Easy Healthy Homemade Queso Dip

Growing up, my dad was a huge football fan! We used to get together to watch the coveted Ohio State & Michigan game with a large group of friends on game day and I always remember this Velveeta dip with salsa. It was so creamy, had such a great flavor with the salsa, and with some salty tortilla chips to dunk, it was a perfect football game appetizer! I can’t bring myself to buy Velveeta as an adult so last year during the super bowl I went to the kitchen and made my own version of an easy healthy homemade queso dip! And I am so glad I did because it is one of the best easy appetizer recipes I’ve ever made!

The best part is this game day snack could not be easier to make! Ready from start to finish in under 10 minutes. It uses real ingredients like cheddar cheese, green chiles, flour, butter, and your salsa of choice. Its such a creamy dip and has tons of flavor! The salsa and can of green chiles adds so much to the creamy base. I love dipping with salty tortilla chips and these are my favorite brand! If you haven’t tried them yet, your life will be changed, do it soon! This dip is great to chips, on tacos, or drizzled over one of your favorite burrito bowls! For our favorite homemade tortilla recipe, click here!

You can keep the dip warm during the big game by using a small crock pot on the warm setting and it will stay melty and delicious the entire time without burning. One of my favorite things about this recipe is that you can swap our the cheese you use and change up the flavors a bit. I usually opt for a block of pepper jack and a block of extra sharp cheddar cheese. If you haven’t been to Aldi and checked out their cheese section, this is your hint to go soon! That combo is perfect for what we like! But you could also do a lighter version, almost like a queso blanco, and use white cheddar or monterey jack cheese with pepper jack.

You can also switch up your salsa choice to play around with different flavors. For example, I use a red based salsa that’s about a medium in heat. You could use a green chilies based salsa or tomatillo salsa as well to get a different flavor profile and change it up! You could even add cowboy caviar in this and add some texture with the flavors.

I tend to go pretty basic as I love the classic easy queso dip recipe, but you could play around with different seasonings as well! Add in some garlic powder, chili powder, taco seasoning, fresh chopped garlic, and even a squeeze of lime juice. I will give you my classic base recipe here but as you can see, you can switch it up as much as you’d like to serve at your next game day party!

Easy Queso Ingredients

1/3 c Einkorn Flour (1/4 c all purpose)

1/4 c Butter

2 c Milk (can use unsweetened almond or coconut too)

2 blocks cheese of choice, shredded

1 4oz can green chilis

1/4 c favorite salsa

Healthy Queso Recipe

To start this healthy cheese dip, you will need a large cast iron skillet or a large saucepan will work well too. Place the skillet or large saucepan over medium heat and add the butter to the bottom of the pan. Using a whisk, mix the butter until melted and then add in the flour. You’ll want to whisk these two ingredients together for a few minutes, this is called making rue. This will be the thickener to your cheese base.

Once this has been whisked a few minutes, add the milk into the pan. At this point, you will want to whisk constantly! It will start to thicken quickly and you don’t want the flour to clump in one spot and burn. After it starts to thicken, turn the heat to medium-low heat. Add in the grated cheese, green chilis, and your favorite salsa. Mix this all together until you have a cheesy queso dip! You can serve it right away at this point or you can add to a slow cooker and keep it on warm! Just mix it every hour or so to prevent sticking.

You don’t need a special occasion to make this dip! I love serving this as a side for any taco night at home! But it will absolutely be a new favorite at your next game day party. This is the perfect appetizer as it has so many ways you can enjoy it and different ways to spice it up! Next time you are hosting a gathering make sure to include this healthy queso dip recipe to your menu!