Queso is one of the most flavourful dips in Mexican cuisine, which is saying a lot considering how delicious Mexican food is! Queso dip is a cheese dip taken to a whole new level. Garlic, japaeños, onion, tomatoes and a range of herbs and spices transform it.
Whether you have leftover queso dip from your latest Mexican takeaway or have purposely made a large batch of your own queso to freeze, queso dip is best enjoyed hot.
To reheat queso dip, either pop it into the microwave and microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring regularly or pour it into a pan and reheat over a low heat.
How to Reheat Queso Dip
How you choose to reheat queso dip depends entirely on how much of the dip you want to reheat at once and what kind of condition the dip is in when you take it out of the fridge.
Choose one of the trusted methods below for the best reheated queso dip:
How to Reheat Queso Dip in the Microwave
When you only have a serving or two of queso dip left over, it is likely not worth dirtying extra pans to reheat. Instead, try using your microwave:
- Pre-Heat The Microwave
Okay, this may seem like an odd step, but to reheat queso, you will need a hot enough microwave to melt the cheese again. Run your microwave for 1 minute to warm it up, ready for your dip. - Use A Better Bowl
Transfer the queso to a microwaveable bowl. Don’t overfill the bowl, as the dip needs room to boil. - Reheat
Set your microwave to 80% heat or medium-high and set the timer for 30 seconds. Place the queso in the microwave and hit start. - Stir
After 30 seconds, take a spoon to stir the queso to prevent it from burning. - Reheat Again
Set the microwave for another 30 seconds and reheat the dip at least two times more, stopping to stir it at every interval. - Properly Combine
When the dip is hot but not yet boiling, take the spoon again and stir the queso. Make sure all the ingredients are mixed and covered by the cheesy dip. - Reheat
Reheat the queso dip for another 30-40 seconds or until the cheese sauce starts to bubble.
How to Reheat Queso Dip in a Pan
Sometimes, queso dip can become thin and watery no matter how well you store it, especially if you are reheating frozen queso dip.
This is not the texture you want your queso dip to be when you serve it. The extra moisture will make your tortillas damp and oddly textured when you use the dip.
Luckily, you can use a pan to reheat your leftover queso dip and fix the dip at the same time:
- Heat The Pan
Place a deep pan on the stove, setting it to medium heat. - Pour In The Dip
Take your queso dip and pour it all into the pan, scraping the side of the storage container to get all of that leftover flavour. - Reheat
Allow the queso to reheat for around 1 minute. - Lower The Heat
Turn down your pan’s heat to a medium low to prevent your queso dip from burning during this next step. - Stir
Using a whisk, slowly stir the queso dip as it reheats and thickens up again. Depending on how watery your dip has become, you will need to stir the dip for between 5 – 8 minutes. - Serve
As soon as you are happy with the thickness of your queso dip, pour it into a serving bowl and serve immediately.
How to Reheat Queso Dip Successfully
Some meals are simply better with queso dip. When you are craving those leftover Friday night tacos, you will want that accompanying dip to really satisfy that craving.
Here are a few tips to ensure that you can pair those perfect tacos with a wonderfully reheated queso dip:
- Slow And Steady – It is better to take your time reheating your queso dip and giving the cheese time to melt again than rushing the process along on a high heat and burning the dip.
- Just Add Water – Usually, the issue with storing queso dip is that it can become watery. But sometimes, you may find your queso dip too thick when you reheat it. This can be fixed by adding a little water to the dip as you reheat it on the stove and stirring the water in a little at a time until you are happy with the consistency.
- Re-season The Dip – Queso dip kept in the fridge for a few days is likely to be very delicious. Frozen queso dip, however, can lose its impactful flavour after a few weeks. Mix in some extra seasoning and spices to reignite that wonderful queso flavour when you reheat it.
- Do Not Reheat Twice – It is fine to reheat queso dip once, but the cheese in the dip can start to congeal if it is reheated a second time. Portion out your leftover dip so that you are only reheating as much as you would use to avoid waste.
Is It Safe to Reheat Queso Dip?
As it does not typically include meat, queso dip is very safe to reheat.
The dip does include fresh ingredients such as jalapeño peppers, so you should only reheat queso dip that has been kept in your fridge for a couple of days.
But even then, that is more to avoid eating rotten queso dip rather than an issue with the actual reheating process itself.
Reheating Queso Dip FAQs
Do you still need more information on how to reheat queso dip? These FAQs might be handy:
No, reheating it twice is not a good idea! You’ll find that the dip congeals and becomes gloopy if reheated too often. Instead, reheat a portion at a time to avoid unwanted waste.
Although you can warm it through in the oven, you’ll need to keep stirring it to ensure it reheats evenly. It really isn’t worth the effort. Instead, opt for using the microwave or a pan.
Acacia may be a freelance writer by day, but they are a food fanatic by night. They are always trying out new recipes or finding different ways to elevate classical dishes. But their biggest culinary aim is to educate others on the basics of the kitchen so that they too can enjoy delicious food.
