) And to the grocery store I went! On a mission to find some white American cheese. No such luck in our small local store. BUT I found some American cheese slices and cheddar & Monterey Jack.
Equipped with a few tips and tricks, I finally got exactly what I was striving for, ultra-creamy cheese dip of your dreams!
- Melt the cheese on low heat. Don’t be tempted to increase the heat to speed up the process. Trust me, it’s not worth.
- Stir in the cream and milk whisking continuously. Whisk is a must. It helps the cheese and milk mixture incorporate properly.
- Add a little more milk, if you think the dip is too thick for you.
 You can prepare this dip a day in advance, and just microwave it for couple minutes before serving.
Hot Cheese Dip
Ingredients
- 8 oz 225gr American cheese slices
- 4 oz 115gr Cheddar & Monterey Jack cheese (or just cheddar cheese), cubed or grated
- 2/3 cup 160ml milk (I used whole milk, but any will work)
- 1/3 cup 80ml heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons chopped canned jalapenos
- 2-3 tablespoons canned jalapeno juice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon chili pepper
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, place the cheese and melt on low heat.
- Stir in milk and heavy cream, whisking continuously until smooth.
- Add chopped jalapenos, jalapeno juice, and seasonings.
- Serve hot with some good tortilla chips.
This recipe was first published on October 8th, 2014.
Emily says
I use boars head American cheese and this comes out great. Make it just as the recipe says! I added the jalepeno and juice early once and it didn’t come out right, haha. This stays warm through a party and reheats well, very minimal (if any) grittiness on reheat, which is great! My go-to cheese sauce recipe now! Thanks for making such a great recipe. Also love the gram measurements! Super helpful to make sure everything is just right.
Shinee says
Hi, Emily. So happy to hear you tried and loved this recipe!!! And thank you for sharing your feedback and tips!!!
Kori says
This looks amazing! How spicy is it? We can’t do a ton of spice at our house, and I was wondering if there was a good way to modify it to have a little less kick if it’s super spicy.
Shinee says
Hi, Kori. Well, it is a spicy dip due to added jalapenos. It’s hard to rate the spiciness, as it’s pretty subjective. 🙂 You can make the dip without jalapeno, jalapeno juice, and chili powder. But add it to taste, if desired.
Patricia Erickson says
Can you use a crock pot for this?
Shinee says
Hi, Patricia. I’ve never tried making this in a crockpot. Sorry I can’t give you an advice on this.
Michaela Heidt-Slater says
Ladies, there is NO difference between white and yellow American cheese in the flavor. The yellow American gets it color from ground mustard seeds added to the white mixture. That’s all
Shinee says
Agree, Michaela. They’re the same. The thing is I always wondered what Mexican restaurants used, because their queso is always white. But I have no problem with yellow American cheese.
Maria @ kitchenathoskins says
Nothing like hot melted ooey gooey cheese. I can dunk my face into this, not that I’m gonna:)
Shinee says
Oh I would do too, if I could. 🙂 Thanks, Maria!
Liz says
Yum!
Le says
Waist line not waste line.
Shinee says
Oops, thanks for catching that, Le! I fixed it now. 🙂
Nanci says
You are right about the American cheese. I asked at our favorite place one time what they use and the waitress said Land o’ Lakes American.
Shinee says
Yeah, that’s what I heard. Thanks, Nanci.
[email protected] Eats says
This has my name written all over it!! I want to drink it!!
Shinee says
If not all the calories, I’d drink it all myself too! Hehe
Kristi @ Inspiration Kitchen says
I love cheesy dips like this – it looks so comforting, it makes me want to grab a chip and dig in! Pinned!
Shinee says
Thanks, Kristi! This has been my latest obsession!
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
Wish I could dive into the cheesey deliciousness of this dip right now.. it looks incredible!
Shinee says
Thank you, Thalia! 🙂