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chip dipped in creamy chipotle queso
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5 stars from 2 reviews

Chipotle Queso Blanco Cheese Dip Copycat Recipe

Chipotle Queso is cheesy, creamy, peppery goodness! This copycat version for the Chipotle queso recipe is better than the restaurant’s dip!
Author: Donna Elick
Servings: 10
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour

Ingredients

  • 2 poblano chiles
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil divided
  • 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 large tomato seeded and diced
  • 1 serrano chile pepper seeded and finely diced
  • 1/4 cup diced chipotle in adobo rinsed (See Note 1)
  • 12 ounces evaporated milk or 1 ½ cups Half and Half (See Note 2)
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon cold water
  • 1 1/2 cups freshly grated white cheddar cheese
  • 1 1/2 cups freshly grated monterey jack cheese
  • 1/4 cup Mexican crema or sour cream (See Note 3)

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven broiler.
  • Rub poblano chiles with 1 teaspoon olive oil and place on a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil. Place pan under broiler for 3-5 minutes, or until the pepper skins are charred and peeling.
  • Remove pan from the oven and use tongs to turn chiles over. Return pan to oven and continue broiling until the skins on second side are charred and peeling.
  • Meanwhile, heat remaining olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in the oil until onion is soft. Stir constantly to prevent the garlic from burning.
  • Remove chiles from the oven and rub off the skins. Be careful - they will be hot! Use a knife to slice peppers open; remove the stem and seeds. Cut the peppers into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
  • Add diced tomato and Serrano chile to the pan with onion and saute 1-2 minutes longer. Add the diced chipotle pepper and prepared Poblano chiles to the pan. Pour the chile mixture into a separate bowl and set aside.
  • Add the evaporated milk to the skillet and begin heating over medium heat. Whisk while heating until milk begins to simmer. Stir cornstarch into water until dissolved, then whisk mixture into the simmering milk.
  • Turn heat to low. Add one handful of each cheese to the milk mixture, whisking constantly until melted and smooth. Continue adding and whisking until all of the cheese has been added.
  • Whisk crema into the queso sauce, then stir the chile pepper mixture in and heat through. Serve immediately.

Notes

Poblanos are large, mild peppers and can typically be found fresh in the grocery store produce section. Serrano chiles pack a lot of heat; they are small and are also readily available in the supermarket. Chipotles in adobo are sold in jars/cans in the ethnic food aisle. Rinsing the diced chipotles under tap water will reduce the reddish tint in the queso blanco.
Evaporated milk makes the queso silky smooth. It also makes reheating the queso easier. You can substitute Half and Half for evaporated milk, but it may be more finicky and curdle if the sauce is overheated.
You can substitute sour cream for the crema. Crema Mexicana is a Mexican style sour cream and is more runny than traditional sour cream. It is readily available in the supermarket - typically in the cheese section, near other Mexican cheeses. This is the “cultured cream” as referenced on Chipotle’s menu.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 235cal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 281mg | Sugar: 8g | Fiber: 2g | Calcium: 351mg | Iron: 1mg