What is Queso Fundido?
Queso (meaning ‘melted cheese) is a rich, thick melted cheese commonly used as an appetizer.
Queso Fundido adds spicy cooked chorizo. It’s a popular restaurant appetizer or party recipe.
Every recipe is slightly different, some including onions and peppers. Some are smooth in texture, others chunky.
This recipe is made of easy to find ingredients for a flavor-packed smoky, spicy cheesy appetizer recipe you’ll love!
Ingredients
- Mexican Chorizo
- Unsalted Butter
- Yellow Onion
- Garlic Clove
- All Purpose Flour (regular or gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend)
- canned Diced Tomatoes
- Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
- Cream Cheese
- Cumin
- 3 Cheeses: Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Monterey Jack Cheese, Colby Cheese
- Hot Sauce
- Kosher Salt
Ingredient Notes
What Type of Chorizo to Use?
Chorizo comes in two varieties, Mexican and Spanish. Use Mexican chorizo for this recipe.
Mexican chorizo is seasoned with vinegar and chile powder rather than garlic. It is in a loose form, like ground meat.
Spanish chorizo is a hard aged sausage and not to be used in this recipe.
Cream cheese
Use full fat cream cheese in this recipe. It’s much richer and creamier.
What Cheeses Are In Queso Fundido?
Traditionally queso fundido is made with Mexican cheese like Menonita, Manchego and Chihuahua.
These cheeses can be hard to find outside Mexico.
I’ve substituted cheddar, jack and Colby for delicious flavor and texture.
You won’t have to make a trip across the border to make this wonderful party food.
PRO TIP: Grate the Cheese Yourself
Grate your own cheese. Block cheese has a much better flavor and melts more smoothly than pre-shredded cheese.
Store-bought pre-shredded cheese has ingredients added to it to stop it clumping. This will affect how it melts.
Why Make it on the Stovetop
Cheese can be tricky to cook with. Cooking the Queso Fundido on the stove top ensures all the cheese melts evenly blending into a thick rich mixture.
Some recipes call to cook this type of queso in the oven.
When cooking this dish in the oven, the cheese on the bottom often doesn’t melt at the same speed at the cheese on the top.
The oil from the cheese can also separate in the oven cooking process leaving a less thick and creamy queso.
How to Make Queso Fundido – Step-by-Step
STEP 1: Cook the chorizo in a skillet over medium-high heat until it is fully cooked (5-10 minutes). Break into smaller pieces with a spatula while cooking. Spoon onto paper towels to drain any excess fat.
STEP 2: In a separate medium saucepan, melt the butter. Add the onions and garlic; sauté until the onions are translucent (4-5 minutes).
STEP 3: Sprinkle with the flour, toss to coat. Saute until the mixture turns golden in color.
STEP 4: Stir in the tomatoes, chipotle, adobo sauce and cream cheese. Stir constantly until the cream cheese melts.
STEP 5: Stir in the cumin and shredded cheeses. Stir until it melts and bring it to simmer.
STEP 6: Use an immersion blender to blend the dip to your preferred consistency (or leave it chunky). Stir in the cooked chorizo.
STEP 7: Add hot sauce or salt if preferred. Serve immediately. in a chaffing dish, small dip crockpot or fondue dish.
Top with pickled jalapeno slices when serving for an extra spicy kick!
PRO TIP: Keep it Warm when Serving
Keep the dip warm when you serve it.
To keep the dip smooth and melted serving it in a warming container is key. Try one of these ideas?
Can you make it ahead of time?
This dip is best served as soon as it is made.
To get ahead of things, you can cook the chorizo 24-hours before and keep it covered in the refrigerator.
Allow to it to warm up or pop it in the microwave for a few seconds before adding it to the dip recipe.
How to Eat Queso Fundido
The consistency is like a thick cheese fondue. It’s perfect for dipping into or spooning onto something like a flour or corn tortilla!
Here are some serving ideas:
Tortilla Chips – perfect for a party and more traditional chip-and-dip serving. Mix up a colorful combination of different colors!
Tortillas (flour or corn) – either to dip in or to spoon the queso on for a soft taco style
Breadsticks – an easy combination when serving to a group at a party
French baguette slices – not traditional but delicious!
Vegetables – sliced vegetables can also be dipped
Reheating Leftovers
If you do have leftovers, you can reheat the queso fundido in the microwave in thirty second increments, stirring it in between.
Make it a Meal – more Mexican Recipe favorites
- Slow Cooker Carnitas Recipe + Carnitas Tacos
- Tacos Al Pastor in the Slow Cooker
- Chicken Enchilada Skillet
- Grilled Mexican Corn recipe
- Easy Mexican Chicken Casserole
- Mexican Chicken and Rice Skillet
- Huevos Rancheros Recipe
Serve it with a Cocktail!
- Honeydew Melon Margaritas (shown in the photos)
- Fresh Paloma Cocktail
- Bloody Maria Shots
- Watermelon Margaritas + Watermelon-Infused Tequila
- Discovering Santa Fe’s ‘Margarita Trail’ (with recipes)
- 12 Margarita Recipes
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Queso Fundido
Ingredients
- 4 ounces ground Mexican Chorizo
- 6 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 1 large Yellow Onion , peeled and chopped
- 1 large Garlic Clove , peeled and diced
- 6 tablespoons All Purpose Flour (regular or gluten-free measure-for-measure flour blend)
- 2 15-ounce cans Diced Tomatoes , drained
- 2 Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce slit vertically and seeds scraped out
- 1 tablespoon Adobo Sauce (from the can of chipotle peppers)
- 4 ounces Cream Cheese
- 1 teaspoon ground Cumin
- 1 cup finely grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 1 cup finely grated Monterey Jack Cheese
- 1 cup finely grated Colby Cheese
- Hot Sauce
- Kosher Salt
Instructions
- In a skillet over medium heat, cook the chorizo, stirring often until it is fully cooked (5-10 minutes). Remove the chorizo from the pan and allow it to drain on two paper towels with an additional paper towel on top.
- In a large, heavy saucepan melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until onions become translucent (4 minutes).
- Sprinkle with the flour, stir to fully combine, and cook over medium heat until it begins to turn golden (3 minutes).
- Add the tomatoes, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce and cream cheese. Stir constantly to combine and melt the cream cheese.
- Add the cumin and three types of grated cheese; stir until the cheese had melted. Allow the mixture to begin to simmer.
- Lower the heat and using an immersion blender, blend the dip to be semi-chunky or smooth (your preference). Stir in the drained chorizo. Hot sauce or salt may be added to taste.
- Serve immediately. Dip best served in a small slow cooker or chafing dish to keep the dip warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published: April 8, 2016
Nancy says
We make your recipe every year and plan to make it again for the upcoming Super bowl!! My husband loves the spicy chorizo.
Katie Beck says
This should def be on everyone’s superbowl table! I love that you used chorizo in it – great idea!