Cheddar & Sour Cream Queso
Zesty Cheddar & Sour Cream Queso is made with cheddar cheese and flavored with garlic, jalapeños, tomatoes, avocado, and cilantro for a delicious dip or decadent topping for your favorite Mexican food.
Hi. My name is Samantha, and I'm addicted to queso.
No, really. It's one of my favorite things ever. Who needs lobster tails and foie gras? Give this girl a bowl of queso and a stack of flour tortillas and I am one happy camper.
While queso is abundantly available at every Tex-Mex restaurant across the state, there are as many variations of it as there are stars at night. (Are big and bright -- CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP! Wait...where was I?)
Many people believe that in order to make queso at home, it must involve a block of Velveeta and a can of Rotel. And while those ingredients indeed result in totally tasty queso -- of which I have ingested gallons over the course of my life -- sometimes it's nice to make queso with real cheese instead. Besides, have you heard about the current Velveeta shortage? We all must learn how to make proper, natural cheese queso in light of the Velveeta shortage.
Instead of Velveeta, this recipe relies on cheddar that's been melted into a roux-based cream sauce. And in lieu of adding Rotel, the cheesy goodness is then flavored with fresh minced garlic, jalapeños, and tomatoes, before a nice dollop of sour cream is stirred in and cilantro and chunks of avocado are scattered on top.
Please believe me, friends...the few minutes of effort required to whip up this recipe will be rewarded ten-fold when this queso graces a chip and hits your tongue. Every component of it is yummy, but my favorite addition is probably the avocado. Have you ever tried mixing guacamole into queso? Ambrosia, I tell you. I could go on and on about how much I adore queso, but I'm pretty sure I've already made my point.
As with just about every recipe that I post, make this one your own by adjusting the ingredients to your tastes. Regardless of how you tweak it, this queso and a bowl of fresh salsa will be a perfect addition to your Super Bowl party menu in a few weeks. It will inject extra fiesta into your Cinco de Mayo come May. But honestly? It will be quickly devoured no matter when you decide to make it.
Particularly if you invite me over.
Cheddar & Sour Cream Queso Recipe
Cheddar & Sour Cream Queso
Ingredients
- 2 ½ tablespoons butter, DIVIDED
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 4 cups (16 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 small cloves garlic, finely minced
- Jalapeño, seeds and membranes removed and finely minced
- 1 cup diced tomatoes
- ½ cup sour cream
- up to ½ cup fresh chopped cilantro, to taste
- 1 avocado, diced
Instructions
- In a medium pot, melt ½ tablespoon butter over low heat. Add minced garlic and jalapeño and saute for a minute or until starting to soften and garlic is starting to turn golden. Add tomatoes to pot and cook a minute or two more. Remove garlic/jalapeño/tomato mixture with a spoon and set aside.
- Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the pot and melt. Whisk in flour and stir continuously for a couple of minutes as roux bubbles and turns golden brown. Gradually whisk in cream, pausing between additions to make sure that lumps are smoothing out. While continuously stirring, bring mixture to a low simmer and cook for about 5 minutes or until thickened.
- Remove pot from heat. Add ½ cup grated cheese to cream mixture and stir until completely melted. Repeat with the remaining cheese, adding ½ cup at a time and making sure it is totally melted before adding the next ½ cup. Add salt, garlic/jalapeño/tomato mixture, and sour cream. Stir until well incorporated. Taste and add additional salt, if desired.
- Transfer queso to a serving bowl and top with as much cilantro and avocado as you prefer. You may stir it in or leave it on top as a garnish (I stir some in and pile the rest on top, plus a few extra diced tomatoes for color).
Notes
- With seeds and membranes removed, one jalapeño should not be spicy at all. If you like spicier queso, add additional jalapenos or leave the seeds and membranes intact before dicing. You can also decrease/increase the garlic to your taste, toss in some diced green chiles, add more cilantro or leave it out altogether...it's up to you!
- If you don't cook your roux long enough, you may be able to taste the flour in the final queso.
- If your pan is too hot or still over the burner when you add the cheese, the cheese may end up clumping. Similarly, if you try to add too much cheese all at once, it will probably end up separating and clumping. Add no more than ½ cup at a time and stir until it is completely melted before adding the next half cup.
Love your blog and the recipe looks fab. Being gluten intolerant you can imagine my dismay when I saw the flour. I usually just close a recipe when I see that but just thought I'd ask if anyone has a suggestion on an alternative to the wheat flour. I have a couple, rice flour, sorghum flour, potato flour. My family doesn't care for rice flour so I don't think I would use that but HELP, anyone?
Hi Kristie! Okay, I don't know anything about gluten-free substitutions, but I did some research and found this really great article that tested out different alternatives to make a gluten-free cheese sauce. Most of the other info I read said to use rice flour and I know you said your family doesn't prefer that, but this article came to the conclusion that a particular brand of gluten-free flour works best.
Read the article and see what you think. I hope you're able to find a way to make this recipe work, and if you do, please come back and let us know! Good luck and thanks for the great question! 🙂
I love Queso can not wait to try to make this!
I'm with you...I love queso, too! 🙂 I hope you enjoy this version...thanks for stopping by!
This sounds completely amazing, Samantha! I try to avoid processed cheese in recipes too, so I definitely want to try this. Thank you for an awesome recipe!
Thank you, Andi! I could eat queso every day, and there's a tad less guilt involved when it's made with all natural ingredients - ha! I appreciate you stopping by...hope you're having a wonderful weekend! 🙂
Samantha! This looks amazing. Thanks so much for linking to the party. xo
Thank you so much, Kelly, and thanks for hosting each week...such a fun party! I really appreciate you stopping by, and I'll see you in a bit (though I may be a little late linking up tonight since I'm not going to be home at the right time)! 🙂
I really need to start keeping track of the number of times I see your first picture and just automatically pin before I even get to the rest of the post. It's often, because everything you make looks amazing! It's a good thing we don't live closer or I might invite myself over a lot and gain about 50 pounds, lol! Yet another one of your recipes I can't wait to try, Samantha! Thanks so much for linking up at Hit Me with Your Best Shot! Hope to see you back tonight!
~Abby =)
I love that this recipe uses real ingredients! This type of of dip is the kind that makes me want to eat a whole bag of chips! Checking this recipe out from Funday Monday!
Cathy
I am with you, Cathy...I could totally eat a whole bowl of this queso with an entire bag of chips, all by myself! It really is dangerously good. 😉 Thanks so much for stopping by!
Samantha,
Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I have been looking for a recipe for Queso that didn't call for Velveta. I love that the dip is thicken with a roux and you use fresh vegetables. This is totally my style of cooking. I will be following your blog from now on. Thanks for sharing. I am visiting from Saturday Night Fever.
I really appreciate the thoughtful comment, Carrie! I'm glad that this queso appeals to you and I'm so happy to have you as a new follower. 🙂 Hope you have a wonderful week!
I have an addiction to queso as well, Love how you dont need velveeta! Making this for the big game!
I can't imagine anyone not loving queso! 😉 Hope this one is a hit while y'all watch the game!
This looks incredible! Pinning.
I really appreciate the pin, Valerie...hope you enjoy this recipe if you end up trying it!
You had me at "no processed cheese"!! Yess!!! Have pinned. Stopping by from Best of the Weekend - have a great weekend! ~Erin
Thanks for stopping by, Erin, and thank you for the pin! It's nice to have queso options sans Velveeta... 😉 Hope you're having a wonderful weekend as well!
I found this dip on Create it Thursday Link Party! Oh my yum!! I'm pretty sure I need to make this right now!!
Thanks, Amy! I say make it right now...you won't be sorry! 😉
Oh Samantha, I absolutely love this queso! It is perfect for a Superbowl party! And your pictures are absolutely beautiful!! Pinned.
Thank you so much, Renee! I appreciate the pin and I hope you get to try this queso soon! It's definitely on our roster for Superbowl... 😉
I love queso! It's awesome!
Stopping by from a blog hop that your link was in. I'm happy to have found your site/blog! I have started a blog/site that focuses on faith and home (with recipes, decorating ideas, etc.) and it has a great team of writers writing on these topics (and more). Please visit JOYful Home and Life.
Thank you, Jessica! I'll definitely hop over and check out your site! 🙂
This looks delicious! We love Mexican food, and queso dip is no exception!
Thanks, Kathy! Mexican food is definitely the most popular type of cuisine around here...at my house and across Texas in general. I think I may actually have queso coursing through my veins. 😉 Thanks for stopping by!
Girl! This looks amazing! I am definitely addicted to queso too, especially when I'm watching sports. 🙂
Love all the stuff you added to it, especially the avocado, my other addiction. {man, i'm starting to think i have alot of those... oh uh} 🙂 Pinning! 🙂
You and me both, Krista! I am mourning the impending end of football season...but I'll just have to console myself with extra queso and avocado! 😉
Wow--I found another great recipe from your blog! I love queso but hate Velveeta, so I had to read this one. Sounds great, and now, I've got that song in my head! 🙂
Ha ha, Dee...I'm glad to hear that you at least knew that I was referencing a song! I'm sure that a lot of people reading the post will just think I've gone crazy... 😉 Hope you enjoy your Velveeta-free queso!
Love this recipe! The real cheese, heavy cream- yum! I'm a Texas gal through and through but can't handle spicy, so it's one small jalapeño for me, and no avocado garnish, but sounds like heaven on a chip! Thanks for posting! (Still crying over Johnny going pro- the Ags need him!) lol Take care!
Thanks, Deb! I think the small jalapeño will just add flavor without fire. I started with a half jalapeño, worried about making the queso too hot for my kids, but I couldn't even taste it so I threw in the other half and it still wasn't hot. People can definitely throw in an extra jalapeño or two for some heat! My husband is allergic to avocado so I leave that off for him as well. But all in all, I hope you enjoy this!
And yes, I'm sad (but not surprised) about Johnny leaving as well. On the bright side, at least there's a reason to watch NFL now! 😉 Thanks for the comment...hope you're having a great week!
Samantha - how fabulous does this look and sound? I love that you made this with fresh ingredients - I honestly could eat it right now! Going on my party list for sure! Thanks for sharing and pinning! Enjoy your Tuesday!
Thank you so much, Cindy! I could eat this stuff for breakfast. And lunch...and dinner! 😉 Hope you get to try it, too! Thanks for stopping by and I really appreciate the pin. Have a lovely day! 🙂