The Most Important Tip For Making Queso Simply Comes Down To Stirring

When queso is done right, it's one of the best dips out there — it's cheesy and melty with the right amount of spice. It may seem like you need to go to a restaurant to get the best quality queso, but you can make a delicious batch at home, you just need to keep some key tips in mind. One of the most important tips? Stir frequently.

Making queso is done by mixing all of the ingredients in a pan over the stove — during which the cheese melts and everything comes together to make the delicious dip. However, because the cheese will melt quickly, it may start sticking to the pan and burn. You can avoid this by stirring continuously until the queso is done. Luckily, the queso should be done cooking in about 10 minutes.

Maintaining the right heat on the stove will also help keep the cheese from burning. Even if you start with the heat on medium, turn it down to low once you add the cheese.

When it comes to queso, the cheese is the star, so you want to get that part right. To begin with, avoid shredded cheese. There's a big difference between shredded cheese and fresh cheese. Mainly, shredded cheese contains additives like cellulose, which is a coating on the cheese to keep the shredded pieces from sticking to one another. The additive also gets in the way of the cheese melting properly. Additionally, feel free to use more than one cheese to give the queso more depth of flavor. Cheddar is often the go-to, you can pair that with something like Monterey jack or gruyere. Many recipes also include cream cheese, which makes the dip ultra-smooth and provides a bit of a tang.

To amplify the flavors, we recommend adding a splash of tequila to your queso. Similarly, our recipe for smoky white queso uses a bit of mezcal to contribute to the smokiness.

Along with the smoky factor, queso is also defined by its heat, provided by chiles, jalapeños, or spices. However, don't be afraid to tone down the spice and make it mild, if that's your preference. Easy ways to do this include skipping any cayenne pepper called for and picking out mild chiles. If you want to use jalapeños, you can remove the seeds to tone down the heat but keep its flavor.