Grab a warm tortilla and dive into this creamy, gloriously cheesy Roasted Corn Queso Fundido swimming with earthy strips of poblanos rajas. Combining two different types of melty Mexican cheeses and a few fresh ingredients, this easy to prepare will be an instant hit at your next tail gate party.

Football season is just around the corner and that means it’s time to break out all of the warm and cheesy dips! This vegetarian queso fundido will have you double dipping and over stuffing tortillas and your friends going back for more. With just a handful of ingredients and a simple process, this dip not only comes together quickly but can also be assembled ahead of time and then heated up on the grill or in the oven when ready to serve. Just pair it with cold cervezas and some fire roasted tomato habanero salsa and you have an instant fiesta!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy Process – This queso fundido recipe can easily be broken down into three simple steps; roast the corn and poblanos, sauté the aromatics, and then bake off the dip until golden and bubbly.
- Customizable – You can adjust this recipe to what cheeses you have access to as well as if you want a little extra heat. It can be baked on the grill or in the oven.
- Make Ahead – Several steps of this recipe can be done in advance. You can char your corn and poblanos up to a day or two in advance and keep them stored in the refrigerator along with your shredded cheeses. You can also assemble this corn queso fundido early in the day and then bake it when ready to serve.
- Simple Ingredients – You only need seven simple ingredients for this decadent cheesy dip.
Ingredients

- Cheese – I use two different types of Mexican cheese for this recipe, queso Oaxaca which is stretchy and melty, similar to mozzarella, and queso quesadilla which is incredibly creamy and melty, like Monterey Jack. This combination melts up creamy with just the right amount of cheese pull.
- Aromatics – Onions, garlic, and serrano pepper bring a combination of sweetness, savory flavor, and just a little kick in addition to adding freshness to the rich cheese.
- Corn – Adds the pop of texture along with sweetness.
- Poblano – Roasted pobalno strips, or rajas, add both earthiness and a little smokiness that pairs with both the sweet corn while balancing the richness of the cheeses.
How to Make Roasted Corn Queso Fundido
- Char your corn and poblanos. Prepare your grill for direct grilling. You want your grates fully heated and clean before placing the corn and poblanos on the hot grates. Allow each side to char for a minute or two, rotating until all sides of the corn and chilis are charred. Transfer to poblanos to a zip top bag and allow them to steam and cool.

- Grate your cheeses. Peel the poblanos and remove the seeds and stem. Cut into thin strips. Remove the corn kernels from the cobbs.
- Sauté your aromatics. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat and add avocado oil. Add the onions and serrano, seasoning with a pinch of salt, and cook for 3-4 minutes until translucent and softened. Add the garlic and cook for another two minutes until fragrant. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.
- Combine the ingredients. Add the cheeses, cooled onions, garlic, and serrano, corn, and poblano strips to a bowl and toss to combine. Add back into the cast iron skillet or an oven safe baking dish.
- Bake until golden and bubbly. Preheat your oven or grill to 350 degrees. If making this on the grill place the skillet on the indirect side and allow it to bake for 15-20 minutes until bubbly and slightly golden brown on top. If making this in the oven allow it to bake for 10-12 minutes.


- Serve it up! Serve this with warm flour tortillas and tortilla chips. You can also serve this with your favorite toppings such as pico de gallo, pickled jalapenos, pickled onions, cilantro, or sliced radishes.
Substitutions & Variations

- Queso Oaxaca – If you can’t find Oaxaca cheese you can use a low-moisture mozzarella cheese. Make sure not to use fresh mozzarella.
- Queso Quesadilla – Feel free to replace the quesadilla cheese with either Monterey Jack or pepper jack cheese. Queso Chihuahua is another great choice if available or queso asadero.
- Poblano – If available and in season, roasted Hatch chilis would be a fantastic option instead of poblanos. You could also use roasted Anaheim chilis.
- Mushrooms – Swap out the corn and add sauteed or roasted mushrooms. Make sure that you cook them until most of the moisture is gone so they don’t add a lot of liquid.
- Jalapeno – For a milder bite, replace the serrano pepper with a finely diced jalapeno.
- Chorizo – Chorizo is a classic addition to queso fundido. Skip the corn and use either your favorite Mexican chorizo, or soy chorizo. Sauté it before you sauté your aromatics and make sure to drain off the excess fat.
- Frozen or canned corn – If fresh corn isn’t in season feel free to replace it with either frozen or canned corn. Sautee it along with your aromatics until slightly charred and tender.
Equipment
- Using a well-seasoned cast iron skillet will allow you to make everything all in one dish while also allowing the cheese to stay warmer longer. You’ll need a 10″-12″ skillet for this queso fundido with poblano rajas recipe.
- Another option is a cast enamel skillet. This will also keep the dip warm longer and go from stove, to oven, to table.
- No oven safe skillet? No problem. Just transfer everything to either a clay baking dish which is a classic way to serve queso fundido with corn, or an oven safe baking dish or pie plate.
Tips From the Beach

- Peeled roasted peppers let off a lot of moisture. They will release a little excess liquid into the melted cheese. To elevate a little of this pat them thoroughly dry with paper towels before mixing them with your cheeses.
- Have fun mixing up your cheeses in this recipe but make sure that you pick a good melting cheese, and also a cheese that has some stretch such as low moisture mozzarella. This will give you the best combination of textures.
- If making this on a charcoal grill add a few wood chips for additional flavor. Cheese takes on smoke well.
- If you don’t feel your cast iron skillet is well seasoned lightly coat with oil before adding your cheese mixture. Keep in mind though that cheese releases a lot of oils.
- If you’re serving this at a tailgate or with other grilled dishes, feel free to keep this warm longer by transferring it to the indirect side of the grill.
Can I store leftover queso fundido?
Unlike a queso dip that has a roux base as a stabilizer, this is literally just melted cheese. The texture doesn’t hold up the same when reheated. It’s best to dive in and enjoy when it’s still warm.
How spicy is roasted corn queso fundido?
The predominate peppers in this are poblanos which are mild and earthy. Because of the richness and amount of cheese, this only has a mild spice, even with the serrano. It’s about a 3. Feel free to leave the seeds in the serrano for more heat, or use a deseeded jalapeno for less heat. You can also leave it out entirely.
Roasted Corn Queso Fundido
Grab a warm tortilla and dive into this creamy, gloriously cheesy Roasted Corn Queso Fundido swimming with earthy strips of poblanos rajas.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 12
- Total Time: 32 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
- 2 cups corn, 3-4 ears
- 2 poblano peppers
- 8 oz Oaxaca cheese, shredded
- 8 oz Quesadilla cheese, shredded
- 1 tbsp avocado or neutral oil
- 1/2 cup sweet onion, diced
- 1 serrano pepper, finely diced, remove seeds for less heat if desired
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- Salt
- Tortillas or tortilla chips for serving
- Optional toppings, pico de gallo, diced tomatos, cilantro, pickled onions, pickled jalapenos, sliced radishes
Instructions
- Prepare your grill for direct grilling. Place the corn and the poblano peppers on the hot grate. Rotate them every 1-2 minutes until all sides are charred. Place the poblano peppers into a zip top bag and allow to steam and cool.
- Remove the skin from the poblanos. Discard the stem and the seeds. Cut the poblanos into thin strip.
- Remove the corn from the cobs. You’ll need 2 cups.
- Heat a cast iron skillet or oven safe pan over medium heat with the avocado oil. Add the onions and the serrano pepper and season with a pinch of salt. Sauté them for 3-5 minutes until translucent and tender. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Let cool completely.
- Preheat your oven or grill to 350 degrees.
- Pat the poblano strips dry with a paper towel.
- Add the shredded cheeses, cooled onion mixture, corn, and poblanos to a bowl. Toss to combine.
- Add the cheese mixture into a cast iron skillet or oven/grill safe dish. Let the queso fundido bake for 10-12 minutes until melted, bubbly, and slightly golden brown.
- Serve warm with tortillas, tortilla chips, and your favorite toppings such as pico de gallo.
Notes
- You can use low moisture mozzarella in place of the Oaxaca cheese.
- Monterey jack, pepper jack, Chihuahua cheese, and Asadero cheese are all excellent options for the quesadilla cheese.
- Swap out the poblano peppers for Hatch chilis if they’re in season.