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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!

The Best Jalapeno Queso | halfbakedharvest.com #Mexican #cheese #cincodemayo

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!

The Best Jalapeno Queso | halfbakedharvest.com #Mexican #cheese #cincodemayo

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!

The Best Jalapeno Queso | halfbakedharvest.com #Mexican #cheese #cincodemayo

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.

The Best Jalapeno Queso | halfbakedharvest.com #Mexican #cheese #cincodemayo

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.

The Best Jalapeno Queso | halfbakedharvest.com #Mexican #cheese #cincodemayo

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

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
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

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.
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The Best Jalapeno Queso | halfbakedharvest.com #Mexican #cheese #cincodemayo

 

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Comments

  1. 3 stars
    I’m sorry to say this didn’t turn out for me. The consistency was “gummy”. Next time I will add more milk to thin it out, and maybe add some chorizo for an extra kick!

    1. Hey Mary,
      Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! So sorry to hear it was gummy for you! Let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xT

  2. 5 stars
    I normally only serve as sous chef for my wife but she doesn’t like queso, so I had to do this one myself. It turned out really well. My wife doesn’t typically like queso and still thought this tasted great. I’m going to start with more milk in the initial sauce next time to thin it out a bit per my own personal preference.

    1. Hey Daniel,
      Happy Sunday!!🏈 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx

  3. 5 stars
    I bought all the ingredients for this before reading the reviews and when I did I got a little nervous. Needless to say, it turned out great! I used heavy cream instead of milk because that’s what we had and thinned it a little with oatmilk halfway through cooking. I also transfered it to a pre-warmed crockpot after cooking. I made this along with the Mexican street corn dip and they were both a hit at our Mexican themed Thanksgiving. Thanks!

    1. Hey Michaela,
      Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for giving it a try! Have a great weekend:)

  4. 3 stars
    I expected this to have way more flavor than it did. The narration mentions lime, but, there isn’t any in the recipe. Maybe that’s what it’s missing?

    1. Hey Kyra,
      Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! You could totally add lime if you wanted! xx

  5. 1 star
    Dang, I made this despite the concerning reviews and mine also came out grainy. Could it be the cream cheese? I’ve made successful queso before but never used cream cheese. Or did I maybe have it on the heat too long? Either way disappointing when you waste $10 in ingredients.

    1. Hi Kelly,
      So sorry to hear this. It is really important that your ingredients are room temp when using and you allow the queso to get super hot. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

  6. Any suggestions for converting this to a crock pot recipe? Or maybe I could cook on the stove and keep warm in the crock pot? Planning for the Super Bowl!

    1. Hey Natalie,
      I think if you follow the recipe as is and then transfer to the crockpot and keep on warm that will definitely work well for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT

  7. 1 star
    Mine totally clumped together too and turned the consistency of pulled taffy ?‍♀️?‍♀️ couldn’t really eat it… It almost seems like I should have stopped adding cheese at about 6 oz. Instead of 12oz. Could that be the issue, too much cheese?

      1. I made this recipe last night and had the same results as the other comments… got lumpy and real weird. Tasted great but it was not smooth. Maybe there is a secret I dont know about cooking with cheese!

  8. 1 star
    I made this today with blocks of cheese I grated, I cooked it over low the entire time, and it is so clumpy and separated it is almost inedible. I tried it, and the flavor is nice but the texture is like a gooey paste with milk on top. I love the rest of the recipes I’ve had from this blog but unfortunately this was a total miss for me and my husband. I had planned on serving it for friends, but unfortunately I do not think I will anymore. I don’t want to waste food and toss it but I don’t see how this could reheat at all!

  9. 3 stars
    The flavor of this was great. The consistency was a bit grainy and lumpy. Perhaps I cooked it too high? Overall a bit too thick for my taste but will definitely use the flavor combo of the adobo peppers and jalapeño again.

    1. Hey Kelly,
      Thanks for giving the recipe a try, so sorry it was not enjoyed. Was there anything you adjusted? Please let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan

    1. Hey there,
      I actually made those chips, I cut corn tortillas and fried them in oil, and added some flaky sea salt. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

  10. I recently moved to Europe from the US and sadly Monterey Jack cheese is nowhere to be found. Do you have any recommendations for a substitute?

    1. Hey Megan,
      You could use a combo of cheeses, really anything you like will work here! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan

    1. Hey Maggie,
      So sorry I have not tested this recipe with any dairy free substitutes, you could certainly give it a try! Let me know how it turns out! xTieghan

    1. Hey Taylor,
      Sure, that would work well. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan

  11. 4 stars
    Made this last night to accompany taco night. We didn’t have whole milk so subbed skim milk. It came out a little thicker than I would have liked. The flavor was great though, the chipotle peppers add a nice kick.