Green Chile Queso (No Velveeta)

Green Chile Queso

This green chile queso recipe is smooth and indulgent and is ready in as little as 20 minutes if you’re using canned green chiles. If you’re roasting fresh green chiles, you’re looking at only 45 minutes, but only half of that time is hands-on.

Serve hatch green chile queso with crispy tortilla chips, veggies, or fresh, warm tortillas.

Here are a few more of my popular queso and dip recipes: Smoked Queso, Rotel Dip, and Choriqueso. 

Hatch Queso 

New Mexico Green Chilis are my preferred green peppers thanks to the unique and earthy heat and flavor they provide.  But they’re hard to find and have a very short selling season. Other green chile options you can use instead are Anaheim peppers and poblano peppers. 

Use any leftover green chiles to make Green Chile Macaroni and Cheese. You won’t regret it!

Of course, you can grab a can of green chiles next time at the grocery store to save yourself 20 minutes in the kitchen. 

Ingredients To Make Green Chilies Dip

Here are the main ingredients needed to make this green queso dip, and substitution ideas. For the full list of ingredients, see the recipe card below.

• Green Chilies – canned or fresh green chiles work. Use your favorite. 
• Cheese – I use a mix of Monterey Jack and Pepper Jack Cheese, but there are many cheese options to consider. Keep reading for some ideas!
• White Onion – if you don’t care for onions, you can omit or sub in onion powder. 
• Garlic – If you don’t have a garlic clove or two, go ahead and sub in garlic powder. 
• Flour – this absorbs an excess oil. I don’t recommend omitting this key ingredient. 
• Evaporated Milk – this is used to melt the cheese and thin out the queso. 

Serving vessels: Besides tortilla chips and veggies, try serving it with pork rinds, crackers, baguettes, pretzel bites, or pita chips.

How To Make Green Chile Queso Dip

Here’s a step-by-step guide to making Hatch Green Chile Queso. For the full recipe, see the recipe card below.

Roast the Hatch Green Chiles – broil the pepper in the oven for 20 minutes until the skins are blackened and blistered. Remove the skin and chop the chiles. Here’s a more in depth article about How To Roast Peppers.

Prepare the Peppers and Roux – sauté the onions, jalapeño, and garlic in a cast iron skillet or medium saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle flour over the top and cook for 3-5 minutes to create a quick roux. 

Create the Cheese Sauce – slowly whisk in the evaporated milk followed by the cheese. Keep the temperature nice and low so the cheese doesn’t become gritty. This cheese will be thick at this point.

Incorporate the Chiles – stir in the chopped green chiles and thin out with milk, if desired.

Serve – The queso is now good to go!! Garnish it with fresh cilantro and green onions, and enjoy. 

Cheese Options

Keep it simple, or use a blend of two or more when making a green chile queso dip recipe. 

• Oaxaca Cheese: A mild, stringy cheese with a creamy texture that melts beautifully. 
• Queso Asadero: A mild, smooth cheese that melts easily.
• Queso Chihuahua: A mild, buttery cheese that melts well and adds a rich, creamy texture.
• Pepper Jack Cheese: A very popular option since it melts well and adds a kick.
• Monterey Jack Cheese: A semi-soft cheese that’s mild in flavor and melts smoothly, adding a creamy consistency to the dip. 
• Mozzarella: A readily available cheese with a neutral flavor and excellent melting properties. It’s a stringy cheese and provides a nice “cheese pull.” 
• Cheddar Cheese: I don’t love using cheddar cheese for homemade queso, but it does work in a pinch. It doesn’t melt quite as well and is super greasy when melted.
• Cream Cheese: Add 3-4 oz. on top of what’s called for in the recipe card. It’s not meant to be used solo, or in abundance, but a little bit adds a nice tangy flavor and creaminess. 

Serving Ideas and Uses

Queso isn’t just a dip! You can use it as an element in many other different recipes, especially Mexican recipes. This stuff is amazing stuffed in Arepa Con Queso. Here are some ideas:

Most Important Cooking Tip

While this seems like a cut-and-dry recipe, there is one VERY IMPORTANT STEP you don’t want to mess up. Freshly grated cheese can and will become gritty if heated too quickly, so when I call out low heat, STICK TO LOW HEAT. I remove the pan from the heat for a minute between heating the milk and adding the cheese so the pan itself has a moment to cool down.

Tips From Darcey’s Kitchen

• A cast iron skillet is ideal as the cast iron retains heat for longer than a non-stick or aluminum skillet so that the queso will stay warm longer. 
• You must shred the cheese! Do not buy pre-shredded cheese, as it doesn’t melt as well.
• Queso naturally thickens quickly as it cools. To avoid this, transfer the cooked queso dip to a slow cooker set to warm immediately after cooking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Drink Pairing Recommendations

There are many drinks from Mexico that pair well with this hatch chile queso recipe. Here are my top recommendations:

Green Chile Queso

Green Chile Queso is a creamy, cheesy dip made with roasted green chiles, white cheese, onions, and garlic.  This Green Chile Queso Dip rivals Torchy’s Green Chile Queso and makes the best holiday or game-day appetizer. it’s as easy to make as my popular Smoked Queso Recipe.

Instructions

ROAST THE PEPPERS

• Place the oven rack in the top third of the oven and preheat to high broil. Place the green peppers on a baking sheet spaced about 1" apart. Roast for 10 minutes until the skin starts to blister and blacken. Flip and roast for another 10 minutes.

• Immediately transfer to a bowl and cover with foil to let steam. After 15-20 minutes, remove the skins and transfer to a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to remove the stems and seeds and mince. Set aside.

MAKE THE QUESO

• Heat olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and jalapeno and sauté until softened (approx. 4-5 minutes). Add the garlic and saute until fragrant (approx. 30-60 seconds). Sprinkle flour over the onion mixture, stir and cook for 2 minutes. 

• Turn the heat to low. Stir in the evaporated milk, salt and black pepper and cook until thickened and heated through, about 3-5 minutes.

• Add cheese and stir until incorporated. It will be very thick. Stir in green chiles and stir until incorporated.

• To thin the queso, add in milk, 2 tbsp. at a time until your desired consistency is reached.

• Remove from the heat, top with cilantro or green onions and serve. To maintain the proper texture, transfer to a small slow cooker and keep on warm.

Notes

Note 1 – If you can’t find hatch chiles, use Anaheim peppers or poblano peppers. You can also used canned hatch chiles. You’ll need two 4 oz. cans. 
Note 2 – omit the jalapeno pepper if you don’t want it spicy.
Note 3 – Great cheese options: Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Mozzarella, Oaxaca, Queso Asadero, and Queso Chihuahua. Use more cheese for a higher cheese to meat ratio.
Note 4 – the queso will be thick. Use extra half and half or evaporated milk to thin.
Nutritional information is estimated. It depends on the type of cheese you use. It also does not include any tortilla chips into the equation. 

Nutrition

Calories: 240kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 402mg | Potassium: 90mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 452IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 352mg | Iron: 0.4mg

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Darcey Olson

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