This Instant Pot Queso Dip is loaded with tons of cheese, tomatoes, jalapeños, and a ton of flavor. It is made in just minutes with a pressure cooker for an impressive and crowd-pleasing appetizer.
We love to make this Easy Instant Pot Queso Dip Recipe at our house, but we have to make it sparingly because can eat it all in one sitting. It reheats really well, so it is also great to make in advance for a Sunday Game Day party or for a quick dinner or weeknight appetizer.
Table of Contents
Ingredients Needed
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need to make this Instant Pot queso recipe. As always, specific measurements and complete cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Salted Butter
- Red Onion, diced
- Jalapeño, Seeded and Diced – You can also use canned green chiles.
- Tomatoes – Either 3/4 Cup of Diced, Fresh Tomatoes or a Can of Rotel, Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes, or just regular Diced tomatoes. The quantity of tomatoes is more of a personal decision.
- Cheese – I like to use Sharp Cheddar Cheese. Cabot Extra Sharp White Cheddar or Seriously Sharp Cheddar are my favorites. Do not use bagged or pre-shredded cheese, as it will be difficult to melt. Freshly grated real cheese is highly preferred. You can also use a mix of cheddar and white American Cheese if you want to make the cheese more of a cheese sauce.
- Cumin – You can leave this out if you are like my dad and hate cumin. We love cumin, and I think it adds to the flavor!
- Paprika – If you have smoked paprika, that is also a great flavor.
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper
- Cream Cheese – Half a normal-sized block of cream cheese.
- Heavy Cream – I like queso to be thick, so I don’t use a ton of cream. If you like your queso to be runny, add a lot of cream.
- A Bag of Tortilla Chips for Serving
Why Use an Instant Pot?
Using an Instant Pot, this cheesy queso dip is ready in just a few minutes! Cooking all the ingredients together in a pressure cooker saves a ton of time, increases the flavors, and gives the dip an amazing velvety texture.
How to Make Instant Pot Queso
Press the Saute button on your Instant Pot, then melt the butter. (Pictures 1 – 2)
Once melted, add diced red onion, diced jalapeños, and tomatoes and, using the Sauté function, cook until the red onions are mostly translucent. (Picture 3 – 4)
Add the cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper next and mix everything together. (Pictures 5 – 6)
Place the cream cheese on top of the vegetables but do not stir, then cancel the Saute setting. (Picture 7 – 8)
Put the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure the vent is pointed to Sealing. (Picture 9)
Set it to Manual Mode or Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 1 minute. (It will cook in the time it takes to come to pressure.) (Picture 10)
When the cooking cycle is finished, do a controlled release of the pressure to be sure that you don’t spray cheese everywhere. You can do this by releasing the pressure in short spurts until you can confidently leave the vent open with only steam coming out. (Picture 11)
Now stir everything together – the vegetables should be really soft, and the cream cheese should be melted enough to stir. (Pictures 12 – 13)
Now add shredded cheddar cheese and stir until it is melted. If the cheese is difficult to melt, set the Instant Pot to Keep Warm mode to expedite the process. (Picture 14)
Once the cheese is melted, add heavy cream until it is your desired thickness. (We like thick queso, so I add around ½ a cup. To make the queso pourable and thin, add ¾ cup or more if desired.) (Picture 15)
Allow the queso to sit for a few minutes to cool, then serve it with your favorite tortilla chips and enjoy! Garnish with diced jalapeños and fresh cilantro if desired.
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Share with friends🙋♀️ Frequently Asked Questions
This queso recipe uses cream cheese and cheddar cheese. (We like to use Cabot Cheddar cheese.)
Queso can be as spicy as you want. If you don’t like spice, leave out the jalapeño. If you like spice, keep some of the membrane of the jalapeño or add another!
Yes! Set the Instant Pot to the Keep Warm function and cover it with a lid, then stir until melted.
Storage and Reheating
How to Store It
Once cooled, queso can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.
How to Reheat Leftover Queso
Reheat cold queso slowly over low heat. I like to use my Instant Pot on Keep Warm setting or in a small slow cooker and stir as it heats. This is a great party dip to serve in a small crockpot!
Helpful Tips
- To make this queso dip really thin, you can add up to one cup of heavy cream and to make a white queso dip, substitute some of the cheddar cheese for white American cheese.
- If your cheese is difficult to melt – Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar is our favorite, but it melts slowly – you can set your Instant Pot to Keep Warm mode to expedite the process.
- Using really sharp cheddar (if you like sharp cheese) will really boost the flavor of this queso. If you use a block of Kraft cheese, the flavor will be much milder.
Ways to Serve Queso
Queso is most commonly served as a restaurant appetizer with a big basket of chips and homemade salsa. (If my husband would allow it, I would probably eat it for a full meal – but he likes to remind me that I studied nutrition and should know better.)
This cheesy dip is also delicious:
- Drizzled onto burrito bowls, tacos, and nachos for a Game Day spread with pico de gallo, mango avocado salsa, guacamole, and sour cream on the side.
- Poured over chicken breasts with a side of Spanish rice.
- Poured over steamed veggies, french fries, or baked potatoes.
- Poured over crispy tortilla chips and ground beef cooked with taco seasoning for a tastier version of those cafeteria-style nachos from our middle school days.
More Instant Pot Recipes
Main Courses
Instant Pot Jambalaya Recipe
Side Dishes
Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes
Main Courses
Instant Pot Country Style Ribs
Main Courses
Easy Instant Pot Ground Beef Stroganoff
Have You Tried This Recipe?
Please rate it and leave a comment below. I would love to hear what you think!
Instant Pot Queso Dip
Ingredients
- ¼ cup salted butter
- ½ cup diced red onion
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced more if you like a little heat
- ¾ cup diced tomatoes I used tomatoes from my garden – you can also use a can of Rotel, Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes, or just regular Diced tomatoes. The quantity of tomatoes is more of a personal decision.
- 2 teaspoons cumin You can leave this out if you are like my dad and hate cumin – we love it and I think it adds to the flavor!
- 1 teaspoon paprika If you have smoked paprika, that is also a great flavor.
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 ounces cream cheese (half a normal block)
- 4 cups cheddar cheese, shredded We like to use white cheddar.
- ½ – ¾ cup heavy cream I like queso to be thick, so I don't use a ton of cream. If you like your queso to be runny, add a lot of cream.
Queso Dip Garnish
- tortilla chips
- fresh cilantro
- jalapeños
Instructions
- Press the Saute button on your Instant Pot, then melt the butter.¼ cup salted butter
- Once melted, add diced red onion, jalapeño, and tomatoes and cook until the red onions are mostly translucent.½ cup diced red onion, 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced, ¾ cup diced tomatoes
- Add the cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper next and mix everything together.2 teaspoons cumin, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Place the cream cheese on top of the vegetables but do not stir, then cancel the Saute setting.4 ounces cream cheese
- Put the lid on your Instant Pot and make sure the vent is pointed to Sealing.
- Set it to Manual Mode or Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 1 minute. (It will cook in the time it takes to come to pressure.)
- When the cooking cycle is finished, do a controlled release of the pressure to be sure that you don't spray cheese everywhere. You can do this by releasing the pressure in short spurts until you can confidently leave the vent open with only steam coming out.
- Now stir everything together – the vegetables should be really soft and the cream cheese should be melted enough to stir.
- Now add shredded cheddar cheese and stir until it is melted. (Bagged or pre-shredded cheese will be difficult to melt, so freshly grated is recommended.) If the cheese is difficult to melt, set the Instant Pot to Keep Warm mode to expedite the process.4 cups cheddar cheese, shredded, ½ – ¾ cup heavy cream
- Once the cheese is melted, add heavy cream until it is your desired thickness. (We like thick queso so I add around ½ a cup. To make the queso pourable and thin, add ¾ cup or more if desired.)
- Allow the queso to sit for a few minutes to cool, then serve it with your favorite tortilla chips and enjoy! Garnish with diced jalapeños and fresh cilantro if desired.tortilla chips, fresh cilantro, jalapeños
Notes
What can you use queso for?
Queso is most commonly served as a restaurant appetizer with a big basket of chips and homemade salsa. (If my husband would allow it, I would probably eat it for a full meal – but he likes to remind me that I studied nutrition and should know better.) This cheesy dip is also delicious:- Drizzled onto burrito bowls, tacos, and nachos for a Game Day spread with pico de gallo, mango avocado salsa, guacamole, and sour cream on the side.
- Poured over chicken breasts with a side of Spanish rice.
- Poured over steamed veggies, french fries, or baked potatoes.
- Poured over crispy tortilla chips and ground beef cooked with taco seasoning for a tastier version of those cafeteria-style nachos from our middle school days.
How to Store & Reheat Queso
Once cooled, queso can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. Reheat slowly over low heat. I like to use my Instant Pot on Keep Warm mode or in a small slow cooker and stir as it heats. This is a great party dip to serve in a small crockpot!Queso Dip Tips
- To make this white queso dip really thin, you can add up to one cup of heavy cream and substitute some of the cheddar cheese for white American cheese.
- If your cheese is difficult to melt – Cabot Seriously Sharp Cheddar is our favorite, but it melts slowly – you can set your Instant Pot to Keep Warm mode to expedite the process.
- Using really sharp cheddar (if you like sharp cheese) will really boost the flavor of this queso. If you use a block of Kraft cheese, the flavor will be much milder.
Special Equipment Needeed
- measuring spoons
- a cheese grater
Nutrition
Nutrition information is approximate and is automatically calculated, so should only be used as a guide.
