The Greatest Queso Blancos for Chips and Dipping

There are two principal sorts of jarred queso: salsa con queso and queso blanco. Salsa con queso is a gooey, yellow cheese dip studded with chile peppers, tomatoes, and onions, whereas queso blanco is usually milder and options white cheeses like white cheddar or Monterey Jack. Every has its time and place, however if you happen to’re in a queso blanco temper, we have got you lined.

To search out one of the best queso blanco, we taste-tested seven you are prone to discover at your native grocery store and on-line. We poured every sauce right into a bowl, heated it, and served it with tortilla chips. After tasting our manner by the sauces, we tabulated the outcomes and topped two total winners we would be completely satisfied to serve at our personal get-togethers.

The Standards

The perfect variations of queso blanco are wealthy, well-seasoned, and balanced in warmth. The dip needs to be tacky, with a notice of peppers, corresponding to jalapeños, bell peppers, or different chiles. It needs to be savory, not tangy (a standard taste in jarred merchandise as a result of preservatives), and whereas chile warmth is welcome, it should not be so sizzling that the creamy cheese taste is misplaced. Queso blanco ought to have a wealthy dairy taste from the milk, cream, and cheeses used, corresponding to Monterey Jack or white cheddar. It shouldn’t be skinny or watery, nor ought to or not it’s gloppy. Somewhat, it needs to be thick and velvety sufficient to simply scoop up with a tortilla chip.

General Winners

The Greatest Spicy Queso Blanco: On the Border Monterey Jack Queso

Texture-wise, this queso match the Goldilocks invoice for our tasters: It was thick sufficient to coat our chips with a shiny sheen whereas remaining pourable, however wasn’t so skinny that it dripped off the chip earlier than we might eat it. This was the spiciest queso blanco we tried, that includes jalapeños prominently. “I style cheese, I style chiles. Warmth is sweet on this one. I feel it is good,” wrote our editorial director, Daniel. Our affiliate visuals director, Amanda, thought it was balanced, with a taste that reminded her of “movie show nacho cheese.” With its processed cheese taste—which wasn’t unwelcome!—this dip additionally reminded our affiliate culinary editor, Laila, of nacho cheese. As for our visuals editor, Jessie, they discovered it “slightly salty, slightly spicy,” which is not a nasty factor in any respect when describing queso blanco.

The Greatest Tacky Queso Blanco: Dealer Joe’s White Queso Dip

This queso had a thick, shiny texture that reminded Laila—who described this providing as “very gentle” and “clean”—of Kraft spreadable cheese. I loved the complexity and tanginess of each the white cheddar and Monterey Jack used on this dip. Although Daniel thought this queso blanco was merely effective, our different tasters agreed it was a gentle, versatile dip with a definite cheesiness that may make it nice for pairing with different snacks.

The Contenders

• 365 by Entire Meals Market Natural White Queso 
• Good & Collect Queso Blanco
• On the Border Monterey Jack Queso
• Tempo Medium Queso Blanco
• Tostitos Queso Blanco Dip
• Dealer Joe’s White Queso Dip
• Wegmans Queso Dip

Key Takeaways and Conclusion

Our favourite dips had a subtly tangy, creamy richness that made them simple to dip and scoop with tortilla chips. Considered one of our favourite queso blancos, On the Border Monterey Jack Queso, is a shelf-stable choice. It is made with nonfat milk and Monterey Jack Cheese, with outstanding warmth coming from jalapeños. The dip additionally accommodates sodium citrate and sodium alginate, emulsifying salts that assist processed cheeses soften right into a clean, creamy sauce. 

Our different favourite queso, Dealer Joe’s White Queso Dip, had minimal warmth and a nice cheese taste. Its first ingredient is white cheddar cheese. (In response to the Dealer Joe’s web site, white cheddar cheese apparently makes up half of the queso blanco.) In contrast to our different winner, this merchandise is perishable and should be refrigerated. Whereas this queso additionally contains jalapeños and inexperienced and crimson bell peppers, its savory, tangy cheddar cheese taste is what stood out to our testers. It makes use of cornstarch for thickness and, like our different winner, makes use of sodium citrate to create a clean, gooey emulsion. 

General, our two successful manufacturers of queso blanco hit the entire notes we have been in search of. They’re scoopable and tacky, with vegetal, peppery notes from quite a lot of chiles used. So if you happen to’re too busy making Buffalo wings, jalapeño poppers, and each different dip below the solar on Tremendous Bowl Sunday, think about reaching for the store-bought stuff. Simply do not forget to warmth them up!