Chile Con Queso Recipe | LaaLoosh (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between queso and chile con queso? ›

Chile con queso ( lit. 'chile with cheese'), sometimes simply called queso, is an appetizer or side dish of melted cheese and chili peppers, typically served in Tex-Mex restaurants as a dip for tortilla chips.

Mexican cuisine features two main variations of white cheese. queso blanco, traditionally made from cow's milk, and queso fresco ( Spanish pronunciation: [ˈkeso ˈfɾesko]), which may include a combination of cow's and goat's milk.

Evaporated milk helps to keep this dip extra creamy as it's thicker than other dairy products thanks to its lower water content. Another incentive to use evaporated milk is that it helps prevent the dip from congealing-- especially when combined with cornstarch.

Scanning the internet and the supermarket shelf, we realized that the cheese sauces are divided into two basic categories: Queso Dips, which include some amount of heat, spices, and other flavorings, and Cheese Dips, which are cheese and little else.

Whether it's orange or white, queso can contain green chiles or jalapenos or both, and it may be spiced with a dash of cumin or chili powder. Some even add meat to queso, like ground beef or spicy sausage.

However, when people refer to “queso” in the context of food, they are usually talking about a type of melted cheese dip that is commonly enjoyed as a snack or appetizer, particularly in Tex-Mex and Mexican cuisines.

Because of the ingredients and the way it is prepared, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not consider it real cheese. However, it does contain many of the same ingredients that make cheese, namely milk and cheese culture.

Queso de Oaxaca

Queso Oaxaca is probably the most popular choice of cheese for melting. It has a stringy texture, not totally unlike mozzarella, and has a similar taste and texture.

Queso Blanco

Translated to “white cheese,” this option is yet another crumbly cheese for Mexican food. It's softer than Cotija, making it a more subtle option for refried beans, salads, and enchiladas. Queso Blanco is unique in that it melts well without melting completely.

'Chile' refers to peppers, so the dip is 'peppers with cheese'.

What does "con queso" mean? ›

Translation of "Con queso" in English. with cheese and cheese cheesy with queso.

Although these two cheeses are commonly confused for each other, they have a few key differences. While queso fresco is made with rennet and bacterial cultures that separate the milk into whey and curd, queso blanco simplifies things even further by using lemon juice or vinegar to achieve the same result.