The One Ingredient You Absolutely Need For Copycat Chipotle Queso Blanco

So you stayed in on a Friday night and now are craving Chipotle? The drive-thru might be a good idea, but not the best if you don't really feel like going out and driving in that not-so-friendly weather. You go through your delivery apps, but more people are thinking like you and it might take more than an hour for those tacos or cheese and nachos you so desired. Your NetFlix-and-chill companion makes a smart suggestion: Let's go into the kitchen and make something Chipotle-inspired.

There are some Chipotle copycat recipes you can replicate at home when you feel like cooking, from the chicken recipe to a burrito, or the dressing and sauces from the menu for a quick movie snack. Savor The Flavoursuggests a more natural recipe for Chipotle's queso blanco, with probably things and veggies you have on your counter. After minutes of constant stirring in a small pot, you'll have a creamy cheesy dip. If after trying it, you are not happy with the result, it might be because you are not using the right cheese. Next time, plan ahead and get white cheddar cheese, just like in Chipotle, according to Taste of Home.

Use white cheddar

As Chipotle indicates in its menu, they blend two types of cheese for their beloved queso blanco recipe. They use aged monterrey jack cheese and white cheddar. Is there a white cheddar? you might surprisingly ask yourself. Yes, cheddar can be white and orange, which is the most common color you see in hamburgers. This is why the resulting Chipotle queso blanco maintains a light color and a melty texture. According to Wisconsin Cheese, cheddar is a buttery kind of cheese, and using it can bring moist results.

For doing queso blanco at home, a TikTok video demonstrates we can do it from one pot: Start with butter, as the best recipes start, and then stir along your ingredients, especially very fatty ones like milk, cream, and something to thicken it. The tiktoker uses flour, but Chipotle prefers cornstarch. Go ahead and add your combined cheeses too. Culinary Ginger suggests buying blocks of cheese instead of pre-grated ones to avoid clumpy cheese. Just make sure you add the grating cheese part to your recipe and add the cheese to the mix bit by bit. Join your homemade queso blanco with tortilla chips or serve it over a plate of choice.