Chile con Queso
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The parade of Mexican-inspired food for Cinco de Mayo continues! I don’t know about you, but I find it nearly impossible to celebrate a holiday or throw a party without including at least one type of dip. Dip is where it’s at, right? There’s nothing better than plunging a chip into a creamy, cheesy bowl of deliciousness. The cheesier, the better, which is what makes queso so darn addicting. As you may have guessed from its name, it includes lots and lots of cheese. This is sometimes known simply as “queso” on some restaurant menus, but the concept is the same – a bowl of melted cheese along with chiles and tomatoes. While the shortcut method to chile con queso is usually a block of Velveeta and a can of Rotel, I’ve often times nuked cream cheese and salsa together. No doubt about it – this from-scratch chile con queso puts both of those to shame. It’s thick, creamy, smooth, and packed with flavor and a little a spice.
The dip starts with a quick saute of jalapeño and serrano peppers, onion, and garlic, and then moves on to a bechamel sauce base. The chile con queso gets finished off with milk, cilantro, tomatoes, and lots of cheese. I used a combination of cheddar and Monterey Jack, but the recipe is very forgiving, and as long as it’s a good melting cheese, it will be awesome in this recipe.
We were able to polish this off in two or three sittings, and had we not eaten dinner, I’m sure we could have finished it off much faster! I love all the cheese, the little bit of a spicy kick, and the flavor from the tomatoes and cilantro. It’s perfect and should definitely be on your short list of dip recipes. It’s a Cinco de Mayo necessity, for sure!
Two years ago: Pecan Sandies
Chile con Queso
Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup chopped yellow onion
2 serrano chiles, seeds and stems removed, diced
1 jalapeño pepper, seeds and stems removed, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
½ cup chopped cilantro
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained (about 1 cup)
12 ounces cheddar cheese, grated (about 3 cups)
12 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated (about 3 cups)
½ cup sour creamDirections:
1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion, serrano chiles, and jalapeño, and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
2. Whisk the flour into the pan and cook for about 30 seconds. Slowly pour the milk into the pan while whisking, and continue to cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce has thickens, about 3 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and tomatoes.
3. Reduce the heat to low, and add the grated cheeses a ¼ cup at a time, stirring after each addition, until it is completely melted. Repeat until all of the cheese has been added. Stir in the sour cream until completely combined. Serve immediately with tortilla chips. Leftovers (if you have any!) can be refrigerated for up to 5 days, and then reheated when you're ready to serve.
(Recipe adapted from The Homesick Texan Cookbook)
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I was totally just thinking how much I wanted to make Chile con Queso last night! I made a point to look up a recipe in the morning, and here you’ve posted what looks like a great one! What luck
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I want that dip, right now. Oh, that looks soooo good!
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I love the homesick Texan! And who doesn’t love queso? I must say, every single time I make a recipe off your site, it turns out perfectly. This will be no exception!
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I love cheese dips! And I am not a fan of velveeta at all so this homemade version looks so perfectly delicious!
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Perfect recipe post for this week, absolutely delicious!!
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This dip sounds and looks so good that I think I would need a big spoon along with the tortilla chips.
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I am not hugely into queso, but my wife would be a happy woman if I made this. Looks very creamy!
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yum! have you ever done your own tortilla chips? we are on this kick now, i wont buy them any more..just buy corn or flour tortilla and cut them in to triangles, fry in a tiny bit of peanut or corn oil and dust with sea salt…delish!~
would go great with the homemade dip!!!
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Michelle on May 2nd, 2012 at 10:19 am
Ooh, no, I haven’t done my own chips. Sounds yummy!
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charlotte on November 7th, 2012 at 10:04 pm
you could go a step further and make your own tortillas first…
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I love chili con queso dip, but I never made it from scratch. As a kid my Mom would make the traditional dish by mixing Velvetta and Salsa together. Yum! I may have to splurge and try your recipe out!!!
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I could eat buckets of this. Never mind that my body would hate me!
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Yum! This would pair so nicely with almost anything!! Love it!
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I have honestly never had queso, but I think I will have to add this to my Cinco de Mayo party menu, it looks so good!
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It’s like you read my mind. I have been wanting to make some homemade queso for quite some time, and now I can with your help! I might need a straw, though….it’ll just be easier to slurp it up.
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This looks perfect. I have been wanting to find a creamy queso that does not use Velveeta, and it looks like I have finally accomplished that mission. I cannot wait to make it.
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love queso dip!!
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Oh this looks good, and so comforting!!! I have to make this asap!
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My brother will be thrilled with this!
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Think this would hold up ok if I threw it in a mini crock pot and took it to a party?
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Michelle on May 2nd, 2012 at 10:19 am
Absolutely!
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looooove queso! I could eat it all the time
I also cannot possibly have a party without dip. It’s a must for a good time.
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This looks delicious!
I can’t wait to try it, thanks for sharing the recipe!
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This is my biggest weakness. Love it.
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Love Chili Con Queso!!! Looks yummy!
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Oh this looks so delicious!!
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This sounds so good, it would be incredibly dangerous to have at my house! We’re not having a Cinco de Mayo get together, but I think I need to find another excuse to have people over to make this, and soon
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Oh niiiceee! My partner would love this. He loves hot dips. Me on the other hand, I’m a wimp and can’t handle the heat, lol!
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Boy that looks so good. I wish I was making a Cinco de Mayo party. Son is going to one at school but I am already making Arroz con Pollo for it. I will hold on to this for the next party I go to. Thanks.
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Another one of your that I HAVE to make and gobble up!
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I’m sure this is a great queso recipe but I just tried to make it and it was a disaster. If you are going to make this, buy your own cheese and grate it yourself. If you buy already grated cheese, you’ll end up with a stringy, gloppy mess. I tried to add more milk and heat up the cheeses but it was unsalvageable.
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Michelle on May 8th, 2012 at 11:35 pm
Hi Tracy, I actually never use pre-shredded cheese for this very reason – it gets clumpy and nasty. I always buy a block and shred it myself. I’ve seen a lot of cooking magazines mention that it’s coated in a powder that keeps it from getting moldy, but that anti-caking agent actually keeps it from melting well.
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Linda on January 20th, 2013 at 5:34 pm
I just made it with pre-grated cheese and it turned out fantastic, my family loved it! (I didn’t read the comments until after I made it)! I usually make the Velveeta/Rotel version, but didn’t have those on hand… now I will make this version from now on, delicious!
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Emily on February 4th, 2013 at 12:20 am
We just didn’t like this recipe. We thought it was bland. Don’t think we’ll be making it again. Maybe we’re just picky.
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My kids love queso dip. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
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One question – did you mean 6 cups of cheese in total or did you actually mean 3 cups in total? 6 cups seems like a lot so I made this with 3 cups instead – still
turned out great!
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Michelle on October 30th, 2012 at 2:59 pm
Hi Alisha, The recipe is correct as written – 6 cups total. Glad you still enjoyed it!
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This recipe did not come out as planned. It was not creamy rather it was stringy. No one in my family like the flavor. Sorry
I would not make this recipe again.
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perhaps the recipe needs to be clarified? I also had a stringy mess (a whirl of the immersion blender worked well to smooth things out a bit, but it still wasn’t quite “right”)
I’d make the roux first, add the milk, then slowly add the cheese (a la macaroni and cheese, yes?) in a separate pan, cook all the veg, then add that mess to the smooth cheese sauce. the addition of the tomatoes and cilantro was when things went awry for me. thanks for sharing!
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Looked great in the recipe. However it had no flavor. Won’t be making this again. We even tried to doctor it with cumin, garlic powder, more jalapeños, jalapeño juice…nope.
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I was really dissapointed by this recipe. As with other comments, I also thought the recipe looked great. But it ended up very stringy, thick, and flavorless. I added a bit more sour cream and butter, hoping to thin it out. But I just ended up with a clumpy sticky mess. I think even if it had been the right consistency, it still would’ve tasted bad. I also tried adding some garlic powder, cumin, and cayenne pepper to try and give it flavor, but it just wasn’t working. I ended up speding $15 on ingredients, and I just threw the whole thing out because I couldn’t do anything to make it work. Maybe with a little adjustments on the recipe it could work, but I am at a loss for what to do to improve it. Overall, I would definitely not recommend this recipe. Sorry
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I have made a recipe like this and the writer of that one said the key was to new add more cheese until the cheese last added was fully melted and incorporated. It is worth taking your time with.
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just made this today, the cilantro should be to taste. to me and the other folks at a cookout 1/2 cup is a bit too much. i suggest adding it to your own taste otherwise people will ask if its spinach.
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I just made this tonight. I bought good quality Monterey jack and cheddar and shredded them by hand, and it melted beautifully. I followed instructions exactly (minus putting the garlic in with the peppers and onions) and it all blended together wonderfully. I did find it a bit bland and added a bit of salt and sriacha, but I think leaving in seeds from a pepper or two would kick it up if you like it spicier. Thanks for the great recipe!
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