White Queso Dip (With Sausage)

White Queso Dip is made with sausage, Velveeta cheese, pepper jack, diced green chiles, cream cheese, and milk to make it ultra cheesy!

This white cheese sauce is grain free and gluten free meaning there is no thickening agents or rouxs using flour or cornstarch which most other cheese sauces have.

This is a fantastic dip for tortilla chips, makes the BEST nachos, or makes a lovely white Mexican sauce to pour over french fries. It's one of my favorite flourless appetizers, along with Caramelized Onion Dip.

What Is White Queso Dip Made Of?

Queso Blanco literally means white cheese. So of course we start with white cheese, a thinning agent such as cream or milk, and usually something to add flavor and spice.

This recipe uses flavorful cheeses like pepper jack and white Velveeta, which makes this white cheese dip THE BEST. Also sausage because yum.

This recipe was tested SEVERAL times without Velveeta using other high-quality cheeses, but it simply has to have the emulsifiers in the fake stuff in order to have that gooey cheese dip texture. Otherwise, it turns grainy and clumps due to the separation of fats and milk proteins.

🥣 Ingredients

There are only 7 essential ingredients to this Queso Blanco, (including Velveeta) but if you want to add cilantro or salsa, feel free! The quantities are always in the recipe card below.

• Pepperjack Cheese - NOT pre-shredded! It has additives that cause caking.
• White Velveta Cheese - again, no pre-shredded cheese.
• Cream Cheese
• Ground Sausage - NOT Italian seasoned. The flavors will clash.
• Milk - whole
• Canned Diced Green Chiles - mild, medium, or hot to preference
• Garlic Powder
• Cilantro - for garnish
• Salsa - optional

🔪 Instructions

Make sure you use a slow cooker or crock pot for this white queso recipe. Heating this on the stove may cause the cheese to melt at too high of a temperature causing separation.

You could also use an instant pot with a slow cooker setting.

PREP INGREDIENTS I start by slicing/dicing all of the cheese (including the cream cheese) into smaller pieces. You can also grate it for quicker melting.

COOK SAUSAGE Cook the sausage over medium heat in a frying pan, stirring and breaking sausage into small pieces as it cooks, about 5 minutes until no pink is left and cooked through.

ASSEMBLE Combine pepper jack, white velveeta, cream cheese, and milk in a slow cooker, crock pot, or instant pot using the slow cooker setting on LOW heat. Stir in the diced green chiles and garlic powder as well.

COOK on low heat for 2-3 hours, occasionally stirring as cheese melts.

GARNISH with cilantro, salsa, or diced tomatoes. Be aware that stirring salsa in will turn your white queso dip pink!

🍽 Serving & Storage

White Queso Dip is best served warm! Leave it in a crock pot or fondue pot to serve on low heat or a warm setting so it stays warm.

What To Serve With White Queso Dip?

You can serve this white queso recipe as an appetizer, a topping for nachos, or as a side dish to any Mexican food! Here are a few ideas of what to dip in the white queso.

• Chips - white, yellow, or black corn tortilla chips are all my first choice!
• Homemade Soft Pretzels - an EXCELLENT vehicle for this amazing dip.
• Vegetables - you can even dip veggies in it! My favorites are fresh baby carrots, cut celery, sliced bell peppers, or snap peas.
• French fries or tater tots

Storage

Once completely cooled, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Do not freeze. This will change the texture of the dip and make the sauce grainy when thawed due to the cheese.

✏️ Tips & Variations

• Want spicy? Add a diced jalapeno or hot canned green chiles instead of medium heat to make it a spicy white queso dip.
• Garnish with your favorite salsa or diced Rotel tomatoes for a bit of a twist. Careful about stirring it in, though, it will turn your white queso pink!
• You can leave out the sausage for a meat-free version. BUT. It is definitely more delicious with sausage.

💬 FAQ'S

Why is my sauce gritty?

High heat (above 160 F) or heating too quickly can cause the cheese to separate. You do not want your dip to boil. Heat low and slow! Using whole milk or cream also helps keep the texture nice and creamy.

Can I use cheddar cheese?

Yes! You can use it in place of the pepper jack cheese. Make sure to use a softer mild white cheddar, as it has a better melting point than a harder sharp cheese.

Will this sauce stay thick?

The sauce will be more runny in the crock pot, but thickens as it cools.

How do I prevent a curdled cheese sauce?

• Don't turn heat too high!
• Keep the right ratio of soft cheese (white velveeta or white American) to harder cheese (pepperjack)
• Cut the cheese up or shred it before melting! Big chunks can heat unevenly and can mess up the texture.

How Do I Get The Perfect Consistency?

This recipe is gluten-free, SO. How do you thicken a cheese sauce without flour?

Luckily, cheese thickens naturally as it cools, so there isn't really a need for any thickening agents here. Usually, the difficulty is making sure the cheese sauce stays smooth and creamy!

Here's how I do it:

• Stick to using a ratio of mostly soft cheeses (Velveeta or American) and less hard cheese (Cheddar or Pepperjack).
• Melt the cheese in milk (with cream cheese for flavor!) to help it keep that creamy texture.

📖 RECIPE

📝 Printable Recipe