Queso Fundido is a hot, melted cheese dish from northern Mexico. It’s made by baking or broiling shredded cheese in a shallow skillet until it turns molten and bubbly, often topped with chorizo, roasted poblano peppers, or sautéed onions.
You can think of it as Mexico’s answer to fondue: richer and meltier than queso dip. It tastes smoky, savory, and deeply comforting. I like to serve it straight from the skillet with warm tortillas.
Table of Contents
Queso Fundido Recipe
Key Ingredients
Oaxaca cheese is the cheese behind that famous stretchy, gooey pull, melting into long elastic strands with a mild, buttery flavor. I don’t use pre-shredded cheddar or a firm aged cheese. They would turn oily and grainy in the same skillet.
Mexican chorizo is the flavor engine of the whole skillet, releasing spiced, paprika-rich fat that seasons everything around it as it cooks. Make sure it’s the soft fresh kind, not the firm cured Spanish sausage, which stays dry and won’t crumble into the cheese.
Poblano pepper brings a mild, earthy heat and a fresh vegetable note that cuts through all that rich cheese and meat. I always reach for it over a bell pepper, which adds crunch but none of the gentle warmth that makes queso fundido taste right.
Mozzarella blended with Oaxaca keeps the melt smooth and adds even more of that satisfying stretch.
Tips to Make It Perfect
Drain the grease before the cheese goes in: Chorizo renders a lot of fat, and if it pools under the cheese the whole dish turns greasy and slick. This one step is the difference between rich and oily.
Don’t overbake it: Pull the skillet the moment the cheese is melted and bubbling at the edges. Leaving it in longer makes the cheese seize up, go rubbery, and weep oil. I often set a timer for 8 minutes.
Serve it the second it comes out of the oven: Queso fundido is all about that molten, stretchy pull, and it firms into a solid mass fast as it cools. Melted cheese does not wait for anyone.
Here’s how to make the queso fundido:
Queso Fundido
A bubbling skillet of melted cheese loaded with spicy chorizo, poblano, and onion. Served hot with warm tortillas for scooping. Rich, gooey, and made for sharing.
Ingredients
- 8 ozMexican chorizo (casing removed)
- 1 smallonion (diced)
- 1poblano pepper (seeded and diced)
- 2 clovesgarlic (minced)
- 3 cupsshredded Oaxaca cheese (or Monterey Jack)
- 1 cupshredded mozzarella
- 2 tablespoonsfresh cilantro (chopped)
- warm corn or flour tortillas (for serving)
Instructions
- 1Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- 2In an oven-safe skillet over medium heat, cook the chorizo for 5 to 6 minutes until browned, breaking it up as it cooks.
- 3Add the onion and poblano and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds. Drain excess grease, leaving the chorizo mixture in the skillet.
- 4Transfer about one-quarter of the chorizo mixture to a bowl and leave the remaining mixture evenly spread in the skillet.
- 5Combine the Oaxaca and mozzarella cheeses, then spread them evenly over the chorizo mixture. Sprinkle the reserved chorizo mixture on top.
- 6Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until the cheese is fully melted and bubbling.
- 7Sprinkle with cilantro and serve immediately with warm tortillas.
Nutrition per serving
📌 Notes
- Oaxaca cheese melts into the classic stretchy pull. If you can't find it, Monterey Jack is the closest easy substitute.
- Drain the grease from the chorizo before adding the cheese, or the dish turns oily.
- Serve it the moment it comes out of the oven. Queso fundido firms up fast as it cools.
- For extra heat, leave some of the poblano seeds in or add a diced jalapeño.
How to Pair
Queso fundido is creamy, smoky, salty, and mildly spicy. You need crisp, tangy sides that balance its richness.
- Fresh pico de gallo, pickled jalapeños, and lime wedges add bright, acidic contrast.
- Warm flour tortillas, corn tortillas, and thick tortilla chips make sturdy dippers.
- Grilled steak, chicken fajitas, or roasted vegetables turn the cheese dip into a hearty meal.
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