If you’ve been a regular reader of my recipes, you’ll already know that I adore Mexican food! Qdoba Queso is super tasty and really easy to make. Or, as we call it in our house, ‘Mexican fondue’. In fact, I prefer it to any of the store-bought versions. Served warm with a few (OK, a lot of) crispy Nachos, it’s a dip into heaven. In this recipe, we’ll show you how to make it, give some tips and variations to make it super special, and show you how easy it is to make. Sombreros at the ready? Arriba!
How to Make Qdoba Queso
Qdoba Queso isn’t difficult to make. It essentially relies on preparing the ingredients to bring out all of their lovely flavors and mixing them.
The recipe relies on some solid Mexican staples. You have the sweetness of roasted peppers. Creamy and oozy cheese. Tangy and tasty tomatoes. Not to mention the power combo of cream and garlic. Is your mouth watering? Mine is.
You’ll know that I like to keep things easy where I can. After a little initial ‘prep’ I like to use a slow cooker to let all of those beautiful flavors meld and mingle. Well, that… And I can leave it for the two hours it takes without having to watch it. Tasty and convenient sounds like my kind of dish!
OK, I want you to get the best out of this recipe, so check out my tips and tricks below for some really great ideas.
Tips and Tricks
- Who doesn’t like cheese? Now, I’m not sure it is possible to ever get tired of this recipe. But if you are looking for a little variety (or don’t have Monterey jack), you can switch up your choice of cheese. When we want a hint of spice, we use fiery Mexicana. Blue cheese is also supremely tasty.
- If you want a lactose free recipe, you can use cheese and cream alternatives. The recipe will taste pretty similar.
- Here is our secret tip. When you heat cheese and cream, you can often find that it will ‘split’. Here’s an easy way to prevent it. Add just a small pinch of baking powder to your recipe. Due to some clever science, it keeps your Qdoba queso nice and smooth.
- To further discourage your Qdoba queso recipe from splitting, we recommend cooking it on a ‘low’ setting. This is true regardless of whether you are using a slow cooker or another more traditional means.
- Our authentic Qdoba queso recipe is already pretty creamy and smooth, but if you want to take it up a level, add a couple of tablespoons of cream cheese along with regular cheese.
- Provided you use enough cheese, you shouldn’t find the Qdoba queso too thin. However, if you like it a little thicker, sift in a couple of teaspoons of cornstarch to make it super thick.
- Not everyone has time to roast peppers (but trust us, it is well worth your time if you doubt). If you really don’t want to roast peppers, you can often find pre-roasted peppers in a jar or at the local deli counter of most stores. Either will work well in this recipe.
- Don’t worry if you don’t have a slow cooker. You can still make homemade Qdoba queso. Provided you have an oven, you are good to go. Just preheat your oven to 200°F. At the stage where we mention a slow cooker, just place your queso mix in a covered ovenproof dish and cook for the same amount of time. You should get a pretty similar result.
- If you want to be all fancy, we like our cheese one way… Melted. You’ll find the mixture will generally go a bit firmer as it cools. We sometimes like to warm our bowls in the oven for 3-5 minutes to keep our Qdoba queso nice and gooey.
See Also: Million dollar dip
Conclusion
Our authentic Qdoba queso recipe has put us in the mood for a Mexican night soon! It’s great party food, considering you do a little prep and then essentially leave it while you get on with other things. What is your favorite Mexican side dish? Let us know in the comments. We love hearing from you!