Ingredients
- 1 small yellow onion (about 6 ounces), finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon Morton kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/3 cup chopped pickled jalapeños, undrained, plus 1 tablespoon pickle juice
- 8 ounces American cheese, thinly sliced
- 8 ounces shredded Pepper Jack cheese (about 2 cups)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 cups whole milk, divided
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Tortilla chips, for serving
Important Notes
This recipe uses Morton kosher salt. If you would rather use Diamond Crystal kosher salt, double the amount. Feel free to adjust the quantity of pickled jalapeños and their juice to find the right balance of brightness.
Sauté the Aromatics
In a medium saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter over medium heat. Add the chopped yellow onion and cook until it becomes translucent, which should take about 3–4 minutes.
Stir in the minced garlic, ground cumin, cayenne pepper, and kosher salt. Cook until these ingredients release their fragrance, about 30 seconds.
Add the Milk and Slurry
Pour in 1 3/4 cups of whole milk and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with the remaining 1/4 cup of milk until smooth.
Stir the slurry into the saucepan, continuously stirring until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon, which should take about 1 minute.
Melt in the Cheeses
Reduce the heat to low. Add the thinly sliced American cheese, stirring vigorously until it has melted, which should take about 3 minutes.
Gradually add in the shredded Pepper Jack cheese, one handful at a time, waiting 30 seconds between additions. Continue stirring until the mixture becomes thick and stringy, which should take around 4 minutes in total.
Once all the cheese is fully incorporated, stir for an additional minute to ensure smoothness.
Finish the Queso
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in the chopped pickled jalapeños and pickle juice. Taste the mixture and add more salt if necessary.
Serve
Transfer your freshly made queso to a warmed bowl or keep it warm in the saucepan over low heat. Serve immediately with your favorite tortilla chips.
Easy Queso Dip
Ingredients
- 1 small yellow onion about 6 ounces, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon Morton kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1/3 cup chopped pickled jalapeños undrained, plus 1 tablespoon pickle juice
- 8 ounces American cheese thinly sliced
- 8 ounces shredded Pepper Jack cheese about 2 cups
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 cups whole milk divided
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Tortilla chips for serving
Instructions
- Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Cook 1 finely chopped small onion until translucent, about 3–4 mins.
- Add 3 minced garlic cloves, 2 tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp cayenne, and 1 tsp kosher salt; cook until fragrant, about 30 secs.
- Pour in 1¾ cups milk and bring to a bare simmer.
- In a small bowl, whisk 1 Tbsp cornstarch with ¼ cup milk until smooth.
- Stir slurry into the saucepan and simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 1 min.
- Reduce heat to low.
- Add 8 oz sliced American cheese, stirring until melted, about 3 mins.
- Gradually stir in 8 oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese, one handful at a time, waiting 30 secs between additions, about 4 mins total.
- Stir another minute to ensure smoothness.
- Remove from heat.
- Stir in ⅓ cup chopped pickled jalapeños and 1 Tbsp pickle juice.
- Taste and add more salt if needed.
- Transfer to a warmed bowl or keep in saucepan over low heat.
- Serve immediately with tortilla chips.