The Unexpected Nut That Will Elevate Your Store-Bought Queso

Store-bought queso is a brilliant invention. It gives instant cheesy richness with only the twist of a lid, mitigating all risks of melting your nacho cheese wrong when making it from scratch. Though commercial nacho cheese can be satisfying on its own, we're always looking for ways to zhuzh it up. In the quest for the perfect blend of complementary flavors, the walnut shouldn't be overlooked as an ingredient that takes jarred queso from wonderful to incredible.

Cheese and nuts aren't a new phenomenon. If you've ever popped a piece of each into your mouth from a charcuterie board or had a cream cheese pecan spread, you know there's deliciousness waiting for you when cheese's buttery richness meets the salty, fatty savory flavor of nuts.

In the same vein, walnuts utterly transform the flavor and texture of store-bought queso. They possess an earthy and slightly bitter taste that contrasts beautifully with the richness of the cheese, providing a more balanced and nuanced flavor than the queso alone would provide. The textural contrast matters, too, with the crunch of the walnuts offering a welcome counterpoint to the smoothness of the queso. Best of all, putting walnuts to work with your queso takes nearly no time at all.

Part of the beauty of store-bought queso with walnuts lies in how customizable it is in terms of complexity. The simplest way is to just chop 'em up, drop 'em in, and mix it all up. This works whether you've heated the queso or are sticking with room temperature. Toasting the walnuts first is an optional step that adds only five to 10 minutes to your prep — well worth it for the elevated flavor and crunch it brings to the nuts.

Incorporating spices can further enhance this versatile dip. Along with walnuts, try using paprika to upgrade store-bought queso – bonus points if you go for smoked paprika — or a little chili powder and ground cumin. Literal spice is also possible: Chopping up some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and stirring them into your walnut queso provides an extra smoky bite with an exciting kick.

If you have time for a little extra work, you might consider adding bacon to your store-bought queso or making a walnut pesto to swirl into your dip for a more herby, Mediterranean twist. Pine nuts are typically the go-to for pesto, but walnuts — while perhaps providing a slightly coarser texture — can offer a bolder, more complex flavor in addition to saving you a little money. So, whether you venture into the realm of pesto or not, embrace the versatility of walnuts and transform that humble jar of queso into a culinary masterpiece.