Queso with Chorizo

It’s hard to find a good recipe to make queso at home, but it’s finally here! Creamy melty cheese is seasoned with cilantro, jalapeno, tomato and chorizo for an irresistible dip that feels like it’s from your favorite Mexican restaurant.

Cinco de Mayo is in a couple of week and like last year, we’ll be celebrating at home. When we were kid-less, we always enjoyed hanging with friends, usually some sort of party or larger celebration. But since Picky 1 and Picky 2 have been around, it’s become much tamer. Usually a Mexican restaurant where the kids get chicken fingers… but lately, they’ve been open to eating more.

One of the kids likes quesadillas but the big win is that both kiddos now like tacos – hard shell, make sure there are no veggies in the meat, just a sprinkle of cheese on top. Oh yeah, and they must have their dinosaur taco holders, compliments of my uncle. (The Amazon link below is pretty close to the set we have, but ours came with a T-Rex too.) I hate to admit it, but it’s that gift that turned the corner on them liking tacos. They’ll even eat a fajita every once and a while, sometimes even in the tortilla! 

There’s nothing better than going to a Mexican restaurant and getting that irresistible white queso. You know – the queso when, paired with chips and salsa, you can make a meal out of it? That one. This is pretty close to it, but with the addition of chorizo, because why not? After a couple of failures a few years ago (the cheese sort of seized up instead of becoming melty), I was really happy to find a queso recipe that turned out the same way it does in the restaurants – perfectly melty for dipping – every time. 

Queso with Chorizo Recipe Notes:

• I adapted this recipe from The Brewer and the Baker‘s Restaurant-Style Queso Blanco. I used Shawnda’s methodology but adjusted the amount and types of liquid (I found that using heavy cream made it taste a bit more bland), jalapeno, and tomato to bump up the flavor a bit. And I added chorizo because yum – but feel free to skip it in order to make the dip vegetarian. 
• This is a very mild queso. If you like more kick, add more jalapeno or swap the Monterrey jack cheese for pepper jack. 
• This recipe makes a pretty large quantity – easily enough for 12 people. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and reheated to serve later.

Looking for more Cinco de Mayo-inspired recipes?

Here are some of my favorite tried & true recipes:

• Breakfast: Breakfast Burritos (vegetarian), Chorizo Potato Hash
• Dinner: Beef Tacos, Chicken Enchiladas, Slow Cooker Beef Tacos with Salsa Verde, or Shrimp Taco Bowls
• Side Dishes: Cilantro Lime Rice, Mexican Street Corn Salad 
• Snacks: Restaurant Style Salsa, Roasted Tomato Salsa, or Homemade Guacamole
• Dessert: Sopapilla-Inspired Cheesecake Bars
• Drinks: Aperol Grapefruit Margarita, Fresh Cherry Margaritas, Key Lime Margaritas from my friend Ellen, or a pitcher of this Blackberry Tequila Cooler

And because that’s not enough, my several of my food blogger friends are sharing a great variety of Cinco de Mayo-inspired recipes today as well. There’s something for everyone. Which will you try first? 

• • Beef Tamales in the Pressure Cooker by That Recipe
  • Copycat Taco Bell Mexican Pizza by Making Miracles
  • Instant Pot Black Beans by Devour Dinner
  • Key Lime Margaritas by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
  • Mexican Chopped Salad by A Day in the Life on the Farm
  • Queso with Chorizo by Books n’ Cooks (below!)
  • Quinoa Burrito Bowl by Magical Ingredients
  • Tacos Dorados by Palatable Pastime
  • The Best Beef Enchiladas with Homemade Enchilada Sauce by Blogghetti

Print

Queso with Chorizo

Creamy melty cheese is seasoned with cilantro, jalapeno, tomato and chorizo for an irresistible queso dip that feels like it's from your favorite Mexican restaurant.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 12 servings

Calories 180 kcal

Author Liz

Ingredients

• 8 oz. (uncooked) chorizo sausage casings removed
• 1/4 c. chopped white onion
• 2 jalapeno peppers seeds removed, and minced
• 12 oz. white American cheese sliced or shredded
• 4 oz. Monterrey jack cheese shredded
• 1/2 c. half-and-half or milk more as needed
• 1 chopped Roma tomato
• 1/2 bunch cilantro finely chopped

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, sauté chorizo, breaking up into small pieces until cooked throughout. Use a slotted spoon to transfer chorizo to a bowl. Cover to keep warm and set aside.

2. Pour out grease from pan but do not wipe clean. Over medium heat, sauté onions and jalapenos until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add both cheeses and 1/2 c. of cream or milk. Stir frequently until cheese is almost melted. Add tomato and cilantro.

3. Continue stirring, adding additional cream or milk an ounce or two at a time until you've reached desired consistency.

4. Transfer queso into a serving bowl or slow cooker and top with chorizo. Serve hot.

Recipe Notes

• If you have the deli cut the American cheese thick, shred. I was lazy and got the cheese a standard sandwich cut, tossed it in the pot, and stirred frequently and it melted just fine. Monterrey jack cheese was in a block and shredded.
• Nutrition calculated using 1/2 c. half-and-half. Nutrition information may change based on milk used and quantity.