Copycat Chipotle Queso Blanco - Savor The Flavour

Maybe your like

Skip to primary navigation
Skip to main content
Skip to primary sidebar

Search ×Home » Recipes » Mexican Recipes 12771 shares

12501
270

Jump to Recipe Add Me as a Trusted Google Source

Do you love Chipotle queso blanco? Learn how to make our copycat version and you'll have enough of this addicting dip to share with your friends at party time.

Need more copycat Chipotle recipes for parties? Try our Chipotle green chili salsa and our Chipotle fresh tomato salsa. Your friends and family will love them!

Quick Look at the Recipe

⏲️ Prep Time: 25 minutes
⏲️ Cook Time: 30 minutes
⏲️ Total Time: 55 minutes
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Servings: 22 people
🥕 Dietary Info: Vegetarian, Gluten Free
⚡ Calories: 253 calories per serving (based on nutrition facts in recipe card)
🌶️ 13 Ingredients: unsalted butter, onion, poblano pepper, serrano pepper, garlic, roma tomatoes, whole milk, heavy cream, chipotle chili powder, cornstarch, Monterey Jack cheese, white cheddar, and salt.
🥣 Method: Stovetop
⌛ Time-Saving Hack: Use a food processor to quickly chop the onion, peppers, and tomatoes.
🔪 Equipment: cheese grater, Dutch oven, wooden spoon, and whisk.
⭐ Expert Tip: Grate the cheese yourself to ensure that the cheese will melt perfectly without being gritty.
🧀 Flavor & Texture: This copycat Chipotle queso has a velvety texture, rich flavor, and lots of cheesy goodness that pairs perfectly with chips, nachos, tacos, or burrito bowls.

Summarize or save this content on

ChatGPTPerplexityGrokClaudeGoogle AI

Why You'll Love This Recipe

Tastes Like Chipotle's Queso: It's our goal to get as close to Chipotle's queso as we can with this recipe!
Common Ingredients, Delicious Result: We use 13 simple ingredients that replicate the rich flavors and creamy texture you love.
Perfect Texture: This queso isn't too runny or too thick; the cornstarch slurry ensures that you'll get the ideal consistency while keeping this gluten free.

Featured Comment⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "This recipe was delicious. I used a smoky chipotle powder for this recipe and it was a hit at a work function...It was a bit more like nacho cheese but that worked well for what I needed it for. Good flavor and texture. I think that this was far superior to what Chipotle has. Will make this again."- Wendy

Jump to:

Quick Look at the Recipe
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Ingredients
Variations
How to Make Chipotle Queso Blanco
Recipe FAQs
Serving Chipotle Queso Blanco
Expert Tips
More Chipotle Recipes You'll Love
Recipe
Comments

Ingredients

The authentic Chipotle queso uses 13 ingredients, and our copycat queso blanco recipe also uses only 13 real food ingredients. Our homemade queso blanco sauce is all natural with no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.

Dairy: We used butter, monterey jack, white cheddar, whole milk, and heavy cream.
Aromatics: We used white onion and garlic.
Vegetables: We used poblano pepper, serrano peppers, and roma tomatoes.
Thickener: We used cornstarch.
Dried Spices: We used chipotle chili powder and salt.

See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations

Want to increase the protein? Add cooked sausage, chorizo, ground beef, or shredded chicken to your copycat Chipotle queso blanco.
Want other garnish ideas? Try diced jalapeños, tomatoes, or chopped cilantro.
Want a spicier blanco queso? Add more serrano peppers.

How to Make Chipotle Queso Blanco

Gather all the ingredients for our copycat Chipotle queso blanco.

person sauteeing veggies and pouring in milk

In a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, melt the unsalted butter over medium heat. Sauté the onion, poblano, and serrano peppers until soft, stirring occasionally. Add the minced garlic and the roma tomatoes and cook until fragrant. (image 1)
Pour in the whole milk and the heavy cream. (image 2)

adding spices and whisking cheese into the sauce

Slowly whisk in the slurry of cornstarch and water. This will act as the main thickener for the sauce. Keep whisking while the queso blanco is brought just barely to a boil, then simmer and whisk constantly until it starts to thicken. This will take some time, so be patient. Add the dried chipotle chili powder for a little heat, smokiness, and color. (image 3)
Remove the sauce from the heat and gradually add the cheese. Whisk in the cheese in small batches until it is melted. The six cups of freshly grated cheese will also help thicken the queso blanco. (image 4)

adding salt and serving the queso blanco

Taste and sprinkle in as much salt as you like. We added 3 ½ teaspoons for a batch of 7 ⅓ cups of white sauce. Whisk in the salt, then taste again and adjust seasonings, if necessary. (image 5)
Enjoy this copycat Chipotle queso blanco warm in a large serving bowl for family members, or transfer it to a small crock pot to keep warm for an event. (image 6)

Recipe FAQs

Is Chipotle queso blanco healthy?

When eaten in moderation, this queso can be enjoyed as part of a healthy diet. A one-third cup serving size provides 244 calories with 6.7g of carbs and 20.2g of fat. This recipe is also high in calcium, naturally gluten-free, and keto-friendly. For more nutritional facts, scroll to the end of the recipe card.

What does queso blanco mean?

Queso blanco is Spanish for white cheese. In the culinary world, it is a white cheese sauce commonly used as a dip for tortilla chips.

What is queso blanco made of?

A seasoned cream sauce is made with heavy cream and milk along with onion, tomatoes, chilies, and spices. Once heated, a blend of white cheeses such as white cheddar and Monterey jack are mixed in and melted into the cheese sauce. It is thickened using flour or cornstarch.

How do you smooth out queso?

The trick to ultra-smooth queso is to use freshly grated cheese and add it to the sauce slowly at the end of cooking. Preferably after removing the pot from the stove. The slow melting makes it creamier. Also, using cornstarch instead of flour makes the sauce shiny and prevents a gritty texture that may come from using flour.

How do you store queso blanco?

Leftovers: Store any leftover copycat queso blanco dip in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Freeze: Don't freeze this copycat Chipotle recipe because it's dairy-based and will separate and become grainy when thawed and reheated.

Serving Chipotle Queso Blanco

This Chipotle queso blanco goes great with our copycat Chipotle tortilla chips and all kinds of Tex Mex food such as nachos, enchiladas, and burritos. Try this with some of our other copycat Chipotle recips like our Chipotle corn salsa, Chipotle cauliflower rice, and our Chipotle black beans.

person holding a white bowl of Chipotle queso blanco.

Expert Tips

Use full-fat cheese, milk, and cream for the ultra-creamy texture.
Use freshly grated cheese for a velvety smooth consistency. Pre-grated will make your queso gritty.
Add the cheese in small batchesafter the heat is turned off for the best texture.
Constantly stir the sauce so the bottom doesn't burn.

More Chipotle Recipes You'll Love

Copycat Chipotle Steak Recipe
Chipotle Sofritas (Copycat Recipe)
Chipotle Fresh Tomato Salsa (Copycat Recipe)
Chipotle Barbacoa (Copycat Recipe with Video)

If you liked this recipe and found it helpful, give it some love by sharing!

Follow us on Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, Threads, and Facebook for more crave-worthy recipes!

The pleasure of a 5-star review would be greatly appreciated!

Recipe

bowl of queso blanco with tortilla chips

Copycat Chipotle Queso Blanco

Copycat Chipotle queso blanco is an easy recipe to make to get that famous authentic, restaurant-style look and taste. Learn how to make this homemade Mexican white cheese sauce on your stovetop with no Velveeta and no Rotel. It's the perfect vegetarian and gluten free game day dip! 4.8 from 5 votes Print Pin FavoriteSaved! Rate Course: SaucesCuisine: MexicanDiet: Vegetarian Prep Time: 25 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 55 minutes Servings: 22 servings Calories: 253kcal Author: Brooke & Emma

Ingredients 0.5x1x2x

US ImperialMetric

▢ 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
▢ ½ cup white onion, finely chopped
▢ ¾ cup poblano pepper, finely chopped
▢ ¾ cup serrano pepper, finely chopped
▢ ¼ cup garlic, minced
▢ ¼ cup roma tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
▢ 4 cups whole milk
▢ 2 cups heavy cream
▢ 3½ teaspoons chipotle chili powder
▢ ¼ cup cornstarch
▢ 4 cups Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely grated
▢ 2 cups white cheddar, coarsely grated
▢ 3½ teaspoons salt

Equipment

▢ Cheese grater
▢ Dutch oven
▢ wooden spoon
▢ whisk

Cook ModeKeep your screen on while you work!

Instructions

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat. Saute the onion and peppers until they are soft, roughly 5 minutes, stirring occasionally with a large wooden spoon.
Add the minced garlic and the tomatoes and cook until fragrant, roughly a minute, while constantly stirring.
Pour in the whole milk and heavy cream while whisking, then sprinkle in the chipotle pepper powder.
In a small bowl, make a cornstarch slurry by mixing equal parts water to cornstarch. Mix with a fork until smooth, then gradually add it to the hot milk mixture, whisking constantly. The cornstarch will make the sauce glossy.
Whisking constantly to prevent lumps or burnt spots, bring the sauce to a slight boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat and let it simmer until it starts to thicken. This will take roughly 12 to 15 minutes. (It will thicken more once the cheese is added and the sauce has cooled down a bit.)
Remove the Dutch oven from the heat and stir in the grated cheese in batches until it is melted.
Taste then add enough salt to your liking. Adjust other seasonings, if necessary.
Serve while warm. Keep the sauce warm by turning the stove to the lowest setting or transfer the copycat Chipotle queso blanco to a crock pot and keep on the warm setting.

Video

Notes

Make sure to grate your own cheese for this copycat recipe. The pre-grated cheese is coated in cellulose to reduce sticking, and that will add graininess to your queso and prevent the cheese from melting smoothly.
To get the ultra creamy texture this copycat dip is known for, use full fat cheese, whole milk, and heavy cream.
Remove the sauce from the heat, then add the cheese in small batches.
Eliminate the risk of the sauce burning by constantly whisking.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.33cupCalories: 253kcal (13%)Carbohydrates: 6g (2%)Protein: 10g (20%)Fat: 21g (32%)Saturated Fat: 13g (81%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 68mg (23%)Sodium: 588mg (26%)Potassium: 161mg (5%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 4g (4%)Vitamin A: 888IU (18%)Vitamin C: 7mg (8%)Calcium: 311mg (31%)Iron: 1mg (6%)

Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.

Tried this Recipe? Tag us Today!Mention @savortheflavourblog or tag #savortheflavour! « Frozen Strawberry LemonadeFrozen Cherry Limeade »

Reader Interactions

Comments

made this the past weekend for cinco de mayo. making it again and turning it into mac and cheese
Reply
- We're glad that you enjoyed the queso dip, Kara! Let us know how you like it in mac and cheese!
  Reply
I've made your queso and it is amazing. Can I make this in a crockpot?
Reply
- Monika, We are so glad you love the queso! We have only made it on the stovetop, but it would definitely keep warm in a crockpot.
  Reply
This recipe was delicious. I used a smoky chipotle powder for this recipe and it was a hit at a work function. I did make a couple of adjustments. I added the chipotle powder in the last 30 seconds of the onions and peppers being sautéed and toasted the seasoning slightly before adding the liquids. I also omitted 1 cup of whole milk as I had read that the sauce was meant to be more soup like in consistency from other reviews. This was a good call because after whisking for what felt like forever (15 minutes on low) the queso still felt to be pretty runny. I turned up the heat and once the cheese came to a very slight boil, I immediately removed the Dutch oven from the heat and whisked for 2 minutes longer to prevent sticking but after I let it sit for 5 minutes to let the cornstarch do it’s thing. I was left with queso with perfect consistency. It was a bit more like nacho cheese but that worked well for what I needed it for. Good flavor and texture. I think that this was far superior to what Chipotle has. Will make this again.
Reply
- Wendy, We are thrilled that you thought our recipe was far superior to what Chipotle has. Yes, it is indeed delicious.
  Reply
Hi, I am from India and it is very difficult to buy Monterey Jack cheese in my area. Can you please suggest any alternative to it ?
Reply
- Akansha, Havarti cheese would be the closest substitute to Monterey Jack, as it has a similar texture and melts well. Enjoy!
  Reply
Tastes great but mine came out way too thin. I’ve tried adding more cornstarch slurry, more cheese but still like soup. I’m going to try adding a bar of softened cream cheese ..if that doesn’t thicken it it’s getting dumped out.
Reply
- I'm so sorry that this queso dip didn't thicken enough for you, but here are some ways you can rescue it. Try adding additional grated cheese (not cream cheese) coated with cornstarch. Another option is reducing the sauce by letting it simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally. This recipe was designed to be thick enough to coat a tortilla chip, but thin enough to easily pour over nachos, so it was never supposed to be as thick as some other homemade quesos. Keep in mind that the queso thickens dramatically once it is refrigerated overnight.
  Reply
  - I took your advice and it did thicken more to my liking. Thank you!
    Reply
    - You're welcome, Kate!
      Reply
- Can you freeze it?
  Reply
  - Unfortunately, no--this doesn't freeze well. It can be repurposed and used as mac and cheese sauce though!
    Reply
The sauce is full of exploding flavors! It tastes rich and creamy, and is great with tortilla chips.
Reply
- Glad you enjoyed it, Alex!
  Reply
This dip is warm and smells cheesy. It is creamy, the chipotle powder adds flavor, and the tomatoes and peppers are soft. This recipe makes a really good dip!
Reply
- Thank you, Beth!
  Reply

Primary Sidebar

two ladies with brown hair smiling in a kitchen.

Welcome to our kitchen!

We're Brooke & Emma Fajcz, the mother-daughter team behind Savor the Flavour. Increase your kitchen confidence with our recipes, instructional photos, and helpful tips and facts. Our recipes have been featured in Oprah Magazine, The Guardian, Parade, Insider, Delish, and BuzzFeed.

More about us →