Melted Chorizo Cheese Dip (Choriqueso)

Name: Melted Chorizo Cheese Dip (Choriqueso)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Mexico
Ingredients: 12 oz (340 g) fresh Mexican chorizo, casings removed; 12 oz (340 g) Oaxaca cheese (or low-moisture mozzarella), shredded or torn into thin strips, about 3 cups (300 g); 1 small white onion (about 5 oz / 150 g), finely chopped; 1 jalapeño or serrano chile (about 1 oz / 30 g), stemmed and finely chopped, seeds removed for less heat; 1/4 cup (15 g) chopped fresh cilantro; 1 lime, cut into wedges

Choriqueso Say it: cho-ree-KEH-soh

By the Passport Plate editors. Published November 6, 2026.

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Choriqueso is a bubbling Mexican skillet snack of fresh chorizo browned with onion and chile, then melted together with cheese until it pulls in long, gooey strands. It arrives at the table still sizzling, usually in the same pan it was cooked in, and is scooped up with warm tortillas or spooned onto bread. The taste is savory and rich: paprika-stained, lightly spicy chorizo against mild, milky cheese, with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime cutting through the fat.

Melted Chorizo Cheese Dip (Choriqueso)

Choriqueso

Pronounced cho-ree-KEH-soh

Serves: 4
Prep: 10 min
Cook: 20 min
Total: 30 min
Level: Easy

Also nut-free and egg-free.

Allergens: contains milk. Check labels on packaged ingredients.

Ingredients

4 servings

12 oz (340 g)340 g (12 oz) fresh Mexican chorizo, casings removed
12 oz (340 g)340 g (12 oz) Oaxaca cheese (or low-moisture mozzarella), shredded or torn into thin strips, about 3 cups (300 g)
1 small white onion (about 5 oz / 150 g), finely chopped
1 jalapeño or serrano chile (about 1 oz / 30 g), stemmed and finely chopped, seeds removed for less heat
1/4 cup (15 g)15 g (1/4 cup) chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, cut into wedges

Method

Set a 10-inch (25 cm) cast-iron or other heavy skillet over medium heat. Crumble in the chorizo and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until the pieces are browned and have released their orange-tinted fat, 6 to 8 minutes.
Spoon off all but about 2 tablespoons of the rendered fat, then add the onion and chile. Cook, stirring, until the onion turns translucent and soft and smells sweet, 4 to 5 minutes.
Lower the heat to low and let the pan settle for a minute so the chorizo stops sizzling hard. Add the cheese in three or four handfuls, stirring gently after each addition so it melts evenly rather than clumping.
Keep stirring slowly until the cheese is completely liquid, glossy and stretchy, and bubbles lazily at the edges of the pan, 3 to 5 minutes. If it starts to look oily, pull the pan off the heat for a moment and keep stirring.
Scatter the cilantro over the top and take the skillet straight to the table. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over each scoop.

Regional variants

For choriqueso con rajas, roast, peel and slice 2 poblano chiles and stir them in with the onion for a smokier, milder version. Chihuahua or asadero cheese can replace Oaxaca for an equally good melt.

Cook's notes

Use fresh Mexican chorizo, not Spanish cured chorizo: the soft, raw sausage is what melts into the cheese and seasons it.
Low heat is everything once the cheese goes in; hard boiling turns a smooth dip oily and stringy.
Grate or tear the cheese yourself and let it sit out for 15 minutes first; pre-shredded cheese is coated with starch and melts less smoothly.

Serve with

Warm corn or flour tortillas, bolillo bread, lime wedges, and a cold beer or agua fresca.

Make ahead and storage

Best eaten straight away, as the cheese firms as it cools. Reheat gently in a skillet over low heat with a splash of water, or in short microwave bursts, stirring between them.

Melted Chorizo Cheese Dip (Choriqueso)