The BEST Cottage Cheese Queso Dip (High Protein!) (2024)

This easy cottage cheese queso recipe is insanely good, high protein, and only uses four ingredients. This cheesy dip is creamy, flavorful and takes less than 5 minutes to make. Enjoy as a high protein snack with tortilla chips, on top of nachos, or in your favorite tacos.

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About this queso dip

As soon as I saw this viral Tiktok recipe (and all over social media in general!), I know I had to create my own version of this high protein cottage cheese queso.

Since then, I’ve made this queso more times than I can possibly count. It’s that good.

While it may not be traditional queso, the best part about this queso is that it’s a higher protein version thanks to the cottage cheese. In fact, there’s 14 grams of protein per serving.

That means it’s going to keep you fuller and it’s a great way to help you hit those protein goals!

Whether you’re a cottage cheese fan or not, you’ll love this one! The cottage cheese is blended up so it’s silky smooth and it has so much flavor, you’d never guess that it was made with cottage cheese.

Using cottage cheese is such a game changer for making a healthier option for something like a delicious dip, because it’s such a versatile ingredient. It’s mildly flavored, high protein, and if you’ve never blended cottage cheese before, it blends up shockingly smooth.

You can use this recipe as a high protein cottage cheese dip for your favorite tortilla chips, a cheese sauce for your favorite tacos, burrito bowls or taco bowls, a topping for sheet pan nachos, or even for some raw veggies.

Whether you’re using it for a quick healthy dip or serving it up for game day, it’s going to be a major crowd pleaser. Let’s get into what you need for this high protein queso dip!

Ingredients

You only need four simple ingredients to make this high protein, cheesy queso!

1. Cottage cheese: The star of the show is cottage cheese in this recipe! It blends into a silky smooth texture, has a mild cheesy flavor, and is high protein. My favorite texture and flavor-wise is Good Culture, hands down. Don’t worry, once it’s blended you’ll never even know it was cottage cheese! I recommend reduced-fat or full-fat cottage cheese over fat free cottage cheese for best texture and creaminess.
2. Shredded Mexican blend cheese: I prefer to use full-fat cheese for this for the same reason as using cottage cheese with some fat. It helps to keep everything super creamy and flavorful. You can also use any other shredded cheese that you prefer! I like to use real shredded cheese instead of store-bought if I have time because it melts best.
3. Fresh garlic: A fresh garlic clove adds the perfect punch of garlic-y goodness to this dip. You can sub 1-2 teaspoons of garlic powder if you don’t have any fresh on hand.
4. Diced green chiles: Grab a 4-oz can of diced green chiles or you could use jalapeños!

You’ll also need a blender, immersion blender or food processor to blend your queso.

• My favorite blender
• My favorite food processor
• My favorite immersion blender

Step-by-step instructions

1. Add cottage cheese, shredded cheese, diced green chiles and garlic clove to a high-speed blender or food processor.
2. Blend cottage cheese mixture on high until the queso dip is smooth and creamy. Taste test and add salt, pepper, or any additional seasonings to taste.

3. Next, heat your queso! (You can also enjoy cold if you prefer!)
   • Heat on stove top (recommended): In a small sauce pan, heat the cottage cheese queso on low heat, stirring often until hot. Do not overheat or the queso will separate and lose it’s creamy texture.
   • Heat in microwave: In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave queso slowly in 15 second intervals until hot. Stir in between microwave sessions. *Important note*: If you microwave the queso for too long or too quickly, it will separate and lose its creamy texture- heat carefully until it’s just warm enough so that the queso stays nice and creamy!

Recipe FAQ

Can you store and reheat leftovers?

Yes, you can! After blending your queso, I recommend heating up what you plan to eat immediately and then save the rest without heating it up first to maintain the best texture. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days and then follow heating instructions for the leftover queso as normal.

Can I use fat-free cottage cheese?

You can use any type of cottage cheese, just keep in mind that fat-free cottage cheese and low-fat cottage cheese is less creamy and more likely to separate when it’s heated. I recommend using full-fat cottage cheese if available.

What should I serve it with?

You can enjoy your healthy queso dip as a snack with some crispy tortilla chips, or some of my favorite ways to enjoy it are with these meals:

• The BEST Loaded Ground Turkey Nachos
• Loaded Bell Pepper Nachos
• Tacos with Peppers (Veggie-Packed Tacos!)
• Easy Healthy Taco Rice Bowl
• One Avocado Guacamole (Easy 5-Minute Guac)
• Chopped Taco Ground Beef Salad

Variations and substitutions

• Make it spicy: Add fresh jalapeño, pickled jalapeños, hot sauce, or cayenne pepper before blending.
• Taco-seasoned queso: Use a tablespoon or two of taco seasoning for a taco-flavored queso dip. You can also add other spices like garlic powder, onion powder, or chili powder right to your cottage cheese mixture.
• Change up the cheese: Instead of a Mexican cheese blend, sub in sharp cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack, pepper jack cheese or your fave shredded cheese for a different flavor profile.
• Use nutritional yeast: Instead of cheese, you can also use nutritional yeast to give the queso it’s cheesy flavor.
• Add some creamy tang: Add a small scoop of Greek yogurt or sour cream before blending for a little bit more tang in your queso.
• Add toppings! I love adding pico de gallo, chopped tomatoes, diced red onion, jalapeños, green onion or cilantro.
• Use as a veggie dip: This queso isn’t just for tortilla chips! You could also serve with your favorite corn chips, crackers, or fresh veggies like bell peppers and carrot chips.

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