Next Post
Cream Cheese Swirled Coconut Tres Leches Cake.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
This Jalapeño Queso is silky smooth, better than anything you could order from a restaurant. Serve with salsa, a simple guacamole, and plenty of salty tortilla chips for the perfect homemade Mexican appetizer. It truly is the BEST!
I have debated for at least an hour now about whether or not I should be sharing this recipe today. It’s not that this queso is not delicious, because trust me, it is DELICIOUS. It’s just that I have been talking all things Mexican food for the entire week, and for a second I felt like it was a bit too much. I went back and forth on this issue for waaay to long, but then I decided that Cinco de Mayo is just over a week away, and that we actually need to be talking all things Mexican, and all week long.
It’s the right thing to do.
So long story short, I’m declaring it Mexican week here on HBH. Because, I just love Mexican food. Have I gotten you excited yet? Today we’ve got this jalapeño queso, and tomorrow I’ll be sharing something on the sweeter side. Olé!
Also, I’d love to go to Mexico right now. It’s still snowing here and I am dreaming of one hundred degree temperatures, blue waters, and tropical fruit. Take me there, please!?
Double also, should I share my Cinco de Mayo menu with you guys? Would that be helpful? Maybe a post with tips and tricks for creating the perfect Cinco de Mayo fiesta next week? Let me know what you think!
OK. And moving right along…
When my family and I traveled to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico this past summer, we were served queso, guacamole, and chips every single night before dinner. The queso was the very first thing to disappear every night, because it was truly the best thing we’d all ever tasted. The Mexican women who were cooking for us gave me a few of their tips and tricks before I left, and I knew I would have to at least attempt to remake their queso when I got home.
Just like Italians, it seems that a lot of Mexican men and women don’t write their recipes down, so I had to do a lot of testing with this recipe. It sure took me a while to get the recipe just right, but I can confidently say it tastes just as delicious as Gloria’s, and the texture is spot on too.
A couple of facts first. Homemade queso is life changing. Yes, life changing. And it’s also surprisingly easy to prepare. If you’ve only ordered queso when eating out, it’s now time to change that.
Here is what you need: some onion, garlic, spices, lots of jalapeño, a little chipotle, and plenty fo cheese. A lot pantry staples (for me at least) and basically all the Mexican food basics. Oh, and some lime too.
The secret to my queso…what makes it silky smooth, addictingly good, and well, the BEST? A little cream cheese.
I know, that may seem weird and totally not traditional, but just trust me on this one. The cream cheese acts as a binder of sorts, it holds all the other cheeses together and makes for an extra creamy and smooth queso, that’s not greasy. Greasy queso is no bueno in my book.
For easy entertaining, I like to make my queso in a cast iron skillet so that I can serve it right out of the skillet. It makes life so much easier and keeps the queso warm too. That said, you can also transfer the queso to a bowl like I did in these photos, but if I’m being honest, I much prefer serving this out of a skillet. I was just having a hard time photographing a pile of cheese in a skillet.
It’s a little tricky, if you didn’t know…
I like to top my queso with salsa and guacamole. Normally, I’ll use either a spicy red salsa or a fruity salsa like mango or pineapple. Either option is amazing, but I’m loving mangos with avocado right now, so I went with a mango salsa. I also used my super simple guacamole, which consist of avocado, lime, jalapeño, and flaky sea salt. It’s so good and perfect atop this extra cheesy queso, along with a side of homemade tortilla chips.
YUM.
If there’s one dish you make this weekend, next week, or for Cinco de Mayo on May 5th, it NEEDS to be this queso, and I think the reasons why are pretty obvious. Hello to melty cheese, guacamole, and a side of chips. Add Mexican beer or a margarita, and life is good.
If you make this queso and love it, please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love, love, love hearing from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every one of you. Oh, and of course, if you do make this queso, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram so I can see!
Enjoy!
The Best Jalapeño Queso
Servings: 8 servings
Calories Per Serving: 571 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 jalapeños, seeded and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 12 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 12 ounces Monterey jack cheese, shredded
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, finely minced
- mango salsa, red salsa, avocado, and chips for serving
Instructions
- 1. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, jalapeños, garlic, cumin, and a pinch of salt. Cook until the onion is fragrant, about 5-10 minutes. Add the cream cheese and milk. Cook over medium heat until the sauce is smooth and the cream cheese has melted. 2. In a bowl, toss together the shredded cheese with the flour. Little by little, add the cheese to the warm milk, whisking until the sauce is smooth. Stir in the chipotle peppers. 3. Serve the queso warm topped with salsa and avocado. Use chips for scooping. EAT.
Do you rinse the adobo off the chipotles or add it into the cheese?
Hi!! No you should leave the adobo on the chilies, do not rinse. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Absolutely horrific. WAY too much prep and zero flavor. Stick to Velveeta and Rotel. This was so thick and gross.
I am sorry to hear that! xTieghan
What size cast iron skillet do you use to make it in?
Hi Rosalie! I make it in a 12 inch size! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Kay. SO EASY and out of this world delicious. I cant even. So good, thank you for this recipe.
Thank you for trying this Kristen! xTieghan
I was craving queso dip so I made this recipe with some alterations based on my tastes and what I had on hand. I didn’t have jalapeños, so I used a can of chopped green chilies (medium heat), I didn’t have Monterey Jack, so I subbed mozzarella, and I didn’t have a can of chipotles on hand, but I did have powdered.
Before serving I tasted the dip and it was a little bland and not at all spicy for my tastes, so I added more chipotle powder, onion and garlic powder, a little more salt, a bit of smoked paprika, a few generous dashes of hot sauce, and a pinch of cayenne. After the additions it was perfect!
Overall this is a good base recipe that’s easy to modify and I’ll definitely be coming back to it!
Hi Kayla! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
Tried this today. Great flavor but came out super thick …and I added extra milk too. May be it should be that way. Very nice combination of cheeses and peppers , tastes great!
I am so glad this turned out so well for you Dina! Thank you! Please let me know if you have any questions! xTieghan
I just made this and the cheese just kind of stuck together and stayed gummy – not saucy.. where’d I go wrong??? Otherwise was great!!
Hey Brenna, I am sorry you had trouble. Was there anything you did differently at all? What brand/variety of cheese did you use? How high was the heat while you cooked this? Is it possible the cheese burned at all? Any info will be helpful to help me problem solve and figure out what might be happening for you. It’s hard to know without knowing any details. Hope I can help you! xTieghan
The best queso I’ve ever made.
My kids rated 5 stars above the favorite at a local Mexican Restaurant.
Awesome!
Thank you Elizabeth! xTieghan
Tieghan,
Making this today – what were your cheeses of preference that you used? any extra pro tips here? Thanks!
Hi Catherine! I like to use a sharp cheddar and a creamy Monterey jack cheese, but you can use a variety of “melting” cheeses you really love. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe and happy 4th of July! Thank you! xTieghan
Cant wait to make this! Was just curious if you make your own tortilla chips. Is it as simple as frying tortillas?
Hi there! Yes, You just fry corn tortillas in oil and then sprinkle with a flaky sea salt. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
If I wanted to make in advance would it make sense to prepare the recipe up until the part where you add cheese and then continue from there when ready to serve??
Hi there! Yes, that is what I would recommend! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Add some chopped sausage( cooked) awesome!
This looks fabulous. Weird question, but, here goes! Is this something that can be made ahead and rewarmed? Asking for a family reunion coming up. Thank you!!!
HI! Queso is a hard thing to rewarm as it can get stringy. It’s still good, but the texture is a bit off. So up to yoU! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Can I substitute mozzarella for the Monterrey jack cheese?
HI! Yes, mozzarella will work but will just great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Made this last night and would not add any flour at all. It was pasty tasting because of the flour other than that it was good.
Thank you so much Tracye!