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This cottage cheese queso is a creamy, high-protein twist on classic queso dip. It comes together quickly with simple ingredients. Just blend until smooth, then heat until warm and creamy. This lightened-up queso dip is perfect for snacking or serving as an easy, crowd-pleasing appetizer. Once you try it, you’ll wonder how you ever made queso any other way!
For more ways to use cottage cheese, check out all of my healthy cottage cheese recipes. Plus, for more high-protein dips, try our cottage cheese ranch dip and cottage cheese whipped feta dip next!
Table of Contents
🔍 Quick Look: Cottage Cheese Queso
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 5 minutes
- ⏱️ Cook Time: 0 minutes
- 🕒 Total Time: 5 minutes
- 🍽 Calories: ~53 kcal per serving
- 👥 Servings: 2 servings
- 🥣 Key Ingredients: Cottage cheese, taco seasoning, salsa, shredded light cheese
- 📖 Dietary Information: High-protein, gluten-free
- 👩🍳 Cook Method: Gently heated in the microwave
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Quick: You can make this queso dip in five minutes!
- Easy: It is super easy to make with four simple ingredients.
- Creamy Texture: It’s cheesy, creamy, and delicious!
- High-Protein: This queso is low in fat and high-protein.
- Healthier: The cottage cheese reduces the amount of shredded cheese you need while making this queso cheesy and creamy.
“This cottage cheese queso is so delicious and creamy! I love that it’s high-protein and only requires a few ingredients. It was so easy to make, my whole family loved it!”
– SOPHIA
Key Ingredients
- Cottage Cheese: You can use fat-free, low-fat, or full-fat cottage cheese in this recipe. The cottage cheese will be blended for this recipe. See our post on how to whip cottage cheese. Try our guacamole with cottage cheese next!
- Taco Seasoning: Use your favorite taco seasoning in this recipe or try our homemade taco seasoning!
- Salsa: Add your favorite salsa to this queso.
- Shredded Cheese: Use shredded cheese in this recipe.
Find the full measurements in the recipe card below.
Substitutions & Variations
- Cottage Cheese to Use: Use full-fat, low-fat, or fat-free cottage cheese.
- Add More Cheese: If you prefer, add more shredded cheese to your queso dip.
- Omit the Shredded Cheese: You don’t have to add shredded cheese to this queso. You can just blend the cottage cheese, taco seasoning, and salsa. Then, enjoy it cold or warm it up for 15 seconds in the microwave.
- Enjoy it Cold: You can enjoy this queso cold after blending it!
- Use Your Favorite Cheese: Make this queso with your favorite cheese. Some cheese options are white cheddar, sharp cheddar, Pepper Jack, and light Mexican cheese blend.
- Salsa Substitution: Instead of salsa, you can add homemade Pico de Gallo. Or, add both! You can even try it with salsa verde!
- Add Some Spice: To add some spice to this queso, add some of your favorite hot sauce or a pinch of chili powder. Or, use spicy salsa or taco seasoning. For a hint of smoky flavor, add a pinch of smoked paprika.
How To Make Cottage Cheese Queso
- Add the cottage cheese, taco seasoning, and salsa to a blender or food processor. Then, thoroughly blend.
- Add the blended cottage cheese mixture to a microwave-safe bowl. After that, add the shredded cheese to the bowl and mix. Or, omit the shredded cheese.
- Microwave the queso for 15 seconds. Then, carefully remove it from the microwave and stir. After that, microwave it for another 15 seconds, carefully remove it, and stir again. Do not microwave any further, or the queso may separate. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Don’t Microwave it Too Long: Don’t microwave this queso for more than 15 seconds at a time and for more than 30 seconds total. If you microwave it too long, the queso will start to separate.
- Mix the Queso: Carefully remove the queso from the microwave after 15 seconds and mix. Then, microwave once more for 15 seconds and thoroughly mix once done. Mixing helps the cheese continue to melt and evenly distributes it.
- Use a Microwave-Safe Container: Transfer the queso to a microwave-safe container before microwaving it.
- Thoroughly Blend the Cottage Cheese: Ensure the cottage cheese is thoroughly blended so there are no lumps in your queso.
- Make More Queso: If you want more queso, double this recipe and place it in a larger microwave-safe container.
What To Serve with Cottage Cheese Queso
- Additions: This queso is delicious on its own, but you can easily customize it with your favorite mix-ins. Try stirring in salsa, diced tomatoes, or Rotel for extra flavor and texture. For a little heat, add diced jalapeño or fire-roasted green chiles.
- Tortilla Chips: Serve this queso with your favorite tortilla chips. We love blue corn tortilla chips.
- Vegetables: Enjoy it with fresh veggies. Sliced bell peppers, cucumber, celery, carrots, or carrot chips are great options.
- Nachos: Make nachos with your favorite tortilla chips and add this queso. You could even add some cooked rotisserie chicken or slow cooker shredded chicken to your nachos for more protein.
- Crackers: Serve this queso dip with your favorite crackers.
- Tacos: Add some of this cheese sauce to tacos or burrito bowls. We love adding it to our sheet pan tacos and slow cooker chicken tacos.
Storage Instructions
Once heated, you can store leftover queso for later but don’t reheat it for more than 15 seconds, or it will start to separate. Or, you can serve it cold. We love having this queso already blended and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Enjoy it within two days.
Cottage Cheese Queso FAQs
What is Cottage Cheese Queso?
Cottage cheese queso is a queso dip made from cottage cheese! It went viral on the social platform TikTok and gained popularity. Our recipe consists of four simple ingredients and only takes about 5 minutes to make. All you need is cottage cheese, taco seasoning, salsa, and shredded cheese.
Can I Microwave Cottage Cheese?
While you can microwave cottage cheese, you can only microwave it for a short amount of time. If cottage cheese gets too hot, it will start to separate. You can microwave this queso for 15 seconds at a time and a maximum of 30 seconds. If you microwave it any longer, the cottage cheese will start to separate.
Can You Use Cottage Cheese to Make Cheese Sauce?
Yes! You can make a delicious cheese sauce using cottage cheese as the base! This queso consists of cottage cheese, taco seasoning, salsa, and some shredded cheese.
How Long Does Cottage Cheese Queso Last?
This cottage cheese queso dip will last 1-2 days from making it when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
More Cottage Cheese Recipes!
Cottage Cheese
Cottage Cheese Mac and Cheese
Cottage Cheese
Cottage Cheese Dip
Cottage Cheese
Savory Cottage Cheese Burrito Bowl
Cottage Cheese
Cottage Cheese Alfredo
If you try this recipe please be sure to leave us a comment and star rating, ★★★★★, letting us know how it turns out for you.
Cottage Cheese Queso
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup cottage cheese, fat-free, low-fat, or full-fat
- 1 teaspoon taco seasoning
- 2 tablespoons salsa
- 2 tablespoons shredded light Mexican cheese or shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Add the cottage cheese, taco seasoning, and salsa to a blender or food processor. Then, thoroughly blend until smooth.
- Add the blended mixture to a microwave-safe bowl. Then, add the shredded cheese to the bowl and mix. Or, omit the shredded cheese. It tastes delicious either way!
- Microwave the queso for 15 seconds. Then, carefully remove it from the microwave and mix. After that, microwave it for another 15 seconds. Next, carefully remove it from the microwave and mix again. Do not microwave the queso for more than 15 seconds at a time and no longer than 30 seconds total. If you microwave it too long, it will start to separate. Once done, serve immediately and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Additions: Some optional additions are fire-roasted diced green chiles, diced tomatoes, and chopped cilantro.
- Cheese: Some cheese options are Pepper Jack, light Mexican cheese blend, white cheddar, and sharp cheddar. If you prefer, omit the shredded cheese from this recipe and use cottage cheese, taco seasoning, and salsa.
- Serving: This recipe makes about 3/4 cup of queso. You can serve this queso cold or warm. If served cold, you can blend the cheese with the rest of the ingredients or omit it.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So yummy . I added the green chilies ,like you suggested . I am thinking that this could replace my two eggs for breakfast . Calories and protein similar . Ha – ha .
Hi Robin, we’re so happy you loved the cottage cheese queso! The green chilies add such a delicious kick of flavor, we’re so glad you gave that a try. Swapping your eggs for queso? Now that’s the kind of breakfast upgrade we can get behind! lol
This cottage cheese queso is so delicious and creamy! I love that it’s high-protein and only requires a few ingredients. It was so easy to make, my whole family loved it!
Hello Sophia, I’m so happy you and your family loved this high-protein cottage cheese queso! Thanks so much for sharing!