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Chile con Queso, also known as simple Queso, is a great party dish – loaded with three cheeses and seasoned ground beef. This restaurant-quality cheese dip is ready in only 15 minutes, using just one skillet, and is delicious served with tortilla chips.
For more hearty dips, try my Loaded Corn Dip and my Layered Tex-Mex Dip.
Why We Love This Recipe
- Ready in 15 Minutes – Fast to make and you only need one skillet to do it!
- Party Ready – Queso is a party favorite and homemade tastes even better!
- Three Cheese – Using a creamy blend of Velveeta, cheddar, and monterey jack brings the extra cheesy flavor!
RECIPE WALK-THROUGH
How to Make Chile con Queso
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
Brown Beef – Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, add cooking oil, and brown the ground beef – crumbling while cooking.Â
Add Flour – Add the flour, garlic, and green onions to the cooked beef and cook until the flour is cooked through and onions are softened.Â
Add Rotel & Velveeta – Stir in the Rotel and milk and bring to a simmer. Then add in the Velveeta, chili powder, and cumin. Stir until all the Velveeta is melted and smooth.Â
Add Remaining Cheese – Stir in the shredded cheeses until fully melted and stir in lime juice and cilantro. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Enjoy – Garnish with green onion tops and any additional optional garnishes. Serve immediately with tortilla chips.
Serving Suggestions
The most classic pairing is with tortilla chips – either store bought or you can make air fryer tortilla chips. It’s also great with other Mexican-inspired appetizers like Guacamole, Nachos Supreme, or Crispy Chicken Flautas.
Storage Tips
The Best Way to Store Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Warm leftovers in the microwave in 10 second increments, stirring frequently. Or place in a skillet and warm over medium low heat, stirring frequently.
Recipe Tips
- Cooking Oil – Use any neutral cooking oil to brown the beef such as canola or vegetable oil. You can also use rendered bacon fat for extra smokiness. If you use a fattier ground beef like chuck, skip the oil and drain all but 1 tablespoon of fat before adding the flour.
- Make It Spicy – For spicy queso, use hot Rotel. For mild queso, use mild. To make it EVEN spicier, you can swap out the ground beef for Spanish chorizo. Chorizo is very greasy, so you will not need to add oil to the pan first. You can also add a diced jalapeno pepper, a 4 oz can of diced green chiles, crushed red pepper flake, cayenne, or a canned and minced chipotle and some of the adobo sauce from the can.
- Keep Warm in a Slow Cooker – Make the dip as directed and place in a slow cooker. Leave the slow cooker on warm, or low if your slow cooker doesn’t have a warm setting. Stir frequently to break up the skin that will form on top.
- Other Cheeses – You can swap out the cheddar and monterey jack for a Mexican blend cheese, smoked cheddar, or any other smooth melting cheese that you like.
- Swaps for Velveeta – Velveeta helps to stabilize the dip and make it smooth and creamy. To substitute the Velveeta for another type of cheese, you will need to double the oil used to brown the beef, and the flour so you are using 2 tablespoons of each.
More Dip Recipes
- Mexican Street Corn Dip
- Cheesy Baked Garlic Dip
- Hot Spinach Dip
- Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Hot Shrimp Dip
- Creamy Bean Dip
Chile Con Queso
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable oil
- 1/2 pound Lean ground beef
- 1 tablespoon Flour
- 2 Garlic cloves minced
- 3 Green onions sliced, green and white separated
- 10 ounce Can of Rotel tomatoes (mild or spicy, see notes)
- 1 â…“ cup Whole milk
- 8 ounces Velveeta cubed small
- 1 ½ teaspoons Chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- 1 cup Cheddar cheese freshly shredded
- 1 cup Monterey jack cheese freshly shredded
- Juice of half a lime
- ¼ cup Chopped cilantro
- Optional garnish: Cilantro, finely diced red onion
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook, breaking up into small crumbles with a wooden spoon, until cooked no longer pink.
- Add flour, minced garlic and the white part of the green onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until flour is cooked through and onions are softened.
- Stir in the Rotel and milk and bring to a simmer. Add in the Velveeta, chili powder and cumin. Stir until all the Velveeta is melted and smooth.
- Once the Velveeta is melted remove from heat and stir in the shredded cheeses until fully melted. Stir in lime juice and cilantro, then taste and adjust seasoning.
- Garnish with green onion tops and any additional optional garnishes. Serve immediately with tortilla chips or sliced baguette for dipping.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
