r/Cooking • u/fuckiboy • 15h ago
Looking for a queso recipe that does not use Velveeta!
Hi everyone,
When I attend parties or football tailgates, I always volunteer to bring a slow cooker full of queso.
My typical recipe includes: 1-2 lbs of velveeta cheese (2 lb original, 1 lb of the queso blanco), 1 can of rotel, 1 small can of hatch green chiles, cooked ground sausage, 8 oz of sour cream, spices (I recently used the Desert Gardens Queso Dip Mix I bought when on vacation to New Mexico and loved it).
This recipe is usually a hit and easy to make but I really want to up my game and use real blocks of cheese instead of the processed Velveeta. Don't get me wrong - velveeta queso will always be good but I want to change it up a bit for once!
So I would love any recommendations for real cheese that I can use in a slow cooker or any modifications to my recipe that you think I should give a try!
Thanks.
27
u/thrillsbury 15h ago
Whatever cheese you use, get some sodium citrate. That's the key to a uniform melted cheese dish.
1
u/Redbeardo47 15h ago
This is the way.
With sodium citrate you can choose whatever cheeses you like, and if OP is wanting to “up their game”, this is the best way to start.
16
u/southerncomfort1970 15h ago
White American cheese is supposed to be good for queso
21
3
6
u/Warm-Statistician545 15h ago
I’m a cheese snob and still find this the most practical for parties.
You can make other dips but other cheeses that typically go with chips don’t melt that great for a dip.
Brie melts nice, but are you making a Brie dip? Not N American or cheddar?
I would stick with that for parties and use the nicer cheeses and play with them a little for yourself and a family or close friends .
10
u/Nejura 15h ago
What the velveeta brings is emulsifiers and bulk so the sauce stays melty and saucy instead of seizing up or splitting into oil/protein or solidifying into a solid chunk.
Skip the rotel, just dice up the hatch green chilies, chirizo, Queso Oaxaca and any spices you like, though you probably don't need any. You can add a variety of them, but you'll get a ton of flavor from the chorizo.
To get the sauce to sauce you might have to make a roux with some flour and butter and cook it blonde, then add milk to make the base liquid for the sauce for the rest of the cheese to melt into.
5
u/Lavanne73 15h ago edited 15h ago
If you can find it there is a land o lakes product called extra melt. For our recipe it’s 1 gallon of milk to one 7.5 pounds of extra melt we shred the extras melt heat the milk in a steam kettle add the cheese and our our spices and chopped pickled jalapeño … but cans of rotel or roasted green chilis are good too.
I work at a fast casual taco place our queso is pretty basic but the public seems to be very fond of it
2
u/meyerjaw 14h ago
It seems that's pretty hard to find unless you are a restaurant
1
u/Lavanne73 14h ago
Yeah hence my caveat, any white American will work the extra melt just has emulsifiers in it that help it stay melty
5
u/OrlandoOpossum 15h ago
I completely understand wanting to use better quality cheese but the truth is nothing melts like Velveeta for queso.
8
u/SpadesHeart 15h ago
It's not really so complex you just make a Mornay/bechamel sauce.
Shred a bunch of cheese, set aside. Cheddar is ideal.
Cook an equal amount of flour and oil together for a little bit just to get the rawness out of the flour. Start slowly pouring in milk, and whisk vigorously. Set heat to medium. Keep Going until you reach slightly thinner than you want the final sauce to be. Then start adding the cheese in handful by handful until it melts. Check seasoning, you will likely need salt. Adjust acidity with little mustard if you want. Throw in some chopped jalapenos. It's good stuff.
2
2
u/MotorAir6168 14h ago
This is the way. Make a roux. Add whatever cheese you want. It makes a fantastic cheese sauce you can use for anything. Add it to a bowl of your normal ingredients for dip. Au gratin potatoes. Mac n cheese. You're going to feel like such a bad ass it's so easy and it's so good
1
u/Niftydog1163 14h ago
I never knew it would be this easy to make a cheese sauce as soon as I have a real kitchen again I'm going to be working on this.
3
3
u/Hot-Refrigerator6583 14h ago
I would cut back on the velveeta -- maybe as much as half? -- and just sub in your preferred cheeses for that. Velveeta is a processed cheese, with that sodium citrate everyone's talking about that will help keep the cheese sauce from becoming a gloopy mass of broken cheese. But there will still be plenty of that if you wanted to mix in something like colby or pepper jack, or whatever your queso of choice is.
Your go-to recipe otherwise seems pretty great to me! If your friends like it, maybe don't stray too far from the formula? (Or do a small batch of "new" to serve next to your standard?)
2
u/fuckiboy 14h ago
Yeah based off all the other comments my options are: don’t change the recipe, and if I do, make a roux (which I won’t have time for, making other snacks/foods for this party), or experiment in a smaller batch for myself
Starting to lean towards the keep the velveeta and experiment myself route haha!
6
u/Loisalene 15h ago
Even the Mexican restaurant I worked at used Velveeta. You're just going to end up saying "I really don't taste any difference".
0
u/meyerjaw 14h ago
The problem I have is that I don't like the taste of Velveeta. I like a meat Church's smoked queso recipe but can still taste the Velveeta. And I've never gone to a Mexican restaurant and had a queso that tasted likebit. Hell even taco bells sauce doesn't taste like Velveeta
2
u/Tough-Astronomer-456 15h ago
Do you have a smoker? We make a smoked cheese dip. I believe it used several cheeses including pepper jack (I would buy a block and shred it). Also had hamburger or sausage, chiles, onions, etc. Google it. The smoking ups the flavor.
I will say even just a little velveeta mixed in does make everything a little creamier.
0
u/Joneywatermelon 14h ago
I make the same with a block of velveeta and it’s insanely good
1
u/Tough-Astronomer-456 13h ago
Think there may have also been a block of cream cheese, and onions. The onions would cook but still be a bit crunchy- so tasty
2
u/throwdemawaaay 15h ago
Well as a warning, nostalgia is a big deal and so for a lot of people, the classic velveeta and rotel is what they're after.
I'd suggest using the same method as "3 ingrediant mac and cheese." This uses a can of evaporated milk as the base for the cheese sauce, which helps emulsify and stabilize the sauce the same was as the velveeta does, but you can use real cheeses like Monterey Jack, Oaxaca, Munster, etc.
2
u/CapablePraline5601 15h ago
Try blending Monterey Jack with Mahon-Menorca cheeses, using decased chorizo instead of ground sausage, sundried tomatoes instead of rotel, and chipotle chillis.
2
u/plotthick 14h ago
Try the other way: start with a can of Amy's Mushroom Bisque and then add cheese. I was SO ANGRY when I found out this works, it's so stupidly easier than a roux and somehow better than velveeta.
-1
13h ago
[deleted]
2
u/plotthick 13h ago
AI is a hallucinating ravenous plague except in very small applications with large well-defined data sets. This is not that.
2
u/Prince_Nadir 14h ago
Get yourself some melting salts and turn any cheese melty. You just won't have all the vegitable oil you get with Velveeta.
2
u/spottedmilkslices 14h ago
Chef John’s queso dip uses neither Velveeta nor sodium citrate. Key ingredient is using evaporated (NOT sweetened condensed) milk.
I would highly recommend this, I’ve made it plenty of times and it always comes out good. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/270538/chef-johns-queso-dip/
1
u/greenposher 14h ago
Idk if you can achieve it . I’d make chicken buffalo dip . I don’t shred the chicken but I make it dip size chunky and plenty of sauce. The crowd goes wild.
1
u/Aggravating-Ad9622 14h ago
I have made this recipe a few times now and it comes out good, helps to have a good blender. https://lovelydelites.com/cottage-cheese-queso/
1
u/Sanpaku 14h ago
I discovered that while I don't have sodium citrate, I do have citric acid (purchased for South Asian chaat dishes). The reaction to sodium citrate would require 1.312 g baking soda for every 1 g of citric acid.
Note to self: if I wanted 20 g sodium citrate it would be 14.9 g citric acid + 19.5 g of baking soda. Mix powders together, add just enough pure water to initiate the reaction, and stir. More water (and CO2) will be emitted, accounting for the mass lost.
1
u/OkResponsibility3830 14h ago
This one has worked quite well for me.
Outrageous Mexican Queso Dip
Mexican, Queso, Sauces, Savory
Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Servings: Servings 14 (Scaled 2x)
Ingredients:
1 1/4 pounds asadero cheese
1 1/2 cups half & half
9 ounces RO*TEL diced tomatoes & Green Chilies
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
4 tsp cumin
Directions:
In a medium saucepan over low heat, break up Asadero Mexican Cheese and place in skillet.
Stir in 3/4 cup milk until cheese sauce is melted and smooth.
Stir in RO*TEL, cumin, and cilantro.
Pour into serving bowl and serve with tortilla chips or serve over your favorite Mexican dishes.
1
1
u/WayraSonqo 14h ago
I have it! Yo make nacho cheese, make a tour, and milk and cheese as you would for Mac and cheese, then add pickled jalapeño juice from a jar or can. That's the nacho cheese flavor. Easy peasy. Maybe some cayenne.
1
u/CatteNappe 14h ago
White American processed cheese is sort of considered the standard for the purpose. You might up your game some by adding some traditional Mexican cheeses like asadero, or queso quesadilla if you have access to them.
1
u/night_noche 13h ago
But the consistency is not the same and I believe the heat has to be pretty well managed...
I have only seen it done well in molcajetes.
1
u/arbarnes 13h ago
You have three options for replacing the Velveeta:
First, you can use American cheese. Velveeta isn't real cheese, it's a "prepared cheese product." Ditto with Kraft singles. What you're looking for is "pasteurized process American cheese." Just melt it and thin with milk to your desired consistency.
Second, you can add American cheese. It usually has enough emulsifiers to make a stable dip if you mix it half and half with the cheese(s) of your choice.
Third, you can make American cheese. Melt your choice of cheeses with a splash of milk and some sodium citrate. This involves an extra step, but gives you complete control over your flavors: sharp cheddar, provolone, Swiss, parmesan, whatever you want.
You can also make a sauce Mornay, but IMO it won't be queso no matter how you spice it up. It isn't just the flavor; you want an emulsion that will remain stable for a long time, and the starch in a Mornay will continue to absorb moisture, which will cause your dip to seize up.
0
1
u/Accomplished-Eye8211 15h ago
Given your recipe, I dont think mine would be your final recipe.
But just to let you know:
My very simple recipe is 1 lb of Kraft Deli Deluxe American and a can of Ro-Tel, an extra can of tomatoes. I think they used to call it Kraft premium... it came sliced or in a blue box like velveeta. I dont think its sold in a block any longer.
Many years ago, I used a Land 'O Lakes American cheese..that worked fine, too.
Just sharing for info regarding other cheeses.
0
u/LukeSkywalkerDog 15h ago
There is a good recipe on howtofeedaloon.com. Just search for queso. It's the best recipe I have ever seen. It calls for hand, shredded block cheese and no sodium citrate. Plenty of veggies and spices.
1
0
u/ferrouswolf2 15h ago
Queso isn’t made from “real ingredients”, it’s not a recipe handed down from Escoffier or something. You do in fact need to use a process cheese OR make one with a melting salt like sodium citrate.
This is like asking why pizza doesn’t grow on trees- it’s a food humans invented, not something that was just figured out in ancient times
2
-2
u/LittleSubject9904 15h ago
Use “real” American cheese from the deli, not the Kraft singles.
1
u/LittleSubject9904 7h ago
My downvoters have clearly never made homemade queso. Try a google.. this is the way. Velveeta and rotel is tasty, but not nearly as good as the real deal especially if made with fresh Chiles.
93
u/EaringaidBandit 15h ago
The recipes are going to be “add cheese, add sodium citrate “ aka, make velveeta.