The Secret Addition To Get Smooth Queso Every Time

If you want creamy queso every time, sans lumps and bumps, you should consider adding cream cheese to the mix to combat this all-too-common problem. Queso is a cheese sauce made for dipping and dripping. If you've ever experimented with various kinds of cheese you have in your fridge when making this dip, then you know they all melt a little differently. Some clump while others create pools of oil. This is why processed cheeses like Velveeta and American are the go-to ingredients for queso. They were designed to melt easily and not break. 

But, regardless of cheese choice, adding a brick of cream cheese will help stabilize your cheesy mix, binding ingredients and preventing them from separating. Most importantly, cream cheese will also keep your queso smooth. Made from milk and cream, its high-fat content, soft consistency, and velvety texture complement the melted cheese, milk, diced tomatoes, and whatever seasonings and spices you choose to use to create a classic queso.

If the thought of adding cream cheese to your queso has you worried about clashing flavors, don't fret. Cream cheese's tangy taste blends well with other queso ingredients, and depending on your choice of cheese, it can help balance competing sweet, spicy, and savory elements.

While adding cream cheese will give you that buttery texture you know and love, it's mission-critical you keep a close eye on your queso as it heats on the stovetop. Keep the temperature mid to low and take care that your sauce doesn't burn or you will end up with a hot mess that curdles. For this reason, pay close attention to the cheesy surface as it cooks. If you start to see bubbles pop up once you've added cheese to the pot, you will want to turn the heat down, and possibly add a little milk to the mix to regain that smooth and creamy consistency.