Michael and I built a basement bar with a beer tap last winter. The local beer scene here in Northern Virginia (and surrounding areas!) is pretty stellar, so we've had the privilege of sticking with local kegs. It's been a ton of fun, but since COVID was still in full swing when we first built the bar, we're just now having people over to enjoy it and we're eager to get rid of our summer brew so we can get an Oktoberfest beer. Enter: this chipotle beer queso dip.
It's kind of like normal queso, but better because it has beer. In addition to the beer and cheese, it's loaded with chipotle peppers, jalapeños, tomatoes, and onions, so it doesn't skimp on flavor. The beer adds a rich earthy flavor that makes this queso taste like it's been cooking over a campfire for an hour. Serve it up with some soft pretzels or tortilla chips, and you've got the perfect unique party food--just in time for football season!
Here's what you'll need for this chipotle beer queso dip (and how much it'll cost).
- Sweet onion ($1.10)
- Fresh cilantro ($1.98)
- Jalapeño ($0.42)
- Grape or Cherry Tomatoes ($2.42)
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese ($3.86)
- Beer (~$8.00). A light beer, pilsner, or Oktoberfest-type beer works best. Don't use anything too hoppy or dark, or the flavor will be different.
- Chipotle Peppers in Adobo ($1.18). These come in a can and are usually in the Mexican section of the grocery store. You can store the leftovers in your fridge for about a month!
- Typical Pantry/Fridge Ingredients: milk (we used 2%, but use whatever you have), unsalted butter, cumin, ground cayenne, salt, black pepper, and flour.
Excluding the typical pantry and fridge ingredients, the ingredients for this chipotle beer queso cost around $18.96, or about $3.16 per serving.
You'll have leftover onion, tomatoes, beer, and chipotle peppers.
Here's how you could use the leftover ingredients...
- Use the leftover chipotle peppers to make our Chipotle Turkey and Ham Picnic Roll Ups
- DRINK the leftover beer (because obviously)
- Use the leftover tomatoes to make a batch of our super fast Lightened-Up Mexican Black Beans
Here's how we make it.
First, melt butter in a cast-iron skillet or non-stick pan over medium heat. Add diced onion and jalapeño and cook for a couple of minutes, until the onions are fragrant and beginning to brown. Add diced tomatoes, black pepper, salt, ground cayenne, and cumin and cook another two minutes.
Next, add flour to the pan and whisk to combine until the flour and butter are combined and the mixture is smooth. Cook for about two minutes, stirring continuously. Gradually add milk and beer, a little at a time, allowing the mixture to thicken as you go. Allow the mixture to come to a boil, then add chipotle peppers and simmer for a couple of minutes.
Add cheddar cheese and stir until it's melted. Then add chopped cilantro and serve!
Serve this with...
- Soft pretzels or tortilla chips. We went the quick and easy route and served this with frozen soft pretzels, but you could make your own too!
- Our Tajin-Seasoned Chicken Nuggets with Avocado and Jalapeño Lime Ranch. These chicken nuggets are part of our Football Sunday Chicken series--we're coming up with a new way to transform boring frozen chicken nuggets every week. Another great football party snack!
- Lightened-Up Mexican Black Beans
- No Fuss Corn, Veggie, and Bean Salsa
- Party-Sized Guacamole
The Best Chipotle Beer Queso Dip
This chipotle beer queso is loaded with chipotle peppers, jalapeños, tomatoes, and onions, so it doesn't skimp on flavor. The beer adds a rich earthy flavor that makes this queso taste like it's been cooking over a campfire for an hour.
6
servings10
minutes15
minutes400
kcal25
minutesPrevent your screen from going dark!
Ingredients
2 tablespoons 2 unsalted butter
½ ½ sweet onion, diced
1 1 jalapeno, diced
5 ounces 5 cherry or grape tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon 1 cumin
½ teaspoon ½ ground cayenne (see note)
¼ teaspoon ¼ salt
½ teaspoon ½ black pepper
1 tablespoon 1 all purpose flour (use GF all purpose flour for GF)
1 cup 1 milk (see note)
1 cup 1 beer (see note)
2 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, minced
4 cups 4 shredded sharp cheddar cheese (shred it yourself!)
¼ cup ¼ fresh cilantro, chopped
Directions
- Melt butter in a cast-iron skillet or non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the onion and jalapeño and cook for a couple of minutes, until the onions are fragrant and beginning to brown.
- Add tomatoes, black pepper, salt, ground cayenne, and cumin and cook another two minutes.
- Add flour to the pan and whisk to combine until the flour and butter are combined and the mixture is smooth. Cook for about two minutes, stirring continuously.
- Gradually add the milk and beer, a little at a time, allowing the mixture to thicken as you go. Allow the mixture to come to a boil, then add chipotle peppers and simmer for a couple of minutes.
- Add cheddar cheese and stir until it's melted. Then add chopped cilantro and serve!
Notes
- If you don't like spicy food, omit or reduce the ground cayenne.
- We used 2% milk, but use whatever you have on hand.
- A light beer, pilsner, or Oktoberfest-type beer works best. Don't use anything too hoppy or dark, or the flavor will be different.
