How to Make Nacho Cheese With Velveeta and Rotel

Party food doesn't get meltier, creamier, or more irresistibly cheesy than Velveeta Cheese Dip! With a fresh take, a little Mexican flair, and this recipe, you'll be making a superior rendition at home this year.

You might not know Velveeta Cheese Dip is actually a Tex-Mex creation known as Chile con Queso across the Lonestar state. Chile con Queso translates to 'cheese with chiles' (i.e. chile peppers). The dip is made up of melted cheese, American cheese, chile peppers, and oftentimes, canned tomatoes as well.

This famous appetizer is thoroughly enjoyed alongside a basket of warm tortilla chips, salsa, and is also religiously served as a dipper for the beefy Tacos al Carbon. Some Mexican restaurants even serve queso with a scoop of guacamole in the center — a hearty and delicious combination you can easily replicate at home!

Outside of the restaurants, this Velveeta Cheese Dip is the creme de la creme of game day party appetizers, coming together with just a few ingredients and almost zero prep! Serve it at this year's football party alongside cheesy baked Refried Bean Dip or add in some taco-seasoned ground beef and turn it into the cheesy fan-favorite, Rotel Dip with Ground Beef!

INGREDIENT LIST

• Velveeta Cheese
• Pico de Gallo (or Rotel)
• Evaporated Milk

Pico adds a great deal of flavor and freshness to homemade queso. You can use a storebought or homemade pico de gallo. If your grocery store carries fresh pico de gallo, it will likely be in the produce section of the store. If you'd rather go the old-fashioned route, feel free to use two strained cans of Rotel in place of the pico.

WHY YOU SHOULD USE EVAPORATED MILK IN QUESO

Why use evaporated milk in queso? Evaporated milk makes for a smoother tasting Velveeta Cheese Dip. It sounds a bit strange, but it's a huge difference-maker, especially when it comes to the pace at which the dip hardens. If you don't have evaporated milk, you can sub in fresh milk or even water.

WHAT KIND OF CHEESE IS VELVEETA?

Once upon a time (in the 1980s), Velveeta was made with real cheese — Colby, Swiss and Cheddar, to be more specific. However, these days, Velveeta identifies more with the flavor of American cheese than any other. Although, the product cannot actually be called cheese. And, here's why…

IS VELVEETA REAL CHEESE?

At the forefront of Velveeta's list of ingredients are milk, water, whey, and (the ringer) milk protein concentrate. Milk protein concentrate (MPC) is a concentrated milk product that contains 40-90% milk.

As far as the U.S. government is concerned, MPC is not an ingredient found in a cheese spread. The FDA ruled that because MPC was listed as an ingredient, Kraft could not identify this velvety, smooth product as a "cheese spread," but rather a "cheese product."

So is it technically real cheese? No. It is not, however, it is absolutely perfect for making Velveeta Cheese Dip.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH VELVEETA CHEESE DIP

Be sure to have the tortilla chips handy when serving up any form of queso. You could also serve this dip with Fritos as well.

If you're looking for classic Tex-Mex dips to serve with your Velveeta Cheese Dip, you can't go wrong any of the following recipes:

And, you'll absolutely swoon for our Chili Cheese Queso Dip! Bookmark the recipe for next time!

HOW TO MAKE VELVEETA CHEESE DIP

You can make Velveeta Cheese Dip quickly in the microwave or low and slow in the crockpot. Below, you will find instructions for both.

HOW TO MAKE QUICK MICROWAVE CHEESE DIP

1. Melt the Velveeta – Add the Velveeta and evaporated milk to a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave for 2 minutes. Remove the bowl from the microwave (carefully — the bowl will be very hot) and stir. Continue to microwave at 30-second increments, stirring after each addition until the cheese has completely melted.
2. Add the Pico (or Rotel) – Add the pico de gallo (or strained Rotel) to the Velveeta Cheese Dip and stir to evenly distribute throughout the cheese.

HOW TO MAKE VELVEETA DIP IN A CROCKPOT

1. Add Ingredients To Crock Pot – Add the Velveeta and evaporated milk, and pico de gallo (or Rotel) to a crockpot.
2. Cook On Low – Cover and cook on the low setting for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

HOW TO KEEP YOUR DIP FROM GETTING HARD

As mentioned earlier, evaporated milk will help slow down the pace at which your Velveeta Cheese Dip hardens. However, if you want to keep it from hardening altogether is to serve it out of a crockpot. However, make sure you have it on the warm setting so that the sides and bottom of the pot do not burn your cheese dip.

HOW LONG IS CHEESE DIP GOOD FOR?

Cheese dip will stay good refrigerated in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

6 MORE GAME DAY RECIPES YOU'LL LOVE

• Chili Cheese Dip
• Texas Caviar
• Mexican Bean Salad
• Mexican Layer Dip
• Mexican Shrimp Cocktail
• Artichoke Jalapeño Dip

Party food doesn't get meltier, creamier, or more irresistibly cheesy than Velveeta Cheese Dip with a fresh take, a little Mexican flair. The perfect game day party appetizers, coming together with just a few ingredients and almost zero prep!

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: Velveeta Cheese Dip

Servings: 14 Servings

Calories: 188 kcal

• 1 (32-ounce) package Velveeta cheese cut into 1" chunks
• 1 1/2 cup pico de gallo, store-bought or homemade (or you could sub in 2 10-ounce cans Rotel, drained)
• 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk

1. Add the Velveeta and evaporated milk to a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave for 2 minutes. Remove the bowl from the microwave (carefully -- the bowl will be very hot) and stir.

2. Continue to microwave at 30-second increments, stirring after each addition until the cheese has completely melted. Add the pico de gallo (or drained Rotel) and stir to evenly distribute throughout the cheese.

3. Serve alongside tortilla chips and enjoy.

CROCKPOT CHEESE DIP INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add the Velveeta, evaporated milk, and pico de gallo (or Rotel) to a slow cooker and turn the setting on low.
2. Cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Serve alongside tortilla chips and enjoy.

Nutrition Facts

Velveeta Cheese Dip

Amount Per Serving

Calories 188 Calories from Fat 81

% Daily Value*

Fat 9g 14%

Saturated Fat 6g 38%

Cholesterol 34mg 11%

Sodium 1224mg 53%

Potassium 297mg 8%

Carbohydrates 14g 5%

Sugar 10g 11%

Protein 14g 28%

Vitamin A 808IU 16%

Vitamin C 2mg 2%

Calcium 435mg 44%

Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Reader Interactions

Don't Go Just Yet!

How to Make Nacho Cheese With Velveeta and Rotel

Source: https://www.theanthonykitchen.com/velveeta-cheese-dip/

Share :