Velveeta Queso Recipe (Rotel Dip) - The Cookie Rookie® (2024)

FAQs

Why put evaporated milk in queso? ›

Evaporated Milk: This creates a creamy and smooth texture that is ideal for any good queso blanco. Milk, heavy cream, or half and half can be used instead, but evaporated milk has given me the best results. Cornstarch: Helps to thicken the queso sauce mixture to a perfectly dippable consistency.

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 is this?

Cut the Velveeta:Cut the Velveeta cheese into smaller cubes. This will help it melt more easily. Choose a Liquid:Decide whether you want to use milk or broth to thin out the Velveeta. Milk is a common choice for a creamier sauce, while broth can add flavor.

In fact, to some Texans, queso is simply “Rotel dip.” But why? Eater's Kayla Stewart recently set out to learn how the canned blend of tomatoes, chiles, and spices, became such a vital part of any queso.

Evaporated milk help keeps the dip from separating and turning clumpy as it cools.

Thus, heavy cream can easily be substituted for recipes that call for evaporated milk. How to Substitute: For 12 ounces of evaporated milk, combine 3 ounces of whole milk and 9 ounces of heavy cream.

You may not need to add the milk; Velveeta can melt on the stove without it. The addition of milk is strongly recommended because it makes it much easier to melt the cheese product evenly and thoroughly without trouble.

Making a slurry with cornstarch and cold milk is how you will thicken your queso. A traditional slurry is a 1:1 liquid to cornstarch ratio, but for our queso purposes I used 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of milk.

If your Rotel dip is too thick, thin it with a splash of milk, water or broth. Once the cheese is melted, stir in the liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you reach the desired consistency.

Queso Fundido: A Mexican variation of queso dip that typically includes melted cheese mixed with cooked chorizo (spicy sausage), mushrooms, or other savory ingredients. It's often served in a skillet and meant to be scooped up with tortillas.

Why is rotel dip called rotel? ›

An Inspiration. Carl Roettele and his wife open a small canning plant in Elsa, Texas, processing over 25K cases of vegetables a year. The product they're proudest of is their tomatoes and green chilies. Worried people couldn't spell or pronounce “Roettele,” Carl used the name RO*TEL.

Whether you're whipping up a hearty chili, a zesty dip, or a savory casserole, Rotel's signature blend of tomatoes and green chilies adds depth and complexity to your recipes. The combination of ripe tomatoes and fiery green chilies creates a perfect balance of sweetness and heat.

Those starch molecules thicken the sauce, while the concentrated milk proteins from the evaporated milk add that signature dairy flavor, without all the water you'd get from cream or regular milk. Translation? Smooth, shiny, perfectly emulsified cheese that doesn't clump, taste floury, or break into greasy pools.

This old-school pantry staple brings velvety texture to soups, makes decadent desserts, prevents curdling in milk-based sauces, and even tenderizes proteins.

The product was invented in 1885 as a way to enjoy milk without the need for refrigeration. Heating the milk kills lingering bacteria that can cause spoilage and also reduces its weight, making it easier to transport. Evaporated milk is slightly thicker than fresh milk and has a more opaque, slightly yellow color.

Cheese sauce can be kept from congealing by applying enough heat to keep it semi-liquid but not enough to scorch it or dry it out.