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–+ servings
Chili Con Queso Recipe

Chile Con Queso Recipe

Steven Pennington
Popular Tex-Mex restaurant appetizer that will wow your guests
5 from 3 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Total Time 15 mins
Course Appetizer
Cuisine Tex-Mex
Servings 12 people
Calories 201 kcal

Suggested Equipment

Instant Pot
Chef Knife
Can Opener
Vegetable Peeler

Ingredients
  

Base / Roux

  • 4 tablespoon Butter
  • ½ large Texas Sweet Onion / use any onion you can find at your grocery store
  • 2 tablespoon Minced Garlic
  • 3 tablespoon All-Purpose Flour
  • 4 cups Whole Milk / have more milk on standby. You may need to fix the thickness
  • ½ Jalapeno / add as much as you enjoy

Cheeses

  • 1 cup Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese Grated
  • 8 ounces Cream Cheese / room temperature is best
  • 16 ounces Mexican Blend of Cheese / 1 bag

Spices & Herbs & Peppers

  • 5 tablespoon Canned Green Chiles
  • 4 tablespoon Canned Pimentos
  • 1 tablespoon Smokey Chili Powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoon Cumin Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
  • 2 teaspoon Granulated Garlic
  • 1 T Kocher Salt / you be the judge, add more if desired

Main Special Ingredient

  • 4 teaspoon Adobo Sauce / canned chipotles - use the adobo sauce and add the smoked chipotles for extra heat/spiciness

Instructions
 

Making The Base / Roux

  • Set the Instant Pot to "Saute" on (High)/(More) temperature setting
  • Using a hand grater, grate half of one large onion right over the top of the Instant Pot. Add in 4 tablespoons of butter.
  • While the butter is still melting, add in the 2 tablespoons of minced garlic and cook off the raw.
    Next, add in the minced jalapeno. You can use the hand grater. Add around ½ of the jalapeno pepper.
  • Next, add in the 8 oz of room temperature cream cheese and completely melt
  • Then sprinkle 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour into the Instant Pot or stovetop pot.
    Cook off the flour while stirring.
  • Have the whole milk measured out and be ready to start pouring once the roux begins to tighten up.
    I suggest measuring out 2 cups and measure out a second with an additional 2 cups.
    Add in the first 2 cups of milk slowly and keep stirring the entire time. Room temperature milk combines better, smoother texture.
  • Next, comes the cheeses. Add the bag of mixed Mexican cheese first then follow with the sharp cheddar. Add as much of the extra sharp cheddar as you like.
    You can thin out the queso with more milk if too thick.
  • Next, add the 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 ½ teaspoons cumin, 1 teaspoon of oregano, 1 tablespoon of salt. #stir
    Tastes, season and adjust. Does it need more salt?
    If you're not sure, you can take a small amount into a side bowl and add salt and taste test.
  • Finishing: Add the green chiles, pimentos & adobo sauce last
    (You can add more of each ingredient to your liking. Adding more adobo sauce will make the queso a darker color and will have a more overall smokey flavor.) Very nice addition...
    (When shopping for the green chiles, they come in different heat levels. I used mild.
    For an extra kick of spice, add in ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

Ingredient Ideas

  • Dried Guajillo Pepper
    - Pan roast the peppers first. Then microwave for 4 minutes until soft. Either chop or add to a food processor to combine well. Then mix into your queso.
  • Serrano Peppers
  • Roasted Poblano Peppers

Garnish

  • For presentation, chile con queso will have something placed in the middle of the serving bowl.
    Options:
    -Pico de Gallo Salsa (tomato, onion, cilantro, lime juice, a pinch of cumin, and salt.
    - Plate with a small amount of the adobo sauce in the middle
    - Add some cooked ground beef seasoned with taco seasonings right in the middle of the bowl, then top with pico de Gallo salsa

Video

Notes

  • Commercial cheese at the store only has to be 51% real cheese to be sold as "Cheese".
  • What is a (roux)?
  • The milk is your insurance to controlling the thickness. Have extra milk ready to pour if needed. Around 4 cups will do the job.
  • As the Texas Queso sits around, it will thicken. The fix is to make the queso a little bit thinner in the first place to give it room to tighten up.

Nutrition

Calories: 201kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 6gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 314mgPotassium: 168mgFiber: 1.4gSugar: 5.2gVitamin A: 618IUVitamin C: 3.2mgCalcium: 187mgIron: 1.7mg
Keyword Chile Con Queso, Queso Dip, Real Texas Queso Recipe
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