Instant Pot Queso Dip

A chip dipped in queso held over a red bowl.

5 from 4 votes

Instant Pot Creamy Queso Dip is loaded with real cheese, tomatoes, jalapeños, and SO MUCH flavor. It is made in just minutes with a pressure cooker for an impressive and crowd-pleasing appetizer.

Prep Time12

Cook Time1

Total Time13

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: American, Mexican, Southern

Keyword: instant pot queso, instapot queso

Diet: Kid Friendly

Cooking Method: Instant Pot

Servings:

Calories: 260kcal

Author: Kari

Equipment

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

The recipe yield is around 12 servings of ⅓ cup. (It will serve more people if each person only has a bite or two at a potluck or party.) Prep time includes the time for the Instant Pot to come to pressure - about 10 minutes.

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.

Nutrition