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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!
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 dip 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 jalapeno pepper, a little chipotle, and plenty of cheese. A lot of 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 on the stovetop 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. Also perfect for topping your burritos and tacos with!
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
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.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Would tou double this for a party of 20?
Hi Nadine,
Yes, that will work nicely for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions!
Fabulous queso recipe. I’ve tried a few other queso recipes before and have never had any luck making it successfully until Tieghan’s queso recipe. I’ve made it twice now and it’s absolutely delicious! Really amazing and has easily worked out successfully both times. Definitely a winner! Thanks for a great queso.
Hey Robyn,
Happy Sunday! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, love to hear it was a hit!
Could you make this ahead of time and store in refrigerator for a few days?
Hey Joy,
Sure, that would be just fine for you to do! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
If it’s grainy you are probably using pre Shredded cheese from a bag…u have to use block cheese and shred that
I read the comments – and put my money on Tieghan and I am SO glad I did. Made this for fight night for a gang of men and it was the biggest hit. I did up the milk just a bit – I’d also say that making sure the milk and cream cheese mixture is VERY hot and adding the cheese in small amounts at a time are key. Be patient, you will be so glad you were.
Hey Marisa,
Happy Sunday! I’m so glad to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for trying it out! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! xT
This queso is amazing and the flavors are unmatched. I will say I doubled the amount of milk to 3 cups rather than 1 1/2 cups and it came out perfect. It was too thick with just the recommended amount. Other than that I followed everything else exactly and it’s delicious.
Hi Alli,
Happy Monday!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and your comment, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
No flavor at all. I guess there is a reason I don’t follow recipes…
Thanks so much for this feedback! Have a great day! xT
Is there a way to make this in the slow cooker instead?! Or wouldn’t work! Thank you!!!
Hi Sarah,
I would make this recipe on the stove top for best results. But if you wanted to transfer to the slow cooker to keep warm you could certainly do that! I hope this helps! xT
can we get a recipe for your homemade tortillia chips please?
▢ corn tortillas
▢ olive oil
▢ sea salt
Cut corn tortillas into triangles. Drizzle in olive oil & bake at 425 for 8-12 minutes 🙂
Loved this queso recipe! My daughter makes a simple queso almost every Sunday and to prevent grainy-ness, she has learned to take it off the heat before adding the shredded cheese. (My son stubbornly claims he likes it better that way because he refuses to listen to her directions!) I followed the recipe other than that (and I wasn’t paying attention and added the flour after the onion/garlic/jalapeños were soft because that’s how we usually make it) and it was super smooth and yummy!
So glad you enjoyed this queso recipe! xT
Same issue here as noted below. Followed the instructions but it turned out super grainy. Not creamy at all.
Hey Phillip! I’m so sorry that this queso didn’t turn out for you! Is there anything I can do to help?