A bowl of hatch chile con queso being served with tortilla chips and margaritas.

Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Drew Aichele

Our favorite homemade queso is made entirely from scratch. It calls for real cheese (sorry, Velveeta lovers), but you can skip the fancy cheese counter. You’ll achieve the smooth texture you're looking for using a slate of super-melty cheeses from the grocery store’s dairy aisle—avoid pre-shredded cheese, which can turn gritty when melted. For the best queso, we like a 2:1 ratio of freshly grated cheddar to Monterey Jack, but you can swap in pepper Jack cheese for more heat or add some cream cheese for extra richness. A simple flour roux thickens this cheesy dip better than cornstarch and has the benefit of keeping the queso’s texture creamy when reheated (if there’s any left).

We prefer Hatch chiles (fresh, frozen, or canned) for our queso dip recipe. The New Mexican chiles “are peppery and citrusy,” writes Epicurious contributor Gabriella Vigoreaux, “with a smoky aftertaste.” The fresh ones have a short window of availability, though. If you can’t find any Hatch chiles, poblano or Anaheim peppers will do the trick; both are milder than Hatch chiles, and poblano peppers will give the queso a smokier note, whereas Anaheim peppers swing sweeter.

Garnish the Tex-Mex cheese dip with diced tomatoes, pickled jalapeños, or fresh cilantro, and serve the burbling cauldron with tortilla chips (for extra credit, flash them in the oven so they’re warm and extra-crispy) and margaritas. This easy queso is one of our favorite Super Bowl appetizers—but you can turn it into the main event, too. Make the ultimate nachos by drizzling it over tortilla chips, or use it as a sauce for black bean enchiladas or tacos.

Recipe information

Total Time
25 minutes
Yield
Makes about 5 cups

Ingredients

5 large fresh or 1 cup frozen, thawed or canned chopped mild green chiles (such as Hatch, Anaheim, or poblano)

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter

2 Tbsp. grated onion

3 garlic cloves finely grated using a microplane

½ tsp. kosher salt

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

½ tsp. ground cumin

1½ to 2 cups whole milk

4 cups grated Cheddar

2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese

2 plum tomatoes, seeded, diced, drained

Roughly chopped cilantro (for serving)

White-corn tortilla chips (for serving)

Preparation

Step 1
If using fresh chiles, place on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil until blistered, 5 to 7 minutes per side. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let steam for 5 minutes. Remove skins, stems, and seeds. Chop chiles, drain on paper towels, and set aside.
If using frozen or canned chiles, drain and squeeze dry. Set aside.
Step 2
In a medium pot over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, garlic, and salt and cook, stirring, until lightly browned and liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes more. Whisk the flour and cumin into the butter mixture and cook until lightly browned, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Step 3
Raise the heat to medium and slowly whisk in the milk. Whisk constantly until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.
Step 4
Lower the heat to medium-low and add the cheeses, ¼ cup at a time. Stir until cheese has melted completely before adding more cheese.
Step 5
Fold tomatoes and chiles into the melted cheese. Taste and adjust seasoning. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve immediately with chips alongside.
Do Ahead: Prepare queso the morning of game day, then reheat on the stovetop over medium heat (or keep it warm in the slow cooker).

Editor's Note: This recipe was first published in December 2014. Head this way for more of our favorite Super Bowl recipes →