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Tex-Mex

Chile con queso

Vegetarian

Melted cheese made smooth with evaporated milk and cornflour, studded with sautéed jalapeño, onion and tomato. A warm, molten Tex-Mex dip for tortilla chips.

Chile con queso is a Tex-Mex dip from United States, ready in about 25 minutes and made with cheddar and evaporated milk. It serves 8 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
10 min
Cook
15 min
Total
25 min
Serves
8
Level
Easy
Calories
240

Ingredients

8 servings (about 90 g)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Grate the cheese and toss it with the cornflour (opens in a new tab) until every strand is coated. Dice the onion (opens in a new tab), jalapeño (opens in a new tab) and tomato (opens in a new tab).

    Grating on a box grater
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Melt the butter (opens in a new tab) in a saucepan (opens in a new tab) over medium heat and sauté the onion (opens in a new tab) and jalapeño (opens in a new tab) for 4 minutes until soft. Add the tomato (opens in a new tab) and cumin (opens in a new tab) and cook 2–3 minutes until the tomato collapses.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Pour in the evaporated milk (opens in a new tab) and bring just to a simmer, so small bubbles appear at the edge.

    • 2 min
    • medium heat

  4. Step 4

    Lower the heat and add the cheese a handful at a time, stirring each until melted before adding the next, for 3–4 minutes until smooth, glossy and thick enough to coat a chip. Do not let it boil.

  5. Step 5

    Season with hot sauce (opens in a new tab) if you like, scatter with coriander and serve hot, ideally in a small slow cooker or fondue pot set on warm.

    • 1 min
    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Texas, United States · Commonly attributedA Tex-Mex staple, in Texas cookbooks by the early 1900s, inspired by northern Mexican chile con queso dishes. Restaurant versions usually rely on processed American cheese; the evaporated-milk method gives the same smoothness with cheddar.Also popular in MexicoMore food from United States
Dish
Snack · Dips & spreads
Cooking method
Simmered, Sautéed
Taste
creamy, rich, spicy (chilli heat), salty
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein
Without the optional extras: No added sugarWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Child-friendly
Cook more with
Cheddar · Evaporated milk · Cornstarch · Butter · Onion · Jalapeño
Techniques
Sautéing · Simmering · Slow-cooked gravy

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom cheddar, evaporated milk, butter

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

240 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 90 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 20%
  • Carbohydrate 12%
  • Fat 68%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy240 kcal267 kcal
Protein12.2 g13.6 g
Carbohydrate7.5 g8.4 g
Net carbohydrate7 g7.8 g
Sugars4.4 g4.9 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre0.5 g0.5 g
Fat18.2 g20.2 g
Saturated fat10.5 g11.6 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol55 mg62 mg
Sodium325 mg361 mg
Salt equivalent0.8 g0.9 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
197 mg
Calcium
391 mg
Iron
0.3 mg
Magnesium
23 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
187 µg
Vitamin C
8 mg
Vitamin D
0.9 µg
Vitamin B12
0.5 µg
Folate (DFE)
19 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: chilli sauce (sriracha-style), coriander leaves.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • If it thickens as it sits, stir in a splash of milk over low heat.

Common mistakes

  • Boiling the cheese, which makes it split and stringy.
  • Using aged, crumbly cheddar, which turns oily; use a young melting cheddar or Jack.

Serve with

  • Tortilla chips and nachos.
  • Poured over burritos, enchiladas or fries.
  • With soft tacos and fajitas.

Food safety

  • Keep hot dips above 60 °C or eat within 2 hours.

Storage

  • Refrigerate up to 4 days.

Reheating

  • Reheat gently over low heat or in short microwave bursts, stirring, with a splash of milk.

Variations

  • Queso blanco (United States): White American cheese or Monterey Jack with green chiles, a Tex-Mex restaurant favourite.
  • Queso flameado (Mexico): Northern Mexican melted cheese with chorizo, served bubbling to scoop into tortillas.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 4

Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.

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