This homemade grain free and gluten free queso blanco dip will be the best and easiest queso you have ever made. It is thick cheesy and has the perfect combo of fresh flavors and spiciness.
Can't stop, won't stop, dipping my chips into this freaking amazing queso dip.
It is addictingly good.
Like, when you go to a party and you know people realize you have been at the chip dip table all night long, but don't care because the queso is. that. good.
If you are craving a garlicy, salty and little bit spicy queso dip, this dip is meant for you. It is thick, it is so cheesy and you are even going to get a cheese pull out of it. You are welcome.
It is meant to be consumed, loved and devoured and shared with everyone you know and love. So let's hop to it, so you can get on with this post and in to the kitchen.
Jump to:
Is queso usually gluten free/grain free?
This my friends really depends. A ton of homemade queso recipes call for cornstarch which is a grain or flour which has gluten.
The store bought stuff is pretty much made of garbage. And don't get me wrong, some times life calls for garbage food. But this dip takes less than 10 minutes to make and tastes 1 billion times better.
You will NEVER go back to the garbage stuff in a jar after tasting this.
Is this just a dip?
No, no, no! This is way more than a dip. Here are a few ways I can picture devouring this epic cheese dip:
- In, on or all over a burrito, taco or burrito bowl
- Smothered on baked or grilled chicken
- Loaded on a baked potato
- Perfect for soft pretzels
Ingredients and substitutions
So I am going to kindly suggest you make it just like me, at lease the first time. Then the next time, because there will be a next time, get fancy and try other ingredients if you prefer. Here is what you will need:
- monterey jack cheese
- pepper jack cheese
- 2% milk
- tapioca flour
- Rotel
- canned jalapenos
- garlic
- butter
- cilantro- optional for topping
Substitutions
MJ and PJ Cheeses- you can sub a white cheddar for the monterey jack if you would like. I really love the monterey best.
Milk- I would not sub for anything less than 1% milk. I think if you do, you will be risking some of the creaminess and thickness this dip has. You could also use half and half for an extra rich experience.
Tapioca flour- I have seen cornstarch used in homemade queso recipes, but that is not an ingredient I use in my kitchen so I do not have the measurements you would need. I am confident you could sub in 2 tablespoons of potato starch for the tapioca if you have that.
Expert tips
- The numero uno most important tip I can give you to make this dip the best it can be is to buy bars of cheese and shred at home. The difference is real friends and SO much better when you shred yourself.
- When serving the dip, it is obviously best when warm. If you have a small dip crockpot or fondue pot you can always place the dip in there and keep on "warm". Give it a good stir if it sits for a bit, as with all cheese dips, it may get a film on top.
What should I serve this queso blanco with?
You can serve this with:
- tortilla chips- regular or grain free
- pretzel rods- gluten free or regular
- vegetable sticks
- grain free crackers like Simple Mills
Storage/reheating/make-ahead
I am so happy to tell you, you don't have to eat this all in one day or even eat it the day you make it! I wanted to test out how well this dip reheated so here are the details on that.
I let the dip cool all they down and then stuck it in the fridge overnight in an airtight container.
I am happy to report that you can successfully reheat the dip in the microwave. I used 50% power and microwaved for a minute, gave it a stir, then used full power at 30 second intervals with stirring in between until nice and gooey and cheesy again.
I am going to be bold enough to say you can even make this the day before and reheat when you are ready. It is that good the next day. Just follow the instructions above!
Let me know!
I sincerely hope you love this queso. I hope you are nourished and comforted and it brings you such happiness when you eat it! Please let me know if you do. It means the world to me when you come back and leave a review or share the recipe.
Want another appetizer idea?
This sweet Cranberry Jalapeno Dip is a crowd and reader favorite!
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Gluten Free Queso Blanco
- Prep Time: 7
- Cook Time: 7
- Total Time: 14
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This homemade grain free and gluten free queso blanco dip will be the best and easiest queso you have ever made. It is thick cheesy and has the perfect combo of fresh flavors and spiciness
Ingredients
- 1 full cup of shredded monterey jack cheese (see note about cheese)
- 1 full cup of shredded pepper jack cheese
- 1 cup of 2% milk
- 2 tablespoons of tapioca flour
- 3 tablespoons of Rotel (see note)
- 3 tablespoons of canned diced jalapeno (see note)
- ½ tablepoon of butter
- 1-2 garlic cloves, grated or minced (I used 1 and ½)
- handful of cilantro-optional for topping when serving
Instructions
- Place both cheeses in a medium bowl and sprinkle with tapioca. Toss with your hands to evenly coat the cheese.
- In a medium sauce pan, place on stove top on low/medium heat and add the butter. Once butter is melted saute garlic 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add milk, cheese, jalapenos, Rotel, and salt to the pot with the garlic in it. Stirring slowly but continuously heat the cheese sauce until melted and thick.
- This will go in stages and take about 5 minutes. It will seem very thin for the first few minutes, then slightly thicken. By the last minute or so the sauce is thick and very cheesy. It is ready when it is gooey, and melted and you have a nice thick cheese that has a cheese pull with the spoon.
- Pour into a serving dish or small crockpot on warm setting. See below on how to reheat or make ahead. Store in an airtight container in the fridge once it has cooled.
This queso reheats beautifully so that means you can make it ahead of time or save your left overs! To reheat in the microwave:
- In a glass, microwave safe dish, reheat your queso on 50% power for one minute. Remove and stir.
- Reheat in 30 second increments on full power stirring between each increment until the cheese is thick, smooth and gooey again. It will not have a grainy appearance once reheated all the way.
- Alternatively you could reheat on the stove in a small pan, on low/medium heat, stirring until melted and ready.
- I do not own a small crockpot to test this, but I think you could also reheat in a crockpot on low setting stirring often.
Notes
- I HIGHGLY recommend you buy bars of cheese and shred the cheese yourself. This will give you the best flavor and texture.
- I used spicy canned jalapenos, and regular Rotel. It was not too spicy. But feel free to choose whichever your tastebuds prefers.
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Keywords: gluten free queso, queso blanco, chipotle queso blanco, gluten free queso blanco
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