Chile Con Queso Recipe | LaaLoosh (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between queso and chile con queso? ›

Chile con queso ( lit. 'chile with cheese'), sometimes simply called queso, is an appetizer or side dish of melted cheese and chili peppers, typically served in Tex-Mex restaurants as a dip for tortilla chips.

Place cheese, milk, and butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir until cheese is melted. Add green chilies, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper; stir until smooth. Thin with more milk if sauce is too thick.

Scanning the internet and the supermarket shelf, we realized that the cheese sauces are divided into two basic categories: Queso Dips, which include some amount of heat, spices, and other flavorings, and Cheese Dips, which are cheese and little else.

Rich and Comforting Flavor: The combination of melted cheese, often with added spices or chilies, creates a flavorful and comforting experience that many people enjoy.

Queso de Oaxaca

Queso Oaxaca is probably the most popular choice of cheese for melting. It has a stringy texture, not totally unlike mozzarella, and has a similar taste and texture.

I decided to start my chile con queso recipe quest by doing a bit of research on the history of chile con queso. In its yellow, molten state it's a truly Tex-Mex creation, but there is a proper Mexican counterpart also known as chile con queso that is made with white Mexican cheese.

To make the traditional Mexican restaurant style queso blanco, use white American cheese. It melts the best. You can also mix in a small amount of Mozzarella, pepper jack, or Monterey jack to enhance the flavor. Buy the block and then hand shred it for a spicy but smooth cheese dip.

Queso fresco

Spanish for “fresh cheese”, this cheese is white, soft and crumbly, resembling feta cheese. Traditionally, it's made of raw cow milk or a combination of goat milk and cow milk. It has both salty and non-salty varieties. Queso fresco is often used as a topping for guacamole, appetizers and beans.

The best cheese for queso:

When it comes to cheese, we found that two parts cheddar to one part Monterey Jack gives us the ultimate balance of sharpness and creaminess.

Queso fresco

This soft white cheese is a fresh cheese made with cow's milk, goat milk, or a combination of the two. It is sold in small rectangular pieces similar in size to adobo bricks, which is why it is also known as adobera. Queso fresco comes from Jalisco, in the western part of Mexico.

Which queso is for melting? ›

QUESO OAXACA

It's a type of white string cheese that is quite soft. It melts very easily, making it a popular choice for fillings – it's another queso variety that you'll often see in my recipes!

It's mostly cheese. Beyond that, there is usually tomato, onion, and jalapeños or chiles for some added heat. Add in evaporated milk and cornstarch for thickening, and viola! You've got queso.

Cheese that is bland or tasteless may have not expelled enough whey during the cooking process, causing the flavor to be diluted. You can try cutting the curds into smaller pieces next time, or stirring them a bit more to help them release more whey.

The Origin of Queso

Queso blanco, or white cheese, was originally made from goat's milk. However, over time, the recipe has evolved to include cow's milk. In order to make authentic queso, use Manchego cheese. Mexican Manchego Cheese is a golden-yellow, semi-firm cheese with a slightly nutty flavor.

If you melt the cheese any longer than is necessary, it can result in a rubbery consistency and negatively impact the flavor. Cheese sauces are phenomenal for a variety of purposes, including pouring over nachos, using as a dip for crackers and fresh veggies and as a topping on pasta or chicken.

And while chile con queso is usually only lightly garnished with pico de gallo or maybe taco meat, queso fundido often comes capped with mushrooms, chorizo, or grilled peppers. Notably, it's traditionally served with tortillas instead of tortilla chips.

This delicious dish consists of beef, chiles, onions, garlic, and cheese melted together to create a savory dip. Whether served as an appetizer for your next party or enjoyed with tortilla chips on the side, beef chile con queso is sure to be a hit!

Queso, the Tex-Mex cheese dip that has blown up in menus and headlines around the country, is short for “chile con queso,” which translates to “chile with cheese” in English. In other words, there's a lot more to queso than just cheese. (On the other hand, queso fresco is just a type of cheese.)