Queso fundido is a delicious Mexican cheese dip that makes the absolute best and tastiest appetizer or light meal. This queso fundido recipe, also known as queso flameado, is a big pan full of melted Mexican cheese that sits on top of roasted poblanos and onions. It is so full of flavor and it is so easy to make. Serve this for game day, BBQs, or whenever you are hosting friends for a treat everyone will love.
I've recently been on a writing streak documenting some of my favorite Mexican recipes that I get to enjoy here in Texas. From pulled pork sliders, tuna ceviche, Mexican barbacoa , Authentic Texas chili (which gets its inspiration from Mexico), classic chili, blackened tuna tacos, to this delicious queso fundido dip, there are just so many I love.
If you love a good cheese pull, this easy queso fundido (which translates to molten cheese) is the recipe for you. This queso funido is made with just cheese, peppers, and onions but I have included variations below if you want to add more.
This queso fundido also goes by another name, queso flameado which you may have seen on menus in Mexican restaurants. What makes queso fundido so delicious is it is pure melted cheese and not saucy like other types of queso.
It is pure heaven! Serve the queso fundido with homemade watermelon popsicles for dessert to round off the meal. Make a meal out of small bites and serve this queso with Spanish mussels for a tapas experience.
There are so many great ways to use this queso recipe!
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Ingredients You Will Need
- Asadero Cheese. Here in Texas, this is really easy to find. If you cannot find this type of cheese, Oaxaca cheese or Muenster cheese works great too, and is more readily available.
- Jack cheese. Make sure to buy plain jack cheese and not pepper jack cheese.
- Poblano Pepper.
- Spanish Onion.
- Tomato.
- Optional ingredients: Adobo seasoning and red peppers. I love adding adobo seasoning to the poblanos when they cook but you can leave this out if you do not have it. I also like to add red peppers when I want to bulk up the queso dip with more veggies.
You want to make sure you use cheese that is in a block form so you can grate it yourself. Pre-shredded cheese has a coating on the cheese to prevent it from sticking and it will affect how the cheese melts.
A little extra work (only 5 minutes) in grating your own cheese makes all the difference in the final product.
How to make queso fundido
When making this queso fundido, you want to make sure you are using a heavy bottom oven-proof pan. I like using cast iron because it retains heat well and it is traditional with this queso recipe.
The first step is sautéing the poblano peppers and onions in a pan for a few minutes until they soften up a bit. I like to add a little adobo seasoning at this point.
Once they are softened, add the quartered tomato and cook for one minute.
Once the peppers, onions, and tomato are softened you are going to add the shredded cheese to the hot pan and it goes right into the oven! The queso (cheese) actually starts to melt right away.
The queso fundido only needs about 10 minutes in a hot pre-heated 375-degree oven to become molten hot and bubbly.
Tip: If you like crispy cheese, go ahead and leave the queso in the oven a little longer until you see the edges start to brown up a bit.
What to serve with queso fundido
Queso fundido dip is traditionally served with warmed flour tortillas. You scoop the gooey melted Mexican cheese right into the tortillas.
This is my favorite way to enjoy queso fundido. Just sitting around a table with friends, having a delicious cocktail and eating this queso fundido tucked inside tortillas. You can also serve queso fundido with tortilla chips to dip into the melted cheese.
If I have time, I like to make my Spanish mussels to go along with this queso since both are small bites that are great for sharing.
If you do use tortilla chips, make sure they are thick tortilla chips that can stand up to the weight of the melted cheese.
FAQ
Queso fundido is traditionally made from Asadera and Oaxaca cheese. If you cannot find these Mexican cheeses, Monterey jack cheese, Mozzarella and Muenster cheese are great substitutes.
Queso fundido literally translates to molten cheese.
Variations
Queso fundido can be served with or without chorizo.
If you want to add a meaty bite to the recipe, you can sauté up one link of Mexican chorizo before you cook the poblano peppers and onions and follow the rest of the recipe the same.
Pairing Ideas
The Best Queso Fundido
Tried the Recipe? We Would Love To Hear From You In The Comments Below!
Equipment
- 1 9- 10 inch cast iron skillet or heavy bottom and oven proof pan
Ingredients
- 3 cups Asadero cheese coarsely shredded
- 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese coarsely shredded
- 1 large poblano pepper sliced into thin strips
- 1 Spanish onion sliced into thin strips
- 1 Tomato quartered
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon Adobo seasoning optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees
- Pre-heat your pan over medium heat for a few minutes.
- Add oil, poblano peppers and onions and cook until just softened, about 5 minutes.1 large poblano pepper, 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, 1 Spanish onion
- Add adobo seasoning (optional)½ teaspoon Adobo seasoning
- Add quartered tomato and cook for one minute.1 Tomato
- Add both cheese over the peppers, onions and tomato and place in the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling a hot.3 cups Asadero cheese, 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese
- Serve immediately with warm flour tortillas on the side.
Nutrition
Nutrition Values are estimates only.
See full nutrition disclaimer here
Allie says
This queso fundido was absolutely delicious and everyone devoured it. My friends were asking for the recipe. Thank you for sharing!
Melissa says
So glad to hear that 🙂