Instant Pot Queso Dip Recipe (2024)

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This Mexican-inspired Instant Pot Queso is a creamy, smooth and cheesy dip made from scratch and with all-natural ingredients. 100% real cheese, real stuff and without Velveeta! This cheesy dip, Queso is the most important part of any game-day and also perfect for any occasion!

In preparation for your Cinco de Mayo celebration or get-together, I am going to share a delicious Instant Pot Queso Dip recipe. This cheesy dip is made with ground beef, diced tomatoes, and green chilies, jalapenos, white onion, garlic, Monterey Jack, Sharp Cheddar, chili powder, cumin, butter, cornstarch, evaporated milk, salt, and pepper.

Pair this Instant Pot Queso Dip with tortilla chips and you’ll be sure to wow your family and friends.

A cheese dip makes for the perfect Cinco de Mayo celebration appetizer. This Instant Pot Queso Dip recipe is made from real cheese, a big step up from dip sold in jars, and a homemade dish that can compete with the queso served at your favorite restaurants. It’s so creamy and cheesy. It’s super easy to make in the Instant Pot.

True queso is eaten as a dip with crispy tortilla chips, but you can even serve this as a nacho cheese sauce to go well with other appetizers and dishes for any celebration.


This Instant Pot Queso Dip is made with a combination of cheddar and Monterey jack cheeses, browned ground beef, chili powder, garlic, onion, cornstarch, evaporated milk, cumin, diced tomatoes and green chiles, jalapenos, black pepper, and salt.

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The best part of making my own cheese dip is that I have more control over flavors and consistency. You can solely use white cheese (such as the Monterey jack) to make white queso dip. I personally like my dip to have more of an orange hue, so I often use more of the cheddar cheese.

To serve my Instant Pot Queso Dip recipe, I add some toppings that complement the dip very well, especially for a Cinco de Mayo celebration: guacamole, sour cream, and fresh chopped salsa.

Here are some important steps I took to make this Instant Pot Queso Dip Recipe:

  1. I used extra lean ground beef (92% or higher) to avoid greasy looking queso dip.
  2. I browned the ground beef in a regular skillet pan. Faster and easier to clean.
  3. To get a nice browned ground beef, I seasoned with a pinch of salt, and pepper. I let the beef sit in the hot pan undisturbed for about two minutes until it gets browned then flip on the other side, wait undisturbed for about two minutes then start breaking apart with a wooden spatula.
  4. To thicken the dip, I used cornstarch. To avoid grainy and raw flour taste in dip sauce, I make sure to melt in butter over medium heat and stir in cornstarch, cook for 1-2 minutes.
  5. I used block cheeses and grated them before cooking.

On a final note, I found that many restaurants are actually a bit too conservative with their queso and don’t add very many ingredients. A few others I’ve been to add so much that it doesn’t even seem like queso anymore.

Instant Pot Queso Dip Recipe and Cooking Instructions:

Don't forget to re-pin this recipe: Instant Pot Queso Dip Recipe

📖 Recipe

Instant Pot Queso Dip

Rika

This Instant Pot Queso Dip recipe is made from real cheese, a big step up from dip sold in jars, and a homemade dish that can compete with the queso served at your favorite restaurants.

4.88 from 8 votes

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

  • ½ pound lean ground beef, at least 92%
  • 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoon cornstarch
  • ½ cup chopped white onion
  • 1-2 fresh jalapenos, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk or half n half
  • 1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies
  • ¼ teaspoon salt, (add more according to your liking)
  • black pepper , (to taste)
  • 3.5 cups a combination of Monterey Jack and Sharp Cheddar, (you can also use white American cheese for white Queso)

To Serve:

  • 1 bag of Mission® Strips Tortilla Chips
  • Guacamole
  • Fresh Salsa
  • Sour Cream

Instructions

  • Brown the Beef:

    In a skillet pan, brown the ground beef meat over medium heat. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Let the meat sit undisturbed for about two minutes, flip and cook the other side, let the meat sit undisturbed for about two minutes. Start breaking the meat with a wooden spatula and the meat is fully cooked. Remove from the heat and set aside.

  • Turn on the Instant Pot to sauté over medium heat (normal). Melt butter and add cornstarch, cook and keep stirring for about two minutes to avoid grainy dipping sauce.

  • Add chopped onion and jalapenos, keep stirring until fragrant, add garlic, chili powder, cumin, and stir for about 30 seconds.

  • Add 1 can diced tomatoes and green chilies, salt, black pepper and stir for about 10 seconds.

  • Pour half of the milk and keep cooking and scraping the bottom of the pan until the sauce is smooth and thick.

  • Pour and whisk in the remaining milk and add the ground beef.Press the Adjust button to increase the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil for about one minute. Stirring occasionally.

  • Stir in all the cheese and press the “stop” button to shut off the heat.

  • Cover the pot with the lid and let it stands undisturbed for about 3 minutes.

  • Remove the lid and whisk the mixture until smooth. Season with salt and pepper if needed.

  • Serve with guacamole, fresh salsa, sour cream and enjoy with Mission Strips Tortilla Chips.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Instant Pot Queso Dip Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between queso and cheese dip? ›

Scanning the internet and the supermarket shelf, we realized that the cheese sauces are divided into two basic categories: Queso Dips, which include some amount of heat, spices, and other flavorings, and Cheese Dips, which are cheese and little else.

Can you use an Instant Pot to keep queso warm? ›

One of the tricks to great cheese dip is keeping it warm, which is where the Instant Pot comes in handy. Since it has a built-in warming feature you can make the dip and then keep it warm all in the same pot.

What is cheese dip at Mexican restaurants made of? ›

Flavour packed with onion, garlic, jalapeños, tomatoes, cilantro and spices. Normally made with Velveeta, our recipe is made with real cheese...there's nothing like a good Queso dip to dunk your fried tortillas or corn chips!

Why put evaporated milk in queso? ›

Evaporated milk helps to keep this dip extra creamy as it's thicker than other dairy products thanks to its lower water content. Another incentive to use evaporated milk is that it helps prevent the dip from congealing-- especially when combined with cornstarch.

What makes queso taste like queso? ›

Rich and Comforting Flavor: The combination of melted cheese, often with added spices or chilies, creates a flavorful and comforting experience that many people enjoy.

What cheese is queso dip made from? ›

This authentic queso recipe will rivals any from our favorite Mexican restaurants! This has been my go-to white cheese dip for years, and readers seem to agree–it's delicious, and it's super easy to make at home with just a few ingredients. White American Cheese: This is the best cheese for white queso dip.

How do restaurants keep queso warm? ›

For liquids that need to stay hot, like soup, restaurants can use round warmers (also known as soup warmers). These warmers will keep soups and other liquids at safe temperatures for long periods. They can also be used to melt cheese, making them very versatile.

How to keep queso dip from hardening? ›

For dips, you'll want to use a tablespoon of cornstarch per pound of cheese, then add at least five ounces of evaporated milk. After that, you can use more evaporated milk to thin out your dip as much as you need.

How to keep Mexican cheese dip from hardening? ›

Cheese sauce can be kept from congealing by applying enough heat to keep it semi-liquid but not enough to scorch it or dry it out. A candle or an electric heat source can be used for this. A fondue pot is one type of vessel commonly used for the process.

Does authentic Mexican food use queso? ›

It depends on the restaurant. Authentic Mexican restaurants will likely use only cotija or queso fresco. Americanized Mexican restaurants will list the cheeses they use, often monterey jack or cheddar.

Is Velveeta real cheese? ›

Though Velveeta is no longer an FDA-defined genuine cheese, it does have some similarities, namely pasteurized milk and cheese culture.

Do they eat queso dip in Mexico? ›

In Mexico, don't expect everything edible to be loaded with cheese—and certainly not the yellow-orange kind you're liable to find in U.S. restaurants. “Queso dip, forget it.

What is the best melting cheese for queso? ›

Asadero Cheese

Because of its spectacular melting properties, it's an ideal base for queso on nachos, burritos, tacos, enchiladas or any Mexican dish.

Why is my queso dip watery? ›

Dips can turn watery if food, such as chips or vegetables like carrots and celery, is being dipped directly into the container and then refrigerated and re-opened for later use.

Can I use condensed milk instead of evaporated milk for queso? ›

Evaporated milk — make sure to buy evaporated milk and not sweetened condensed milk. The two cans look similar but are different. Evaporated milk help keeps the dip from separating and turning clumpy as it cools. Chile — I use canned green chiles, but you can also use jalapeno.

What is the difference between queso and regular cheese? ›

Queso fresco has a different way of creating it, and that's what sets it apart from other well-known cheese. Queso fresco has a bolder, tangier flavor than mozzarella cheese but is smoother and saltier than that of goat cheese. It is used in several classic Mexican dishes such as tacos and bean dishes.

What is the difference between queso and nacho cheese sauce? ›

Queso is what Texans refer to melted processed cheese mixed with Rotel or generic canned diced tomatoes and peppers. Nacho cheese is what midwesterners, in particular, refer to the same basic melted processed cheese sans the diced tomatoes and peppers.

Are queso and nacho cheese the same thing? ›

"Nacho cheese" is a specialized cheese sauce designed for nachos, a popular snack, or appetizer, known for its smooth, creamy texture and mild, slightly tangy flavor. In contrast, "queso cheese" is a more general term that encompasses various cheeses used in Mexican cuisine, available in different f…

Is queso and Rotel the same thing? ›

In fact, to some Texans, queso is simply “Rotel dip.” But why? Eater's Kayla Stewart recently set out to learn how the canned blend of tomatoes, chiles, and spices, became such a vital part of any queso.

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