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queso burgers on plate with French fries
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Queso Burgers

These Queso Burgers are drizzled in the best cheese dip made with cheddar and pepper jack cheese. The burgers are loaded with flavor and prepared using a homemade burger seasoning rub.
Course dinner, lunch
Cuisine American
Keyword queso burgers, queso cheeseburgers
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 4 burgers
Calories 688kcal

Ingredients

Queso

  • 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese Omit and use additional cheddar if you don't desire spicy.
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped onion I use white or red onion.
  • 2-3 garlic cloves Minced
  • 15.5 oz fire roasted tomatoes
  • 4 oz green chilies
  • 1 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup half and half
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
  • salt and pepper to taste

Burger Ingredients

Homemade Burger Rub (feel free to use store-bought if you wish)

Burger Assembly

  • 4 brioche buns

Instructions

Queso

  • Add the shredded cheese to a bowl with the cornstarch and stir. Set aside.
  • Place a saucepan on medium-high heat. Add the butter, stir until melted.
  • Add in the onions and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes until translucent and fragrant.
  • Reduce the heat to medium and add in the remaining ingredients. Stir continuously until the cheese has melted.
  • Taste repeatedly and add additional salt and pepper to taste if necessary.
  • It will take about 10 minutes for the dip to thicken. Remove the dip from heat. It will thicken up more as it cools.
  • If you like it even thicker, create a slurry using 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1/2 tablespoon of water. Combine the two until it creates a white paste and add it to the dip and stir. After several minutes it will thicken more.

Air Fryer Burgers

  • Season the ground beef with the liquid smoke, Worcestershire, burger seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste. Form 4 burger patties. Be sure not to over-work the meat. (If air frying, the olive oil is not needed. It's only necessary for grilled burgers).
  • Place the burgers in the air fryer.
  • Cook the burgers for 8 minutes on 360 degrees.
  • Open the air fryer and flip the burgers. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes.
  • Use a meat thermometer to test doneness. 125 degrees rare, 135 degrees medium rare, 145 degrees for medium, 155 degrees for medium-well, and 160 degrees for well done.
  • Serve on buns and drizzle in queso.

Grilled Burgers

  • Drizzle olive oil onto the grill grates to prevent sticking. I like to use a cooking brush or towels.
  • Preheat grill to medium-high heat/450 degrees.
  • Season the ground beef with liquid smoke, Worcestershire, olive oil, and the burger seasoning. Form 4 burger patties. Be careful not to overwork the mixture. This will result in burgers that crumble.
  • Ensure your meat is cold prior to grilling. If necessary, place the seasoned and formed burgers into the fridge to cool until you are ready to grill. If you grill the burgers at room temperature, this will result in dry burgers that will likely fall apart.
  • Place the burgers onto the grill, but don't press down. This squeezes the fat from the burger and dries them out. Feel free to flip the burgers repeatedly to ensure even cooking.
  • Total cook time will vary based on how done you like your burgers. You can also use a meat thermometer to gauge:
    4 minutes, 125 degrees rare
    5 minutes, 135 degrees medium rare
    6 minutes, 145 degrees for medium
    7 minutes, 155 degrees for medium-well
    9 minutes, 160 degrees for well done.
  • A minute prior to removing the burgers from the grill, top each burger with a slice of cheese (if preferred). Cook for an additional minute. You can add buns here for toasted buns.
  • Allow the burgers to rest and cool for 10 minutes. Serve on buns and drizzle in queso.

Stovetop/Skillet

  • Heat a skillet or grill pan on medium-high heat. Drizzle a teaspoon of oil into the pan.
  • Season the beef and form beef patties. Add the beef patties to the skillet.
  • Cook each side for 5-7 minutes until the burgers reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees.
  • Remove the burgers, set aside to rest. You can toast your buns in the pan if you wish.

Video

Notes

Burger Tips
Queso Tips
  • You will likely have leftover dip using the serving sizes in the recipe. I love to have this as an additional side dish. Feel free to cut the recipe in half if you wish.
  • The pepper jack cheese will give it a spicy kick. Substitute cheddar or whatever you like, if you don't want spicy. If you use a chili powder that has spicy elements, you may think the dip is spicy, in which case omit it. It's only really spicy if you add cayenne pepper and/or jalapenos.
  • You can use an immersion blender to smooth out the tomatoes if you wish.
  • You can use any milk you wish, but keep in mind the texture and taste of the milk will impact the recipe. The taste of your milk will carry into the dip, along with the texture.
  • You can substitute flour for the same amount of cornstarch used in the recipe.
  • Pre-shredded cheese has potato starch and chemical preservatives. It doesn’t melt as well and won’t get the dip super creamy. I recommend block cheese that you grate yourself.
  • Be sure to stir the dip as the cheese melts to prevent the cheese at the bottom of the pan from burning.
  • Macros assume 1/3 cup queso per serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1burger | Calories: 688kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 43g