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Easy Instant Pot Queso Dip made with cream cheese shredded cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack — no Velveeta — is a delicious hot cheese dip perfect for game day and parties. This easy recipe makes the best Instant Pot queso and is Keto friendly, too!
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I have a simple homemade queso dip recipe with real cheese that my family absolutely loves, but since I’m converting a lot of my recipes to Instant Pot recipes, I decided to make this Mexican cheese dip in the pressure cooker.
Easy Instant Pot queso dip with no Velveeta makes a delicious appetizer for parties or game day!
You’re probably wondering why anyone would make dip in an Instant Pot. Well, it’s faster than making dip in a slow cooker, and you can leave the dip on the keep warm setting and and munch away! Plus, it’s perfect if you don’t have a stove or if you’re having a potluck!
To be clear, you are not pressure cooking the cheese dip! That would result in curdled cheese, so no. Just no. You’re just using the saute setting to cook it.
Ingredients
You only need a few simple ingredients for this Instant Pot queso dip recipe. You can find them in your grocery store or online.
- Butter — unsalted butter or salted butter. Always use butter in cheese sauces, not olive oil or any other cooking oil.
- Onion — white onion or yellow onion for flavor
- Jalapeño pepper — adds flavor and spice
- Seasonings — sea salt, garlic powder, cumin, smoked paprika
- Heavy cream — to thin the cheese dip
- Cream cheese — room temperature works best
- Cheese — sharp cheddar cheese or mild cheddar and monterey jack cheese
- Rotel — or diced tomatoes and chiles
Note — This Instant Pot queso dip is made with cream cheese and heavy cream — no Velveeta or milk — so it is low carb and keto friendly.
How to Make Queso Dip in the Instant Pot
Start by pressing the saute button on your pressure cooker. Melt butter, and toss in the the chopped onions and jalapeno peppers. Stir with a wooden spoon until they are just until slightly soft.
Next, throw in some garlic powder, cumin, smoked paprika and a pinch of salt. You can also use some homemade taco seasoning instead.
Whisk in the heavy cream, and let it heat up until it starts to bubble. You’ll want to keep stirring or whisking the mixture, making sure that nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot so that it doesn’t burn.
Hit cancel to turn the pot off. Then, stir in the cream cheese until it melts.
Next, gradually add the shredded cheese, and stir or whisk until the cheese is melted and smooth. You can use the sauté function again to quickly warm the cheese up before switching to the keep warm setting.
Cook Time
The total cooking time is about 15 minutes. Times may vary with each electric pressure cooker, though.
I added in some canned diced tomatoes and green chiles — Rotel — for extra flavor. It’s optional — you can add in your favorite mix-ins here.
The queso dip might seem thin at first, but it thickens up as it stands. You can also add more cheese if you want the dip to be even thicker.
Serve this creamy queso with your favorite bag of tortilla chips or veggies, and you’re good to go!
Frequently Asked Questions
This queso dip is made with a combination of cream cheese, cheddar cheese and Monterey jack cheese. You can also use pepper jack cheese in place of Monterey to make it spicier.
Yes. Just leave the cheese dip on the keep warm setting. You may have to stir the dip every so often to keep it smooth.
How to Store and Reheat
Store any leftover queso in an airtight container in the refrigerator, where it’ll keep for up to five days.
Reheat this instant pot queso recipe by placing however much you want to use in a microwave safe bowl and popping it in the microwave for thirty second intervals. Just make sure you stir the cheese sauce after every thirty seconds!
You can also reheat this cheesy queso dip on the stovetop on low heat. Using medium high heat will burn the cheese.
Variations
If you want some protein, add some ground beef or chorizo into this easy queso dip recipe.
Customize this instant pot cheese dip by stirring in your favorite mix ins. I personally love to use green chilies, sliced jalapeño peppers, and tomatoes. You can add pico de gallo, too.
Sometimes I’ll make white queso dip, queso blanco, with Monterey jack and mozzarella.
Instant Pot Queso Dip
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter, sliced
- ½ cup yellow onion, finely chopped ( 1/2 of a medium onion)
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 4 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes
- 3 cups cheddar cheese
- 1 cup monterey jack cheese
- Rotel (optional) or tomatoes or jalapeno slices
Instructions
- Press SAUTE on the Instant Pot, let it heat up, and add the butter.
- When butter begins to melt, add the onions and chopped jalapeno, and cook until soft, stirring frequently
- Stir in the the sea salt, garlic powder, cumin and smoked paprika
- Add the heavy cream, and heat until it begins to bubble and thicken up, whisking or stirring frequently
- Hit CANCEl, then gradually add the cream cheese, stirring continuously until it’s melted
- Gradually add the shredded cheddar and monterey jack, about 1 cup at a time, stirring or whisking well after each cup is added
- Press SAUTE, and cook until cheese is fully melted, stirring continuously — about 1 minute. Add the Rotel, or other mix-ins, if using
- Press CANCEL, then press KEEP WARM. Queso will thicken as it sits. Or, transfer to serving bowl and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Looking for more Instant Pot dip recipes? Try Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Dipand Instant Pot Jalapeno Popper Chicken Dip. You can find more Instant Pot recipes by browsing my Instant Pot recipes archive.
I hope you enjoy this cheesy, easy Instant Pot queso dip as much as we do! This cheesy dip is definitely our go to recipe for Cinco de Mayo, holidays and game day!
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How many cups does this make? Making for a pot luck and want to make sure I have enough.
I want to say around 4 or 5 cups, but you can easily double it.