Torchy’s Copycat Queso

Indulging in a bowl of creamy, flavorful queso is a Texan tradition, and Torchy’s Tacos has mastered the art of crafting the perfect queso dip. Today, I’m bringing that cheesy goodness to your kitchen with our Torchy’s copycat queso recipe. Inspired by The Urban Cowgirl’s fantastic creation, I’ve tweaked a few ingredients and added my twist to make it truly unforgettable.

This Torchy’s Copycat Queso recipe gives the original a run for its money

One of the best queso dips I’ve ever had was from Torchy’s Tacos. Seriously guys, this stuff is delicious! It’s a combination of roasted chiles, creamy queso, and guacamole then topped with crumbled Cojita cheese, cilantro, and hot sauce. Their slogan may be Damn Good Tacos, but their queso is pretty damn good as well.

As a lot of you know, I recently moved out into the middle of nowhere. When you live as far away from Torchy’s as I do, you can’t always get the “real thing”. I wanted to come up with a version that was just as good. I had to do a lot of research (as in eat a lot of queso), but I finally settled on this combination of flavors and I think that you will be just as happy with the results as my family and I were. They have deemed it Super Bowl party-worthy!!

I don’t know what kinds of cheese Torchy’s uses, but in this recipe I use Velveta. In my opinion, nothing gives queso a better texture. The addition of the sharp cheddar adds to the overall flavor.

But what makes this the best queso recipe is the addition of the guacamole and all of the toppings. The guacamole adds a tasty surprise that you don’t find in your average queso. Plus, who doesn’t love guacamole?

You don’t need a special occasion to make this Torchy’s Copycat Queso dip. But it would be a fantastic addition to any party or game-day menu.

Frequently asked questions

If you decide to make this queso recipe, please be sure to give it a rating and let me know how yours turned out. I love hearing your feedback and I will do my best to answer any questions you have as quickly as I can. 

As always, I will be back next week with more delicious recipes from my RV kitchen to yours!

Torchy’s Copy Cat Queso

A combination of roasted chiles, creamy queso, and guacamole topped with crumbled cojita cheese, cilantro and hot sauce.

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Servings 30 people

Calories 105 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 1 8 oz Can of Whole Hatch Green Chiles Diced
• 3 Roma tomatoes

Salsa Verde Ingredients

• 2 Serrano Chile Peppers
• 4 large Tomatillos
• 4 large Whole cloves of garlic for roasting
• ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt

Queso Ingredients

• 1 large Clove of garlic minced
• 1 cup half and half
• 1 pound Velveta Queso Blanco cubed
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup Sharp Cheddar shredded
• 2 tablespoon Freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 tablespoon Chopped cilantro
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• Additional half and half to thin if necessary
• Guacamole Recipe linked below
• Garnishes: Hot sauce, Cilantro, Cotija Cheese

Instructions

 

Roast Your Veggies

• Place the tomatillos, 4 whole garlic cloves, Roma tomatoes, and serrano chile peppers on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Drizzle with olive oil. Broil for about 8-10 minutes or until the skins of the tomatoes and tomatillos split and the peppers are slightly charred. Remove the garlic cloves and flip the tomatoes, tomatillos and chiles. Cook another 8 minutes or until the second side is also charred.
• After both sides of the veggies have roasted, remove from the oven and set aside to cool with the garlic.
• Once cooled, peel the tomatoes and discard the skin. Slice the stems off of the serrano peppers, split down the middle, and remove the seeds. Place the tomatillos, serranos, roasted garlic, ½ teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro, 1 tablespoon of lime juice, and one of the Roma tomatoes in a blender (or use your immersion blender if you have one). Blend well and set aside.
• Dice the other 2 Roma tomatoes very finely and set aside with the Hatch Green Chiles.

To make the Queso

• In a heavy-bottomed pot, add the butter and diced garlic. Cook over medium heat for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add 1 cup of half and half, the reserved diced tomatoes, and the Hatch green chiles. Stir until well combined and then add the cubed Queso Blanco and the sharp cheddar cheese. Once the cheese has melted add in the 1 tablespoon lime juice, ½ teaspoon of salt, and the salsa verde from the blender.
• Let queso sit for 1-2 hours so that the flavors from the roasted veggies can infuse into the cheese sauce. It can be refrigerated and reheated. Just thin it out as necessary with more half and half.

To serve

• In a serving bow add a scoop of guacamole. Top with prepared queso, hot sauce, cilantro, and cotija cheese.
• Serve with tortilla chips!

Notes

I recommend shredding the sharp cheddar yourself. The kind that you buy that is pre-shredded has additives that can keep it from melting as well and your queso may separate. 

Keyword appetizer, dip, queso

This post was all about how to make the best copycat version of Torchy’s queso, but don’t forget the guacamole. Click here to get my recipe for Quick and Easy Guacamole.