Queso Blanco with Chorizo is perfect for Cinco de Mayo, game day, or any other party you may have planned! This zesty and smooth Queso Blanco is made with sautéed chorizo, peppers, and onions. One bowl won’t be enough!
Keep the party going with chips and more dips like Guacamole and Salsa!
Table of Contents
This queso blanco dip with chorizo will be absolutely perfect for all those fun Super Bowl parties and Cinco de Mayo celebrations! Just beware, it’s hard to stop eating… so make sure to prepare enough dip for the crowd. Luckily, you can easily double this recipe!
Scroll down to the ingredients notes below to check out what exactly goes into this homemade queso blanco with chorizo recipe. It’s on the budget friendly side! If you’re anything like me, you may already have most of these ingredients already ready to go in your kitchen right now.
Plus, it couldn’t be easier to make in just 30 minutes. It’s also very easy to customize! Scroll down to my FAQ section to check out just some of the fun, tasty ways you can change up this versatile queso blanco with chorizo recipe. Oh, and my biggest tip for this dip is very simple – pair it with a Margarita.
Ingredient Notes
Heavy Whipping Cream – Heavy cream will create the best creaminess and richness to the queso. However, you can substitute half and half. Do not use anything with less fat than that.
Mexican Style Chorizo – Use your favorite brand but make sure it’s uncooked.
Cheeses – Try to get good quality options for both the Monterrey Jack and American cheeses! For the Monterrey Jack, it’s best to shred it right off the block yourself for the smoothest consistency.
All Purpose Flour – Regular all purpose flour is used to thicken the queso. You may substitute gluten free all purpose flour if needed.
Jalapeños – Jalapeños are not the spiciest peppers. With that being said, if you have a sensitivity with spicy foods, you can either remove the seeds or choose young peppers. Young peppers have smooth, firm skin. Older peppers are spicier and have visible veins.
See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Queso Blanco with Chorizo
Prepare. Take the sausage out of the skin and break it apart as much as possible. Heat a little bit of oil in a medium pan, over medium heat.
Sauté the veggies. Add diced onion, minced jalapeño (1) and chorizo (2) to the pan.
Cook the chorizo. Sauté everything, mixing and breaking up the clumps of chorizo as much as possible. Season with cumin and salt, mix well, cook until chorizo is done (3). Take off heat.
Sauté veggies again. In a bottom-heavy sauce pot, heat up a little bit of oil over medium heat. Sauté diced onions and jalapeño until softened (4).
Add flour. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir well (5).
Add cream. Slowly pour in heavy whipping cream while stirring (6).
Make it cheesy. When heavy cream is heated through but not simmering, start adding cheeses one handful at a time (7). Keep stirring slowly until cheese is melted and smooth (8). Stir in salt and cumin and take off heat.
Add chorizo. Transfer the queso blanco into a serving dish and top it off with cooked chorizo. Make sure the bowl is big enough to fit both.
What Cheese Is Best In This Queso?
To recreate the best smooth and creamy consistency, I found that white American cheese and Monterrey Jack cheese were perfect. American cheese is what gives this dip the best creamy and silky smooth texture.
If you want to add even more spice to your dip, use Pepper Jack cheese instead of Monterrey Jack. It’s loaded with chili peppers and always has a zesty bite.
Sausage Substitute Option
I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you that this dip is truly best with chorizo sausage. Mexican style chorizo is made with ground meat and it’s mixed with several spices and chili peppers. It has a specific flavor that compliments other Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine the best. Because of that, it tastes the best with this queso dip.
Note that Mexican style chorizo is sold uncooked, so you have to cook it first.
If you can’t find chorizo, what you can do is use ground pork and season it with spices like ancho chili pepper powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano and thyme, ground coriander, a little cinnamon, and a dash of vinegar (and salt of course). For smoky flavor, you can use chipotle pepper powder or add a little smoked paprika.
Storing and Reheating
Make sure to store leftover queso blanco dip in the refrigerator in an airtight food storage container. Properly stored, it should last up to 4 days.
I do not recommend reheating queso in the microwave! The best way to reheat it is on the stove-top or in the oven. On stove-top, reheat queso over medium-low heat just until heated through. Make sure to stir often. In the oven, reheat it in an oven-safe baking dish or a skillet at 325°F, just until heated through. Note that reheating in the oven will take longer.
Recipe FAQs
While this queso recipe should be cooked on the stove-top, you can transfer the finished dip into the Crockpot to keep warm. Make sure set it to the “warm” setting, not on a “low” or it will keep cooking the dip.
I use jalapeño peppers which aren’t too spicy. If you want something spicier, you can add a serrano pepper or a red chili pepper. Remember the most spice is in the pepper’s membrane and seeds, so leave those in or discard depending on your spice tolerance.
For a less spicy queso blanco, use Monterrey Jack cheese instead of Pepper Jack and use younger jalapeños.
Block cheese is always the best option for cheesy sauces, cheese dips, and queso! Pre-shredded cheese is coated in cornstarch and separators, which is why it’s powdery. It won’t give you as smooth of a result.
Chances are you overheated, over-cooked, or even scalded it! Cheese sauce for queso dips or mac and cheese should be cooked over lower than medium (medium-low) heat so that the cheese melts but does not over-cook or scald. Don’t ever let your cheese sauce boil. It’s always best to cook it just until it’s melted and smooth, then remove it from the heat.
Yes! You can easily make this queso blanco dip recipe gluten free by substituting gluten free all purpose flour instead of regular all purpose flour. Double check the label on the chorizo packaging, but it’s usually a gluten free item.
More Delicious Recipes To Try
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Queso Blanco Dip with Chorizo
Ingredients
Chorizo part:
- 1-2 tbsp canola oil
- 1/2 lb Mexican style chorizo sausage
- 1/2 Vidalia onion minced
- 1 jalapeno seeds taken out and minced
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- Salt
Queso Part:
- 1-2 tbsp canola oil
- 1/2 Vidalia onion minced
- 1 red chili pepper seeds taken out and minced
- 1 jalapeno seeds taken out and minced
- 1 tbsp all purpose flour*
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 lb American cheese chopped
- 4 oz Monterrey Jack cheese grated off the block or chopped
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- Salt
Instructions
Chorizo:
- Take the sausage out of the skin and break it apart as much as possible.
- Heat a little bit of oil in a medium pan, over medium heat.
- Add diced onion, minced jalapeno, and sausage to the pan. Saute everything mixing and breaking up the clumps of chorizo as much as possible.
- Season with cumin and salt, mix well, cook until chorizo is done. Take off heat.
Queso:
- In a bottom-heavy sauce pot, heat up a little bit of oil over medium heat.
- Saute diced onions, jalapeno, and chili pepper until softened. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir well.
- Slowly pour in heavy whipping cream while stirring.
- When heavy cream is heated through but not simmering, start adding cheeses one handful at a time. Keep stirring slowly until cheese is melted and smooth. Stir in salt and cumin and take off heat.
- Transfer queso blanco into a serving dish and top it off with cooked chorizo. (Make sure the bowl is big enough to fit both.)
Video
Notes
- *Gluten free note: to make this recipe gluten free, simply use gluten free all purpose flour. Double check the chorizo packaging but most of the time, it is gluten free.
- Meat note: If you can’t find chorizo, what you can do is use ground pork and season it with spices like ancho chili pepper powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano and thyme, ground coriander, a little cinnamon, and a dash of vinegar (and salt of course). For smoky flavor, you can use chipotle pepper powder or add a little smoked paprika.
- Storing: Make sure to store leftover queso blanco dip in the refrigerator in an airtight food storage container. Properly stored, it should last up to 4 days.
- Reheating: I do not recommend reheating queso in the microwave! The best way to reheat it is on the stove-top or in the oven. On stove-top, reheat queso over medium-low heat just until heated through. Make sure to stir often. In the oven, reheat it in an oven-safe baking dish or a skillet at 325°F, just until heated through. Note that reheating in the oven will take longer.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in April 2015.
Corey M Palmer says
Have you made this with the addition of rotel? Just wondering before I decide to make it. Thanks
lyuba says
Hi Corey!
I have not made this with Rotel and the only negative effect I can think of is that it’s quite juicy and the dip will be thin. Otherwise, I think that you can use the canned veggie mix.
I really hope you will try it and like it 🙂
Dorcat says
Fabulous! I have been looking for a good queso blanco and this one is it! I’ve tried others and they weren’t as good as this one. The only ingredient that I didn’t put in was cumin because I do not care for. One time I made this dip without onion, as I had a guest that did not like onions, and it was just as good! The key is not to substitute the cheeses, particularly the American cheese. American cheese makes it smooth and not grainy. I used tortilla chips and Fritos scoops for dipping. This is a wonderful dip and will go into my recipe box! Thanks for posting!
lyuba says
I am SO happy that you liked it! It’s the biggest compliment 🙂
Thank you!
Sharon scott says
How many does the blanco dip serve? Making for a shower
lyuba says
Hi Sharon!
I’m so sorry for the late response. This recipe makes about 6 cups of dip (with sausage). It always depends on how many other items you are serving at the party. Some people may eat 1/2 cup of dip and others may eat 1 cup of dip. 🙂
I hope you have a nice party!
Albert Bevia says
There is nothing better than a warm cheesy dip, this is an absolute hit, I got the fam coming over on saturday, will be trying this out!
lyuba says
Thank you! I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Amy says
Hello! This looks amazing and I’m making it for our FF Draft. Would this be okay to be made ahead of time? Thanks and can’t wait to try it!!
Lyuba says
Thank you so much, Amy! If you do make it ahead of time, you can reheat in a croc pot on low or on low heat and stir often. Sorry for the late response!
Sandy says
A local restaurant makes a very similar dip, and we order it every time we go. After scouring the internet for a copy-cat, I found your awesome recipe that is even better! Thanks!
lyuba says
Oh, I’m SO glad you liked it! And “yay” for being better 😉
Claudia says
I’m breaking my own rule here by reviewing before I’ve actually made something, (I hate when others do it!) but wanted to share that I’m making this for Thanksgiving and can’t wait! Your beautiful photo caught my eye and made me salivate…I normally over-complicate holiday meals and promised myself I wouldn’t do that this year since I am working all week. This is a perfect easy recipe!
Lyuba says
That’s the goal! Thank you and good luck, Claudia!V 🙂
SC says
Do you think it would taste as good with, say, turkey sausage (for those that don’t eat red meat)?
Lyuba says
Yes, you can always try the turkey sausage in it. It won’t be the same, but you try it!
Tracey says
Also, Chourico is pork not beef😀
Corey M Palmer says
Hey genuis there is beef chorizo as well. Might want to do some research before spewing out false statements.
Katie says
How would I convert this to a crock pot for easy transporting and to keep it warm throughout the evening?
lyuba says
To keep it warm, you could always transfer the cooked dip into the crock pot and keep it on “warm” setting.
I hope you enjoy it!
lyuba says
Awe, thank you!! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says
I think that I could make a whole meal on appetizers and drinks , maybe a small salad on the side. And cheese is such a weakness then add chorizo to it? Mamma mia pure heaven. I love the little scoopers that you’re using. Great photo shots like usual!! By the way, what is your favorite lens for these close ups? They turn out fantastic!!
lyuba says
Me too!! I love appetizers as meals 🙂
Thank you, Marisa!
I use a 50mm prime lens but sometimes crop in a little closer while editing.
Joshua Hampton says
Wow. That dip looks amazing. I could eat it straight from the bowl with a spoon.
lyuba says
🙂 Thank you so much, Joshua!