Grab a bag of chips and dig in. This Corn Queso dip is insanely cheesy, creamy & delicious. It will become your new favorite game-day cheese dip.

close up of corn queso dip with tortilla chips
Ooey, gooey and cheesy. This picture right here is speaking my love language: come to Mama.

I have always been a queso fan – itโ€™s my favorite part of game day. I never thought that queso could get much better or cheesier than myย favorite cheese dip.

This post is written in collaboration with Iowa Corn. Iโ€™m excited to partner with them and give you the inside story of Iowaโ€™s farmers and a behind-the-scenes look into their lives.

I’m not even kidding, friends, when I talk about how much I love this dip. When I had it for the first time at Iowa Distilling Company, I couldn’t stop eating it. I felt terrible because I ate so much of this appetizer that I ate like a bird for the rest of the meal.ย 

I went back to this cheesy corn dip over and over again. However, I was sure to praise the chef so sheโ€™d know how much I loved it and why I really didn’t eat much else. And Iโ€™m kicking myself for not asking her for the recipe. So, instead, I came home and made one close enough to satisfy my queso craving.

picture of iowa distilling sign at sunset
I love Iowa Distilling Company. I’ve been there 3 years now at sunset, and the view does not get old.

What I love about this dip, besides the fact itโ€™s loaded with cheese, is that it is simple to throw together & packed with flavor.

I love a bit of heat to my queso dips, so I added some diced jalapenos. This is something you can easily omit, though, if you don’t like your queso spicy.

Next game day, I will be trying this recipe in the slow cooker; I feel like it would be a bit creamier because when you stick the skillet in the oven to get the bubbly cheesy topping, you have to break through the cheesy crust to get to the creamy corn mixture.

My husband, who swears he doesn’t even like corn, devoured this dip.

The people from Iowa arenโ€™t just excellent at growing corn and making amazing queso dips, they are inspired, hardworking, salt-of-the-earth and proud Americans, striving to improve farming standards, clean energy and environmental footprints and practices.

If youโ€™ve been following A Dash of Sanity for a few years now, you know how much I love Iowa. Not just the corn and baby pigs – but the people. This year, I returned once again to Iowa Corn Quest, my favorite time of year where we talk all things corn – from ethanol fuel and nutrition to farming practices.

While I think every year I have learned everything I need to know and could easily become an industry expert, that really isn’t the case. Every year I go back, I learn more and realize that Iโ€™ve only begun to scratch the surface.

Here are a few takeaways from this year’s Iowa Corn Quest: Corn is more than just fuel for my body.

FACT:ย Did you know only 1% of the corn grown in the US is sweet corn? Sweet corn is what you buy in the store – your traditional corn on the cob. The rest of the corn, my friends, is field corn, which goes towards animal feed and ethanol fuel.ย  Another fun fact is corn is the primary U.S. feed grain; it accounts for more than 96% of the total grain produced and used in the U.S.

A lot of the time, when we think of corn, we think of food and not necessarily clean energy. But let’s go there.

photo of sandra and her friends at Iowa Corn farm
Lucky to call all of these ladies friends.

Why is ethanol made from corn?

Most of the ethanol fuel in the United States is produced from starch-based crops like corn. Almost 90% ofย ethanolย plants are dry mills due to lower capital costs. What is dry-milling? Dry-milling is the process that grinds starch-based drops like corn and ferments them into ethanol with other grains and carbon dioxide.

Currently, 60-70% of pollution is caused by mobile transportation. We need to think about our air and what is going into it.ย Ethanol fuel is better for the environment than gasoline because it reduces carbon monoxide emissions. As demonstrated at last yearโ€™s Iowa Corn Quest, the ethanol fuel burned much cleaner than gasoline. You may not know that most of the gasoline sold in the U.S. contains some ethanol. This varies depending on the type of fuel you purchase.

I learned this year that ethanol fuel is a huge topic not only in the U.S. but in many other countries. The price of corn plays into this as well. There is a lot of politics at play here. Something that we may not realize is that this affects not only our environment but our farmers as well.

Roughly 18% of our corn is exported to 80 different countries, although this varies 10 to 20% throughout the year.

Genetically Modified Corn

Every year I learn more about corn and GMOs. Being from Colorado, I hear a ton of buzzwords but I never really knew much until my visits to Iowa, which allowed me to meet with industry experts and talk to the farmers themselves.

picture of a ear of corn in a corn field that is ready to harvest

Why are GMOs used for farming?

The use of GMOs helps increase the yield of corn products. This is done because the genes are modified to help make the corn resistant to pests, which means fewer pesticides. In turn, this reduces the environmental footprints by allowing less spraying of the fields, resulting in less fuel being used for the tractors. Also, different GMO seeds are used depending on clients, the terrain of the fields, and the amount of moisture. Using GMO seeds gives the farmer more options to plant for their soil condition.

GMO corn is not only innovative but necessary. This allows farmers and people worldwide to grow and produce corn in many different conditions, providing food for many and allowing corn to be used for other materials besides ending up on our dinner table.

GMO corn has allowed farmers to better their systems and utilize many resources to produce more efficiently, affecting their bottom line and production.

Corn is beyond what we eat at dinner or movie theaters. Corn fuels our livestock, cars, homes, and the passion of the Iowa farmer.

So, while you may be enjoying corn as you eat this fantastic queso dip, realize there is much more to corn than meets the eye.

corn queso dip with chip
Skillet Queso is simple to make and even easier to devour.

How do you make Corn Queso Dip?

  • In a large skillet, add olive oil and heat over medium heat.
  • Add onions, bell peppers, jalapeno, and garlic together. Cook until onion is tender.
  • Add corn and heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Add salsa, cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, and heavy cream. Mix over medium heat.
  • Stir in cumin, smoked paprika, and salt until well combined.
  • Add Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese, and stir until the cheese is melted. Place the skillet in the oven on low broil and leave the queso until the cheese is browned on top.
skillet filled with corn, red bell peppers, onions and jalapenos

Corn Queso

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Servings: 12
Calories: 285.46 kcal
Grab a bag of chips and dig in. This Corn Queso dip is insanely cheesy, creamy & delicious. It will become your new favorite game day cheese dip.
ย 




Equipment

  • Mixing bowl
  • Skillet

Ingredients
 

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 yellow small onion finely chopped
  • 2 cups frozen yellow corn
  • 1 red bell pepper finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 2 cups salsa
  • 1/2 jalapeno finely diced
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 8 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 1/2 cups finely shredded Monterey Jack cheese I used a mixture of
  • 1 1/2 cups finely shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt add to taste

Instructions
 

  • In a large skillet, add olive oil and heat over medium heat.
  • Add onions, bell peppers, jalapeno and garlic together, cook until onion is tender.
  • Add corn and heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
  • Add in salsa. cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, and heavy cream. Mix together over medium heat.
  • Stir in cumin, smoked paprika, and salt until well combined.
  • Add Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese and stir until cheese is melted. Place the skillet in the oven on low broil and leave the queso in these until the cheese is browned on top.
Calories: 285.46kcalCarbohydrates: 7.56gProtein: 9.98gFat: 24.47gSaturated Fat: 13.57gCholesterol: 71.26mgSodium: 740.34mgPotassium: 252.77mgFiber: 1.01gSugar: 4.04gVitamin A: 1257.57IUVitamin C: 14.77mgCalcium: 275.43mgIron: 0.6mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know what you think!

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