If I were to ask what your favorite food is, would queso blanco top the list? Queso is my all-time most favorite food. The one and only food I will embarrassingly eat too much of, hovering over the bowl until I’ve more than had my fill.
While eating queso blanco dip with tortilla chips is my first preference, I will generously slather it on top of burritos, tacos, or whatever else would be a good delivery method.
Whether you’re a queso fanatic (like me!) or not, this queso blanco recipe is sure to be a huge hit because it’s packed with creamy flavor that doesn’t taste fake or slimy.
While queso seems like something that should be naturally gluten free, gluten can be hidden in a few spots, such as the type of cheese or tortilla chips you use. Tortilla chips are often cross-contaminated at restaurants and for some reason restaurants often use gluten in their queso. Not to worry! I have you covered with an amazing gluten free queso blanco recipe!
Let’s talk about how you ditch the Velveeta and use a few simple ingredients to create your own gluten free queso blanco.
Does The Type of Cheese Really Matter?
Not only does the type of cheese you use matter, the way you buy your cheese is equally important. Let’s unpack that:
Type – this queso blanco recipe calls for two types of cheese – white American (although you can substitute yellow American, it will make your queso an orange color instead of the white), and monterey jack. American cheese will keep the creamy texture that queso is known for, whereas something like cheddars can cause clumpiness and grease.
You may be tempted to purchase pre-shredded cheese. DO NOT do this! First, pre-shredded cheese has a coating to prevent caking. Unfortunately, that feature does not allow the cheese to melt the way we want it to for a creamy queso dip. Second, if you’re not carefully reading, some companies use ingredients containing gluten to coat their shredded cheese.
How to buy – When I make queso blanco, I always head to the deli counter at the grocery store and I always buy the same brand of cheese – Boar’s Head. I do this for a few reasons. First, I love the quality of their products. Second, I know their cheeses and meats are gluten free. Here is their website if you want more information – Boar’s Head American Cheese. If your deli doesn’t carry this brand, ask for another gluten free option.
Ask your deli to slice it in a large chunk as you’re going to shred it at home (remember to not buy it pre-shredded!). You will need about ¾ lb. of white American cheese and ¼ lb. of monterey jack cheese.
I’ve made this queso blanco using two methods in preparing the cheese – I’ve shredded both cheeses and I’ve cut both cheeses into small chunks (think child bite-size) and both methods work well. You can certainly cut the cheese into small chunks, but make sure they’re small so it melts easier.
My queso blanco is too runny! How can I thicken it?
Don’t be alarmed! When you first make this queso blanco it will be runny; however, it will thicken as it sits longer and/or cools down. You may be tempted to add more cheese, but don’t! Trust me – the recipe is solid.
So you have a few options, one I find more successful than the other.
- Reduce the temperature to low and allow the queso to sit for 30-40 minutes before eating.
- Make a slurry of 1 Tbs cornstarch and 1 Tbs cold water by combining these two ingredients until smooth and whisking it into the queso blanco. This is my least favorite option as the queso blanco will thicken as it cools anyways, so I find it unnecessary, but I understand if you’re in a panic!
- Eat the queso anyways! It may be more drippy than you like, but it will coat your chip and taste just as delicious when it thickens slightly.
Do I have to use tomatoes and cilantro?
Of course not! I love adding tomatoes and cilantro because it adds beautiful color to the queso blanco and I enjoy the extra texture is provides. When you’re preparing the tomatoes, make sure to cut the tomato in half and remove the seeds and liquid in the middle. Otherwise you will have extra unwanted liquid in your queso!
Keeping it warm
There is nothing worse than cold queso. As the queso blanco sits it will begin to solidify. So how do you keep it warm over a period of time? A crockpot set on low works amazing if you need to keep the queso blanco hot over a few hours of time…say during the length of a football game.
If you are serving your queso blanco fairly quickly and will not need to keep it hot over a longer length of time, consider using a cast iron pan, which will retain heat longer than a standard saucepan.
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Queso Blanco
Ingredients
- 1 Tbs butter
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1 jalapeno, remove seeds, finely diced
- 1 garlic clove, finely diced
- 2 cups half n' half
- 12 oz. white American cheese, shredded
- 4 oz. Monterey jack cheese, shredded
- 2 Roma tomatoes, seeds and liquid scooped out and discarded, diced
- 2 cups cilantro, stems removed, roughly chopped
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add onion and jalapeno until softened and the onion is translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
- Slowly pour in half n' half and stir to combine. Allow to warm for 4-5 minutes over medium heat.
- Gradually add in shredded American cheese and Monterey jack cheese. Continue to stir until all of the cheese has been added and melted, keeping the heat at medium.
- Add the chopped Roma tomatoes and cilantro, stirring to combine.
- The queso will be fairly runny at this point, but the longer is sits over medium to low heat the more it will thicken up.
- At this point you can transfer to a bowl if it will be eaten right away, or you can transfer to a crockpot on low heat to serve over an extended period of time.
- Serve warm with tortilla chips, veggies, or pour over burritos or enchiladas
Deborah Montez
Can I use something besides half and half?
Can I use canned diced tomatoes with peppers
Just As Good Gluten Free
First, you can certainly substitute canned tomatoes with peppers. Make sure to drain before you add. Second, you could try adding heavy cream with 1 or 2% milk. Maybe try 1 1/2 cups regular milk with 1/2 cup cream and check the consistency as it heats. If it’s too thick, add more milk a little at a time. If it’s too thin, add cream. If it’s a dairy alternative you’re looking for, let me know! That’ll be a different recipe!