Would you like a little burger with your cheese?
This one is for people who love the cheese more than the burger. Raise your hand—I’m with you.
I have about fifty hands raised.
The only thing that rivals cheese on a burger is guacamole. Am I right?
Picture this: it’s 85 degrees, you’ve spent the day outside doing yard work and drinking ice-cold water. For dinner you sit down to a burger smothered in melty queso and an ice-cold beer. Bliss. It feels special precisely because you don’t do it every day.
Yes, I’m shouting today. FYI.
If it were up to Eddie, we’d grill burgers three times a week—not fancy Shake Shack-style, just simple grilled patties on whole wheat with a little cheese, and Five Guys once a week on top of that. I love a burger—especially a really great one—but for me the star is the cheese (and bacon, naturally).
My longtime favorite on the site is the sautéed mushroom, Dijon aioli and arugula burger—it’s not piled with cheese but it has huge flavor. Still, there’s a new contender: a burger covered, trashily and wonderfully, in queso dip.
Yep. Cheese dip on your burger.
There are a few ways to serve these. The best (but not always easiest) is to make the queso as close to mealtime as possible so it stays melty and you can spoon it over the burgers just before serving. That works great for weeknight dinners or small gatherings but is trickier for large crowds.
Another option is to assemble the burgers about an hour before eating, wrap them in foil (Five Guys-style) and let the heat meld the cheese into the burger. The queso may spread around the bun, but it will still taste amazing.
You can also keep the queso warm in a crockpot, stirring occasionally and thinning it slightly if needed so it remains smooth and ribbon-like.
If you want a shortcut, Velveeta is a perfectly valid option for a super-melty queso. I tend to favor real cheese, but Velveeta has nostalgic, melty appeal—especially if you’re feeding a crowd.
Top each burger with fresh pico de gallo instead of plain tomato and onion slices. Layer butter lettuce and avocado on the bottom bun and finish with pickled jalapeño slices on top. Done—party time.
Queso Cheese Burgers
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Ingredients
Burgers
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 4 to 6 brioche or sesame seed bunsdepending on size
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes,quartered
- 1/4 sweet onion,diced
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
- 1 lime,juiced
- 2 avocados,thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup jalapeño slices, for serving
- spring greens for serving
Queso Cheese
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1/2 sweet onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup half and half
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 16 ounces sharp white cheddar, freshly grated
- 8 ounces Monterey Jack, freshly grated
Instructions
Burgers
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Place the beef in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Mix gently with your hands and form 4 to 6 patties to match your buns. Heat a large skillet or grill over medium heat and add the olive oil and butter. Cook the patties until browned on both sides and cooked to your preferred doneness — about 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium-well, depending on thickness.
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In a separate bowl, combine the cherry tomatoes, diced onion, cilantro and lime juice. Stir well and season with a pinch of salt and pepper to make a quick pico.
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To assemble, spread avocado slices on the bottom bun, top with a cooked burger and spoon generous amounts of queso over the patty. Add pico and jalapeño slices, then serve immediately.
Queso Cheese
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Heat a saucepan over medium and add olive oil and butter. Stir in the diced onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the onion softens, about 5 to 6 minutes. Slowly stream in 3/4 cup of the half and half while whisking.
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Toss the grated cheeses with 1 tablespoon cornstarch. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining 1/4 cup half and half with 1 tablespoon cornstarch until smooth to make a slurry. Stir the slurry into the saucepan and cook until the milk thickens, about one minute. Reduce heat to low and add the grated cheese a small handful at a time, stirring until melted and smooth. Keep warm in a crockpot or bowl and spoon over burgers when ready. Serve any extra with chips.
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