Cottage Cheese Queso
Cottage cheese blended with roasted chiles and melting cheese into a warm, scoopable queso that's far higher in protein than the diner version.
Ingredients
- 250 g Cottage cheese
- 100 g Melting cheese
- 1 Green chili
- 1 clove Garlic (optional)
- ½ tsp Ground cumin (optional)
- 60 ml Milk (optional)
- 2 tbsp Cilantro (optional)
Method
- Char the chile and garlic in a dry pan over high heat until blackened in spots, about 4 minutes.
- Blitz the cottage cheese with the charred chile and garlic, the cumin, and the milk until smooth.
- Warm the blended mixture in a saucepan over low heat, then stir in the melting cheese in handfuls until it pulls smooth.
- Pour into a bowl, scatter the cilantro over, and serve warm with chips or warm tortillas.
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About Cottage Cheese Queso
Cottage cheese queso reinvents the diner dip by replacing heavy cream and processed cheese sauce with blended cottage cheese, keeping the warmth and salt and scoopability but cutting the density in half. Charring the chiles and garlic in a dry pan before blending concentrates their flavour and adds a subtle black-char bitterness that prevents the dip from cloying. The cumin bridges Mexican tradition and modern high-protein cooking, and the milk stirred in keeps the blended cottage cheese pourable rather than gluey—each handful of melting cheese that goes in afterward swirls through and creates pockets of extra richness without making the whole dip seize.
Warm queso, by definition, is a gathering food—something to share from a single bowl with warm tortillas or tortilla chips, built for snacking and conversation. This version is a gentler queso than the typical version, less aggressive in salt and heat, which makes it approachable for everyday eating rather than just party food. Cilantro scattered over the top at the end adds a cool herbal note and visual freshness, and the whole thing takes fifteen minutes from stovetop to table, warm enough to scoop and eat immediately.
Cottage Cheese Queso: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Cottage Cheese Queso?
A serving has about 153 calories — 13.5g protein, 5.1g carbs, 8.8g fat, 0.1g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Cottage Cheese Queso gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Cottage Cheese Queso has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
Is Cottage Cheese Queso dairy-free?
Not as written — it uses Milk. Swapping it for a plant-based alternative makes it dairy-free.
Do I need every ingredient to make Cottage Cheese Queso?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out garlic, ground cumin, milk — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Cottage Cheese Queso make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.