Caldo De Queso Con Papas (Sonora Cheese & Potatoes Soup) is a traditional dish from northern Mexico. It’s delicious & healthy, made with diced potatoes and chunks of queso fresco.
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The Authentic Caldo De Queso Recipe
Pure comfort food, this Sopa De Queso is kicked up a notch with roasted anaheim pepper. Simple ingredients include potatoes, queso fresco, milk, onion, tomatoes, garlic and cilantro.
This was one of my mom’s favorite caldos to make and one of my favorites too. It’s a traditional dish from the state of Sonora where I was born. However, this soup is now gaining popularity throughout Mexico and some parts of the United States.
It is truly delicious and I hope you get to make this Caldo De Queso Con Papas! Join me to see our family’s traditional recipe.
🩷 xoxo, Ana
Why you’ll love it
- This cheese soup recipe comes together in less than an hour and makes a great dinner. If you serve in small portions, it’s a wonderful side to a quesadilla or a small sandwich.
- Your entire family will love it!
- A few simple ingredients make a sumptuous cheese & potato soup. Be sure to use a high-quality queso fresco; it’s crucial to the dish’s flavor.
Ingredients
Here are a few notes on the ingredients used for this Caldo De Queso Con Papas:
- Queso Fresco – This Mexican cheese does not melt in the soup and should stay in chunks for the most part. This cheese is found in the refrigerated latin isle in most grocery stores.
- Potatoes – I prefer Yukon potatoes for this soup but you can use any potato you like.
- Roasted Anaheim peppers – The roasted green chiles add a delicious flavor to the soup. Don’t skip this step!
- Milk – Make sure it’s warm so that it doesn’t curd when added to the hot broth. The milk is what gives that creamy consistency you see on the photos. I use 2% milk but you’re more than welcome to use your preferred milk (even almond & coconut milk will do!)
- The other ingredients are, tomatoes, onions, garlic, cilantro, chicken bullion powder (or cubed) and salt & pepper to taste.
How To Make Caldo De Queso Con Papas
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium or large pot. Add the onions and saute over medium heat about 5 minutes. After that add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Then the tomato and cook for 5 minutes or until they’re soft.
3. Add the potatoes, salt, pepper and oregano. Stir and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Then the water, chicken bullion and cilantro. Cover the pot with a lid and cook until the potatoes are cooked through. About 25 to 30 minutes.
5. When the potatoes are cooked through, add the chile strips and cook for 5 minutes.
6. Add the milk (make sure it’s warm). Then the cheese cut in cubes and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes.
7. Remove the cilantro and taste for salt & pepper to see if it needs more.
When the soup is ready, it’ll be creamy but still brothy. The vegetables will be soft and the fresh cheese won’t melt so it’ll maintain the cubed form. It’s always good to taste it to see if it needs more salt and pepper. Adjust if needed. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
This sopa de queso is the perfect vegetarian soup. It’s hearty and it can be served as the main meal along with some warm corn tortillas. If you want to serve something else with it I suggest Tlacoyos, Molletes, or Taquitos. It really goes with anything you want. I welcome you to explore more Mexican dishes to see what else inspires you to make.
For a drink? Serve with a tall glass of Agua De Jamaica. You’ll love this combination.
Tips and Notes
- Add some chicken (rotisserie, shredded) for added heartiness.
- Skip roasting chiles by using canned roasted green chiles—perfect for busy nights
How to Store
- Fridge: Allow the caldo de queso to cool down to room temperature before transferring it to an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
- Freezer: Place the cooled soup in a freezer-safe container or freezer bags, removing as much air as possible. Seal it tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Don’t forget to label the container with the date and contents!
Reheating
Reheat on the stove or in the microwave (stir well mid-way). If it’s thickened too much, just add a splash of milk or water.
More Mexican Soups To Try
Print Recipe:
Caldo De Queso Con Papas (Cheese & Potato Soup)
Ingredients
- 3 Roasted Anaheim peppers - or 2 large poblano peppers if you can't find anaheim peppers
- 2 tablespoons avocado, grapeseed or canola oil
- ½ small onion - Sliced
- 2 garlic cloves - peeled & finely chopped
- 3 Roma tomatoes - cut in small chunks
- 3 white Yukon potatoes - cut into 1 inch chunks
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt - Add more to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon oregano
- 6 cups water - warm
- 1 teaspoon chicken bullion powder - or 1 cube
- a small bunch of cilantro - Tied up so that it's easy to remove later (see the notes section)
- 1 cup 2% milk - warm
- 12 oz queso fresco or queso panela - cut into 1 inch chunks
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a medium or large pot. Add the onions and saute over medium heat about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the tomato and cook for 4 minutes or until they're soft.
- Add the potatoes and salt, pepper and oregano. Mix well and cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the water, chicken bullion and cilantro. Cover the pot with a lid and cook until the potatoes are cooked through. About 25 to 30 minutes.
- When the potatoes are ready, add the chile strips and cook for 3 minutes. Add the warm milk (see the notes section #1) and the cheese.
- Cook for about 5 minutes and remove the bunch of cilantro (see the notes section #2).
- When the soup is ready, it'll be creamy but still brothy. The vegetables will be soft and the fresh cheese won't melt so it'll maintain the cubed form. It's always good to taste it to see if it needs more salt and pepper. Adjust if needed.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
#2 – If you want to keep the cilantro in the soup, just chop it up instead of adding it in tied in a bunch. Additional notes:
- Queso Fresco – This cheese does not melt and should stay in chunks for the most part.
- Potatoes – I prefer Yukon potatoes for this soup but you can use any potato you like.
- Roasted Anaheim peppers – Follow the link to see how I roast the chiles
Your Private Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can! The soup will turn out even creamier if you substitute heavy cream or half-and-half for the milk. So if you prefer a creamier caldo de queso, go right ahead and swap the milk for cream.
Traditionally, queso fresco or queso panela (Mexican fresh cheeses) are used in caldo de queso. These cheeses soften in the hot soup but don’t fully melt, leaving you delicious chewy chunks. If you can’t find those, any firm, non-melting fresh cheese will do. People have had success with paneer (an Indian fresh cheese). The key is to avoid cheeses that melt into goo – for example, steer clear of Oaxaca cheese, mozzarella, or other easy-melting cheeses, because they will just disappear into the broth. Using the right cheese gives you that signature texture of little cheese cubes in the soup.
Every family puts their own spin on caldo de queso. In Sonora (where this dish comes from), many people love to serve it with warm flour tortillas on the side for dipping or scooping.
It’s also common to garnish each bowl with extra flavor – for example, a few crushed chiltepin chiles, which are tiny red peppers that pack a spicy punch, are traditionally sprinkled on top to add heat. If you can’t find chiltepins, a pinch of red pepper flakes can stand in.
Thank you for stopping by!
I hope you like this recipe! Do you have any questions I can help you with? Or if you made it, I would love it if you leave a comment or rating below.
Gracias!!!! xx, Ana
This was very tasty. I added some leftover rotisserie chicken. I used whole milk but would have liked it a little creamier. Adding a drizzle of crema was perfect, or next time I may use half and half. I think this would be great topped with crumbled tortilla chips. Thank you!
Thank you so much for this easy and delicious soup recipe. I appreciate all of your recipes and the time you so generously share with us.
This recipe is phenomenal. My kids and my husband loved it. I added some rotisserie chicken and topped with fresh cilantro and avocado. Served with some homemade flour tortillas. Chef’s kiss. Will definitely make this again.
Excellent! I use roasted poblanos.
This was the best sopa de queso I have made! Just like my mom used to make it in Hermosillo when I was growing up. Gracias por la receta!
Made tonight, looking forward to having it with brown rice.
Out of all the recipes, this was the one closest to my family’s recipe. WE ALL LOVED IT!!!! My only change was adding a can of Ortega diced green chiles -only to save time- I also love the flavor of the chopped cilantro left in the soup.
I loved it! Full of flavor. The cilantro while cooking added a wonderful flavor and aroma to the recipe. My mom made this when I was young! This was super good. I changed the cheese because I like melted cheese in every bite. I also used vegetable broth instead of water.
I really loved this! I couldn’t find Anaheim, so I used poblano. I had some bone broth and heavy cream so I used those too. The only thing I felt it needed was a little bit of heat so I added some cayenne at the end and I think it turned out fantastic. Will definitely make it again. Thanks for this!
Can you use heave cream or half and half instead of milk. I love creamy brothy soups.
Hi Lisa! yes you can! It will definitely give it more depth & creaminess. enjoy!
Wonderful recipe.
Loved it!
It came out very tasty! The recipe was very easy to make. I definitely recommend you try this!
I love this recipe. There is nothing more comforting than a hot bowl of chicken soup. The queso fresco adds that special touch. A fav at home. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Rosemary!! so happy your family loved it.
Thank you, Rosemary! so happy you liked it.
This soup was so warm and cozy, just perfect for the cooler temps. I’ll make this one again, thanks!
Thank you, Kristine! glad you like it.
This is delicious! Cheese and potatoes are all I need in life 🙂
Thank you, Ashley!! yes good for cold days.
The cheese really sets this soup apart from others I’ve tried. Can’t get enough of that flavor!
This is so cozy, warming, and flavorful! Was my first time making it and it definitely wasn’t my last!
Thank you, Dana! so happy you liked it.
This is the best soup I have ever had! The queso fresco was amazing. A new constant in our kitchen.
Mi favorite!!!!
This wad so easy to make and delicious!!
This is the real deal Caldo De queso! Just like I grew up eating in in Sonora. Thanks for the recipe!
This is the best, easiest and quickest recipe for Caldo de Queso. My mother was from Hermosillo and so I grew up on this soup. It’s super authentic and muy delicious!!
I love the recipe but you don’t show how to use the substitute for Anaheim Chiles,do i roasted too? By the way I’m from Sonora too,born in Oregon ,raise in Hermosillo and live in the USA too
Thank you for all your recipes,we have to keep the better of our tradition…?
Hola Margarita!!! Que gusto verte por aquí mi querida paisana!!! Gracias por tu pregunta que tengo que rectificar en la receta!
If you can’t find anaheim you can use a poblano pepper. I also think you can find roasted green chiles in a can? That could be another substitute. If you can’t find that either, then use a green bell pepper as a last resort.
My sister now lives in Hermosillo and I agree, we have to keep our recipes alive!!! Thank you soooo much for stopping by and please let me know if you have any other questions. You’ll love this! Buen provecho!
Deliciosa esta receta de caldo de queso ?⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hoy comi esta sopa!! Deliciosa!!!
Que bueno que te gusto este caldo de queso Malena! Saludos!
My coworker made this for me, its so good! Would this taste good with chicken? I want to make it for my husband but he’s very carnivorous!
Hi Leena! Wow you have such a nice coworker! I wish I had that lol! But I’m very happy to hear that you liked this Caldo De Queso. You can definitely add chicken to it! If you’re adding it already cooked (I recommend shredded rotisserie) or you can cook the chicken in water with onions, garlic, celery, salt, pepper and oregano. Cook until chicken is cooked through. Then proceed to make this soup following the recipe. Add the shredded chicken (or chunks) at the end.
Please let me know how it turns out! I may do it next time hehe! Thanks so much for the question and stopping by. XO, Ana
This soup is exactly like the one I had at a restaurant and I couldn’t stop ordering it! I decided to figure out how to make it instead of spending $10 a bowl to quench my craving!
Superb, incredible and I am so happy I stumbled across this fantastic recipe! Thank you for sharing!
So very yummy. I’ve always been a lover of Mexican dish and potato soup. Win/win
Ok I’m doing it all now! Question why do we remove the cilantro? Is it optional?
Yay!!! It’s optional but I leave it. Enjoy and buen provecho!
Okay, I updated the recipe with an extra note #2. Thanks for the question! Ana
Best soup ever!
I’m from Sonora Mexico and I fully approve this recipe. This Is a dish that’s close to my heart. This incredible soup taste like home to me. It reminds me of my culture my family and is an all-around comfort food. It’s truly an amazing recipe thank you for sharing it.
I made it and came out delicious! Great recipe! My mom used to make it like this.
I do not even know how I ended up here, but this recipe for Caldo De Queso was very good.
I don’t know who you are but definitely you’re going to a famous blogger if you are not already
😉 Cheers!
Made it and it’s Absolutely Delicious. My family loved it. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Love this soup. Once the chiles are roasted, the soup comes together pretty quickly, and it reheats nicely. It was perfect on a cold, rainy night. This soup will go into our regular rotation of wintertime recipes.
I substituted the queso fresco for pepper jack and it was TDF !
LoVe it Ana
xo
M
Thank you so much I used to try to follow a recipe on YouTube but it was in Spanish LOL loved your recipe it came out perfect
haha! That’s a perfectly way to land on this recipe! I’m so happy to you loved it Tiffany! That’s music to my ears! take care! xo, Ana
Excellent website. Plenty of useful information here. I am sending it to a few friends ans also sharing in delicious. And certainly, thanks for your sweat!
My Favorite!!!
Gracias por compartir!!!
Gracias Malena! Que gusto que te guste! jeje!
Love it !!! This is delicious#!! Just made it. Thank you Ana!!