Sweet Baby Ray's Brings A Twist To This Cheesy Dip

Queso on its own is a perfect, moreish, cheesy dip. It'll steal the show whether you're making it for a party, a small get-together, or even just for yourself. But did you know you can bring new life to your favorite queso recipe with just one ingredient? Sweet Baby Ray's sauce is the perfect add-in to queso, and it's a cinch to do. First, just make your favorite queso recipe or buy a jar from your local grocery store—and you can upgrade a jar of store-bought queso with one particular seasoning (paprika, for the curious) to make it even better. Next, grab a bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's sauce and add 1 to 3 tablespoons into your queso dip, depending on flavor preference. Mix it up, drizzle a little more Sweet Baby Ray's on top, and serve.

The sweet secret behind Sweet Baby Ray's iconic BBQ sauce is the high fructose corn syrup and molasses, which give it a rich, honey-like taste, and that's what gives your cheesy dip a whole new level of flavor in turn. Salty-sweet flavor pairings are super popular; just think about charcuterie boards where honey and cheese pairings are all the rage or the classic act of dipping your favorite fast food fries into a thick, sweet milkshake. This applies to queso, too. The salty punch of the cheese goes well with the tangy sweetness of a good BBQ sauce, and it'll only take one taste to believe us.

The great thing is that you can tailor your cheesy dip to your specific taste preferences with no effort at all. One of the best ways is simply by trying different Sweet Baby Ray's sauces to mix into your queso. Personally, we loved the Honey Chipotle Barbecue Sauce for the smoky flavors of the chipotle and the extra sweetness of the honey. The Original BBQ Sauce is always a good bet, too, thanks to its well-balanced flavor profile that hits all the salty, sweet, tangy notes of a good BBQ sauce. You can't go wrong with a classic, after all.

For more variations, you can look into other add-ins. Your queso is good, but tequila makes it better, so add a few dashes in to see what difference it makes. You can also beef up your queso and make it even more filling by adding meats like chorizo, ground beef, or even steak cut into bite-sized pieces. Fresh veggies like corn, roasted bell peppers, or poblano peppers bring a vegetal sweetness to the mix and make every bite taste like a meal in and of itself. Don't be afraid to do a little experimenting to find your perfect queso pairings for that match-made-in-heaven bite.