Want some cheesy goodness in little as 10 minutes? Whip up this gluten-free queso recipe as a nacho sauce, cheese dip, or to drizzle over steamed veggies, like steamed broccoli. Easy queso blanco requires no flour, roux, or Velveeta. Simply melt a combination of cheeses with cream cheese, milk and dip away!
Gluten-free cheese sauce – Zesty Queso-style
This gooey, creamy, queso is an absolutely game-changing recipe! Perhaps a little dramatic, but hear me out. Now you can make a gluten-free cheese sauce without Velveeta, using no flour, or even a roux. Just stir, melt, and start dipping!
How is this possible? Simple. Making a gluten-free queso dip the perfect consistency, without having to make a cream sauce first, is all about picking the right type of cheeses. First, using American cheese melts into a smooth, creamy base.
Adding freshly grated Pepper jack keeps the recipe easy and simple, without having to add extra ingredients to boost flavor. It’s all right there in that perfectly zesty cheese choice! The hint of zip means it works well as a gluten-free nacho cheese sauce, as a dip with tortilla chips, or as a cheese sauce for dunking these gloriously soft gluten-free pretzels in.
If you are looking for ideas to round out your fiesta, then be sure to whip up a batch of these damn tasty limeade margaritas and this famous gluten-free ground beef taco recipe. Also, if you want to up your taco game (who doesn’t?!), our family likes to opt for queso drizzled on instead of grated cheese. Delicioso stuff!
Ingredient Tid Bits and modifications
- American cheese – To make a queso blanco, be sure to use white cheese slices. If the color doesn’t matter to you, use the regular orange American cheese. If you rather get block American cheese, you won’t find it in the dairy aisle, but try the deli counter. They can slice off what you need.
- Pepper jack cheese – Be sure to use freshly grated off a block for the smoothest melting. If you would like to make a gluten-free cheese sauce, without the hint of zip, replace this cheese with Sharp cheddar, white cheddar, gouda, swiss, or anything that melts well.
- Cream cheese – You don’t need a lot of cream cheese, but it helps smooth out and thicken the sauce. I recommend using full-fat cream cheese, rather than Neufchâtel or light cream cheese.
- Evaporated milk – Another ingredient to help make this a flourless cheese sauce! Canned evaporated milk has water removed, which makes a thicker, creamier queso dip. I also like using this over refrigerated milk because it is more stable and reheats better.
Let’s Make This Together!
(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)
Prep Your ingredients (Fast recipe!)
Making a no-flour cheese sauce only takes less than 10 minutes start to finish, so you want to be ready with the ingredients! Grate the Pepper jack cheese, tear up the cheese slices, measure out your spices, get your hunk of cream cheese ready, and dice up those onions.
Sauté onions and spices in butter
To start the queso base we melt a little butter in a sauce pan and then cook the diced onions until tender. Finally add in the spices and minced garlic to cook for 1 minute longer.
Whisk in cheesy goodness
Next, whisk in the evaporated milk and cream cheese. It will take a couple minutes to smooth out before it’s ready to start adding in the cheeses.
Whisk in the cheese a handful at a time. Keep in mind what you plan on using the queso for. If it’s a nacho cheese sauce, you may want it to be a little thinner, so don’t add all the cheese. Using it for a queso dip? Go ahead and add it all to make it nice and thick.
Yummy Queso Ideas and modifications
Making the cheese sauce was the easy part. Choosing between all the possible variations and ways to use queso is a little harder. Here are some of our favorite ways to cheese-up our palates.
- Cheddar cheese sauce or dip – Swap out the Pepper jack for extra sharp cheddar or white cheddar cheese. Use over steamed veggies, like broccoli, or for dunking GF breads in, like these pizzeria-style gluten-free garlic knots.
- Gluten-Free Queso Fundido – Cook Mexican chorizo, drain excess grease, and then stir into the queso. Be sure you’ve cooked the chorizo first, so it’s ready to stir in after the cheeses have melted.
- Quick stove top GF mac and cheese – Boil a box of GF elbow macaroni until just al dente and drain. Stir together leftover queso and cooked pasta over low heat, adding milk until you have a creamy sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt and pepper.
- Chili cheese dogs – Use as a topping for chili dogs!
Best Way to reheat
Because this easy queso recipe uses evaporated milk, you’ll find it reheats really well! Place in a microwave-safe bowl and heat at 50% power, stirring about every 30 seconds until it is warm and smooth.
It can also be reheated on the stove over low heat, stirring frequently. As you reheat, add additional milk if you would like to thin the sauce. At this point, just use whatever you have in your fridge. It’s not necessary to use evaporated milk again for reheating.
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10-Minute Gluten-Free Queso Cheese Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ small yellow onion finely diced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 12 ounces evaporated milk
- 8 ounces freshly grated pepper jack cheese (see recipe notes for thinner sauce)
- 6 ounces white American cheese ripped into pieces (see recipe notes for thinner sauce)
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
- Before you get started, be sure that all of your ingredients are prepped and ready to go because the recipe goes fast.
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan or large deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are tender and translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and spices, then cook about 30 seconds more.1 tablespoon butter, ½ small yellow onion, ¼ teaspoon salt, 2 cloves garlic, ¼ teaspoon ground cumin, ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Add the milk and cream cheese to the pot. Whisk until the cream cheese has melted into the mixture (it should be mostly smooth), about 3 minutes.12 ounces evaporated milk, 2 ounces cream cheese
- Reduce the heat to low and start adding the cheese in medium handfuls, whisking after each one. Once the cheese has melted completely into the mixture, add the next handful, and so on until you have added all of the cheese and the sauce is smooth. Serve immediately with chips. Makes 3 cups.8 ounces freshly grated pepper jack cheese, 6 ounces white American cheese
Notes
Adjusting Sauce Consistency
To make a thicker sauce, like a cheese dip, use the full amount of cheese stated in the recipe. If you would like a thinner consistency, for nachos or just a thinner queso, start with 6 ounces of pepper jack cheese and 4 ounces American, adding more cheese to thicken if necessary.Nutrition
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