Copycat Qdoba Queso Recipe

For some people, the highlight of any trip to Qdoba Mexican Eats is getting a taste of their mouthwatering queso. If you want to be able to enjoy it anytime, anywhere, check out this Qdoba queso recipe! You can have that creamy, cheesy goodness anytime you want with our Qdoba copycat recipe for their fantastic queso!

Nothing is better than walking into the Qdoba Mexican Grill and smelling the electrifying aromas. Two things really make your mouth water: their signature burritos and Qdoba’s queso. What about that magical queso sauce? I’ll tell you what: it’s divine!

Qdoba has long been my favorite fast-casual restaurant. I have so many memories of going there during lunch with my friends and splitting an order of their Queso and Chips.

Qdoba is famous for their queso. I’ve always thought it would be fun to make it at home. I tried a few recipes I found, but they all tasted a bit bland. So, when I took a look at the ingredients, I realized the missing flavor was jalapeno – which is why I have jalapeno juice. It also helped the consistency as well. It’s really what makes this feel like a top-secret recipe.

We’ve made this several times, and it’s always a huge hit. While nothing can truly replicate the amazingness of Qdoba’s three-cheese queso, this gets pretty close. It is one of the best queso dip recipes around, and I hope you will enjoy it as much as we do.

Ingredients

• 1 cup white American cheese
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 1 poblano, roasted, deseeded, and chopped
• 1 cup canned fire-roasted tomatoes, drained
• 1 cup heavy cream 
• 1/2-3/4 cup jalapeño juice (from jar)
• Salt (to taste)
• Black Pepper (to taste)

Instructions

1. Combine cheeses, poblano, fire-roasted tomatoes, and heavy cream in your slow cooker. You could also put it in a large pot on the stovetop.
2. Mix; cook on high for 1.5 hours or low for 2-3 hours. Mix partway through to improve the melted cheese and the combination of all the ingredients.
3. If using the stove, cook on low for about an hour, stirring occasionally.
4. After cooking, add jalapeno juice, salt, and pepper to taste. Start with a little bit less jalapeno juice and add more to adjust the flavor to your liking.

Recipe Tips and Suggestions

• Try shredding your cheese. Pre-shredded cheese usually has additives to prevent caking, but this can also make the melting a little more difficult. Shredding your cheese often results in a meltier, more tasty blend.
• You can use any size slow cooker for this recipe. I doubled it, and it filled my 6-quart slow cooker about halfway. A smaller crock pot would work just fine, too!
• If you want to make this on a stovetop instead of a slow cooker, I would recommend letting it melt and simmer for about an hour on low, making sure to stir it occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
• This should stay in the fridge for about two days, but it’s best to eat it within one day because you don’t want the cheese to separate. It will likely be pretty thick after it’s been refrigerated—you can try thinning it out with a little milk or chicken broth.
• You can easily reheat this on the stove or microwave! Just warm everything up and stir occasionally and you may need to add some extra liquid. Slowly heading it in a sauce pan on the stove is going to be your best opinion.
• We have only used white American cheese in this recipe. While we prefer shredded white American, it can be hard to find this. You can either buy a block of white American in the deli, or you can just buy the slices with other refrigerated cheeses. We have used both with success in making queso.
• You can either serve this with tortilla chips or spoon it onto tacos, fajitas, nachos, or any other Mexican dish that you might be serving. Burrito bowls would also be a really yummy option. I mean, let’s be honest – every Mexican dish needs the perfect sauce or taco dip, right?

Substitutions

• This recipe is very high in dairy. I don’t think there’s a way to successfully make it dairy-free and have it taste anywhere near what Qdoba does. My friend Megan has made a great vegan queso recipe that you could consider if you need a dairy-free recipe.
• If you want to cut down on the fat/calories, you could try and use half and half instead of the heavy cream. This may change the composition and flavor slightly, but it will help cut back on some of the fat slightly.
• If you are looking for some additional flavor and spice, you could blend jalapenos and chipotle peppers together in a food processor to add to all the ingredients as they cook.
• I really would try not to change the recipe as much as possible. However, some people like to add a little bit of ground cumin, an addition of cayenne, a little it of lime juice, or even some ground beef to mix things up a little bit.

Storage Recommendations

Storing homemade queso dip properly is essential to maintain its flavor and texture. 

1. Store it in an airtight container and refrigerate it promptly.
2. Place the container in the refrigerator within 2 hours of making or serving the dip.
3. Allow the queso dip to cool completely before transferring it to the container. 
4. Reheat the queso dip gently on the stovetop over low to medium heat, stirring frequently. This helps restore its creamy texture.
5. If the queso dip appears too thick after thawing, you can add a small amount of milk or cream while reheating to achieve the desired consistency.

Everyone loves Qdoba Mexican Grill because of that amazing queso sauce; but now you can make a homemade queso dip at home. All you need is the ingredients and a slow cooker (or even a pot on the stove). Enjoy this anytime you want, and make sure to add all your favorite toppings to this Qdoba Queso Copycat Recipe.

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