Last Updated on August 26, 2026 by Carrie Korem, FNTP
A warm bowl of homemade beef queso with organic potato or plantain chips is a fun snack for game day, a family get-together or a potluck.
A few weeks ago I arrived home on a late flight after attending the doTERRA annual convention and my daughter Abby served me a bowl of warm, homemade beef queso dip with organic potato chips. The queso was absolutely perfect, and contained only real ingredients. I’m telling you, this girl has a knack for creating recipes!
She used a combo of milk, butter, arrowroot, cheddar cheese and spices for the cheese queso and then browned some ground beef, seasoned it with sea salt, and stirred it into the cheesy sauce.
Finally, a real food creamy queso without any processed cheese. I’m definitely adding this recipe to our list of favorite game-day foods!
Here’s a list of our favorites that you might enjoy:
Roasted Chicken Wings
Sausage Balls
Apricot Zingers
Steak and Bacon Bites
Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies
Fudgy Brownies
Beef Queso Dip
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6-8
- Category: Side Dish
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
For the Beef:
- 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
For the Queso:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup arrowroot flour
- 3/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Potato, plantain, or any other kind of chip of your choice
Instructions
- Melt 1 teaspoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat and swirl to coat. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, breaking the meat up with the back of a wooden spoon. Stir in ¼ teaspoon sea salt. Set aside.
- Place 4 tablespoons butter and arrowroot, chili powder, and sea salt in a medium saucepan and set over medium-low heat. When the butter melts, whisk constantly for about 1 minute, then very slowly whisk in the milk. It may clump just a little, but keep whisking and it will soon smooth back out. Bring the mixture to a simmer and continue to whisk. When the mixture is beginning to thicken and coats the back of a spoon, immediately start whisking in the cheese. Whisk until all the cheese melts and the sauce becomes smooth. Stir in cooked ground beef. Season to taste with salt if needed. Serve warm with chips.
This looks so comforting and delicious. I hope to give it a try next week!
I couldn’t wait to try it! Added 2 tsp of cumin and a dash of crushed red pepper, delicious! Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Can you please give me any nutritional facts as I’m diabetic
I don’t include nutritional facts on my site, but you’re welcome to enter the recipe into a nutrition software to give the values.
I can’t find potato chips that are mot made with canola or safflower oil, both of which are listed as oils to avoid. I’d love to try this
If you do a search for potato chips with coconut oil or avocado oil you can see various brands to look for at the store. They are also great with plantain chips!
Without the meat, this even sounds perfect as a cheese fondue! Thank you so much for another great recipe! Adding it to my menu and grocery list!
The queso recipe does not include when to add the beef you’ve cooked and set aside.
Oops! Thanks for pointing that out. I made the edit.
I notice you’re using whole milk the the queso. What kind do you use? Can I switch it for whole coconut milk from the can with fat. Or Coconut milk from the carton?
Thanks,
eva
I use raw whole milk from our local farmer, but you can use organic milk from your local store. I haven’t tested this with coconut milk, so I can’t say if that would work.
Looks yummy! Is arrowroot powder the same thing as arrowroot flour? Thanks!
Yes, they are the same thing.
Looks great! What are some milk substitutes for people who are avoiding dairy?
I only test my recipes with the ingredients listed, and don’t currently have a dairy-free queso recipe.
Holy cow, this was good! I like a lot of spice so I doubled the seasoning and added a 7 ounce can of green chiles and a small can of sliced olives.
So funny story… I made it without the ground beef and then discovered that I really wanted meat in it, so I went to the freezer only to discover that I used my last pound of ground beef yesterday! Not to be deterred, I pulled out the food grinder attachment for my KitchenAid and made my own using the petite sirloin roast I had in my fridge. The extra work was definitely worth it!
Tell Abby thank you for a fantastic recipe 🙂
I’ll let her know! 🙂
Could I add 8 ounces of organic cream cheese in place of some of the milk?
I don’t test my recipes with substitutions so I don’t know what would lend the exact same flavor and texture.
Going to try this for Christmas Eve. What are your garnishes on top in the picture? Cilantro & tomatoes?
Yes, cilantro and tomatoes.
Carrie, this was great! I used sausage instead of beef and threw in a can of chopped green chilies but otherwise followed the recipe exactly and it was amazing! I’ve lived in the UK for 5 years now and haven’t had good queso until now! And I didn’t even need special cheese. Thank you so much!
You’re welcome! So glad you enjoyed it!
can’t wait to try it!! Ricardo and I have been wanting to find good queso recipe with real cheese!
Can you give nutritional information please. Thanks
I don’t include nutritional facts on my site, but you’re welcome to enter the recipe into a nutrition software to give the values.
What is a good alternative to arrowroot? Can I use cornstarch?
I haven’t tested this recipe with substitutions, so I can’t say for sure what will work best in this recipe.
When you say serves 6 what is the actual serving size per calorie ratio
Thanks