How To Make Torchy's Queso Recipe (2024)

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How To Make Torchy's Queso Recipe (1)

OKAY KIDS. HUDDLE UP!

Today, we’re tackling the BIG ONE… the Torchy’s Queso Recipe.

Why? I’m so glad you asked!

#1 It’s gaining status as the most coveted, delicious queso recipe in Texas— so any Urban Cowgirl is gonna be all over this one.

#2 All of the copycat recipes on the web really, and I mean realllllly fall short of it’s greatness and complexity.

(If you’re using Velveeta, you’re already off to a bad start…Sorry ’bout that. The good news is we’re here to help!)

What is Torchy’s Queso?!

Now, for anyone who doesn’t live in a Torchy’s town, Torchy’s is a neighborhood gourmet taco shop that in recent years has developed a cult-like following.

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(And they is DAMN GOOD!)

For this challenge, we hit up our local Torchy’s and even took some photos while we were there.

Here’s the menu…

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I took the liberty of ordering several quesos to go and asked them to package each ingredient separately, so once we were back in the kitchen we could analyze each component.

How Do You Make Torchy’s Queso?

The Torchy’s queso begins with a scoop of fresh, basic guacamole scooped into a bowl.

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Then, they ladle roasted green chile queso on top, which is infused with verde sauce. (That’s the little roasted black flecks of tomatillo.)

They top it with a drizzle of their homemade diablo sauce, a pinch of minced cilantro, and shredded cotija cheese. It looks like this…

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NOM!

We found that the queso needs some time to infuse with the green chiles, so we’ll start there…

Like our official Urban Cowgirl Queso Recipe, this Texas-Style queso is made with a block of Boar’s Head American cheese from the deli. NOT VELVETTA! (Cause round these parts we’re on a mission to teach as many people as possible to use American cheese in your queso for WAY better, restaurant-quality queso.)

For the base of the queso we’re going to roast some salsa veggies in the oven. We’ve got new mexico chiles, also called anaheim chiles, serranos, tomatillos, roma tomatoes, and garlic.

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Roast them according to the recipe instructions…

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Clean the chiles just like the recipe…

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And CHOP! Torchy’s queso recipe uses sizes about ½ an inch square.

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Clean and chop the tomatoes and mince the garlic.

Throw the tomatillo, serranos, and roasted garlic in a small food processor (This is the one I have) and make a verde sauce like this… and reserve that for the queso.

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Making the Torchy’s Queso Recipe:

In a large stockpot, melt the butter…

And for your stockpot, you can use something like this one and if you’re able to, get this one by All-Clad (It’s the one I’ve had for over 10 years and TOTALLY worth the investment!)

Add the garlic, and then the chopped veggies…

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Add the half and half.

Melt in the Boar’s Head American cheese…

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Add the 1/2 c. cheddar cheese and let it melt. Then add the verde sauce from the blender. Finish with the salt and lemon to taste.

You may use water to thin it when necessary, it won’t affect the flavor. This queso gets thick quick and often if left on the stove or in a crock pot.

Now, let this queso infuse while you prepare the other ingredients. I imagine Torchy’s makes the queso once a day, and always one day ahead. We noticed the green chile flavor takes about 3-6 hours to really infuse into the queso recipe. It can sit on the back of the stove, or you can chill it and reheat it before serving. Also, you can always thin it with a little water if it gets thick on you, which ours did.

Next, make the Torchy’s guacamole recipe which we put right here. It’s pretty basic. HAAS avocados, cilantro, white onion, salt, and garlic powder. We added a pop of lemon or lime juice to make it sing.

For assembly, use a scoop like this one to scoop a 1-2 oz. portion of guacamole into the bottom of your serving bowl.

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Ladle the hot queso on top. Drizzle with Valentina which is very similar to their homemade diablo sauce.

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Top with shredded cotija and fresh cilantro.

Walla! Enjoy my friends. 😀

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Have questions? Need help? Have an addition or a suggestion to a recipe? Drop me a comment below!

If you make this recipe, I would LOVE to see it!

Tag me on Instagram @UrbanCowgirl and use #UrbanCowgirl to be featured. 🙂

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Yield: 1 1/2 quarts

How To Make Torchy’s Queso Recipe Copykat

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

When I originally created this recipe years ago, I found this version to be very close to the original. Then, employees wrote into the blog with the actual recipe. For that reason, the chicken stock has been removed and I have fine-tuned the recipe further. If you are coming here from YouTube please follow this new recipe with the salsa verde and roasted chiles which mimics their salsa roja, the salsa the restaurant version is built on. Enjoy cooking our home version of Torchy's Queso!

Ingredients

  • 4 T. butter
  • 3 roma tomatoes
  • 5 green new mexico chiles, also called anaheim
  • Verde Sauce:
  • 4 large tomatillos
  • 2 serrano peppers
  • 4 cloves garlic - for roasting
  • 1/2 t. kosher salt
  • Queso Base:
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 c. half and half
  • 1 pounds white or yellow BOAR's HEAD BRAND American cheese, from the deli (not Velveeta), cubed
  • 1/2 c. sharp cheddar
  • 1 T lemon juice
  • ½ t. kosher salt
  • Additional water to thin when necessary
  • 1 prepared recipe of torchy’s guacamole copykat (linked in blog)
  • Garnishes: Additional Valentina hot sauce, finely chopped cilantro, cotija cheese

Instructions

TO ROAST THE CHILES:

Turn your broiler on high and move the rack to the second rung from the top. On a baking sheet place the tomatoes, tomatillos, serranos, green chiles, and garlic cloves (garlic should still be in the clove).

When the broiler is hot, place the pan under and roast the veggies for about 8 min. The skin of the tomato should be soft and peeling off and the green chiles should have small charred areas.

Remove the roasted garlic from the pan and reserve. Flip the chiles and tomatoes and place them back under the broiler for an additional 6-8 minutes to char on the other side.

After the final side is well roasted remove the veggies from the broiler and place on a countertop to cool.

In a blender, place the tomatillos, serranos, garlic, and 1/2 t. kosher salt. Blend well and reserve.

To clean the chiles, remove the majority of the seeds and the tops of the chile under warm running water in your sink. You will be able to peel off the charred and wilted skin, keeping the green roasted flesh of the pepper. Dice this into small pieces, about ½ in x ½ in, place into a bowl and reserve.

Remove the roasted tomatoes to a cutting board. Remove the skin and discard. Chop the tomatoes very fine and reserve.

FOR THE QUESO:

In a heavy-bottomed stockpot, melt the butter. Add the minced garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add the green chiles and chopped tomato, stirring well. Season with a pinch of salt.

Pour in the half and half and the cubes of American cheese. Stir to incorporate and bring to medium heat. Allow the American cheese to melt into the mixture. Add the sharp cheddar. When it melts in, add the verde sauce from the blender.

Cook as long as it takes to melt the cheese. (Reduce heat to prevent the bottom from scorching if necessary.)

When the cheese has melted, and you have a dish resembling queso, add in the lemon juice and salt.

At this point, the queso looks done, but it takes at least 1-2 hours for the queso to start to pick up the flavor of the green chiles. I imagine in the store this queso is probably prepared 8-12 hours ahead of time to allow the green chile flavor to infuse into the cheese dip. If you have the time, this recipe is best enjoyed after an infusing period of time of at least 4 hours. It can be refrigerated and heated back up in a slow cooker. Just keep extra water or half and half around to thin it out. The Torchy’s version is a very loose queso.

TO SERVE:

In a serving bowl, scoop out a 2 oz. ball of Torchy’s guacamole. Ladle the hot queso over it. Shake 1 line of Valentina sauce over the queso. Top with shredded cotija and finely minced cilantro.

Serve hot with chips!

Notes

I recommend using only Boar's Head American cheese in either white or yellow for this recipe. Generic brands of American cheese will occasionally (though not always) get chunky. I do not know why this occurs but it has happened to me when making other queso recipes. You're safe with using Boar's Head in my experience.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

30

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving:Calories: 105Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 345mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 0gSugar: 2gProtein: 4g

These nutritional values are an estimate only and provided as a courtesy. Different brands of ingredients may result in different calorie counts, and the software does not account for these differences. Consult with your dietician or doctor for precise nutritional values.

Did you make this recipe? Please leave us a comment below and let us know how it went!

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

How To Make Torchy's Queso Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is Torchy's queso made of? ›

Add water, diced tomatoes, hot green chiles, mild green chiles, and cilantro. Cover and blend on high until mostly smooth. Pour blended mixture into a large pot over medium heat. Add processed cheese, chicken soup, cream cheese, hot sauce, cumin, and chili powder.

What is queso dip made of? ›

Place cheese, milk, and butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Stir until cheese is melted. Add green chilies, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper; stir until smooth. Thin with more milk if sauce is too thick.

How do you make queso dip thicker? ›

Making a slurry with cornstarch and cold milk is how you will thicken your queso. A traditional slurry is a 1:1 liquid to cornstarch ratio, but for our queso purposes I used 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of milk.

What makes something queso? ›

Queso is a Spanish word that translates to “cheese” in English. 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.

What is Torchy's queso? ›

The Torchy's queso begins with a scoop of fresh, basic guacamole scooped into a bowl. What is this? Then, they ladle roasted green chile queso on top, which is infused with verde sauce. (That's the little roasted black flecks of tomatillo.)

Does Torchy's queso have guac in it? ›

TOPPED WITH GUACAMOLE, COTIJA CHEESE, CILANTRO & DIABLO SAUCE.

What kind of cheese do you use for Mexican queso? ›

Asadero Cheese

Because of its spectacular melting properties, it's an ideal base for queso on nachos, burritos, tacos, enchiladas or any Mexican dish.

What makes queso different? ›

Queso is what Texans refer to melted processed cheese mixed with Rotel or generic canned diced tomatoes and peppers. Nacho cheese is what midwesterners, in particular, refer to the same basic melted processed cheese sans the diced tomatoes and peppers.

What is cheese dip at Mexican restaurants made of? ›

Many people think it contains goat cheese, but what you customarily find in restaurants is made from easy melt white american cheese, purchased thru suppliers or large supermarkets."

What does cornstarch do to queso? ›

Cornstarch — this helps thicken the homemade queso, making it perfect for dipping! Evaporated milk — make sure to buy evaporated milk and not sweetened condensed milk. The two cans look similar but are different.

Does milk make queso thicker? ›

Adjust the consistency: When first prepared, the sauce will be slightly thin. This is to allow the queso to thicken properly as it cools. If you find your queso is too thick, add more milk, a tablespoon at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency.

Will milk make queso thinner? ›

To make a thinner cheese dip, you can add more milk a little bit at a time until you reach the desired consistency. This is great scooped up with some tortilla chips, but it is also great for making nachos or burritos!

What is traditional queso? ›

Queso traditionalists, you might call them, stick to a classic, tried-and-true recipe: a brick of melted Velveeta and a can of Ro-Tel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chiles.

What's the difference between cheese dip and queso? ›

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.

Is there egg in queso? ›

Ingredients: shredded mixed cheese (pasteurized cow and sheep, milk, salt, enzymes, annatto, rennet, salt, lysozome (from egg white)), whole milk, unsalted butter, flour, jalapeno, garlic, new mexican chili, salt. Contains: milk, wheat, egg.

What is Mexican queso cheese made of? ›

Just what it says it is - white cheese dip (queso means cheese). Queso blanco is usually made from asadero cheese (or white American cheese) shredded and melted in a pot with skim milk or half and half and pico de Gallo. It's popular at Mexican restaurants throughout the South, not just Georgia.

Is Torchy's queso at Whole Foods? ›

The Austin-based Taco shop made the big announcement Tuesday that its famous Green Chile Queso and Diablo Sauce are now available at Whole Foods.

Is Mexican queso made from goat cheese? ›

Queso Blanco: Made from skimmed cow's milk, the consistency of queso blanco is typically associated with a blend of cottage cheese and mozzarella and is commonly incorporated in enchiladas. Queso Fresco: Spongier and crumblier than queso blanco, queso fresco is typically made with a combination of cow and goat milk.

Is queso fresco just queso? ›

No. Queso fresco ("fresh cheese") and queso blanco ("white cheese") are often considered interchangeable because of their similarities. However, despite their parallels, queso fresco and queso blanco are different cheeses—the former is made with rennet and culture, while the latter is made with just milk and an acid.

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