Chipotle Mexican Grill has launched a new version of its Queso called Queso Blanco, now available nationwide at its 2,000-plus restaurants.
The new recipe uses 13 real ingredients, including aged Monterey Jack, white cheddar, and serrano, poblano and chipotle peppers, to create a smooth queso with just the right amount of spicy kick. As with all of Chipotle’s food, Queso Blanco is made with no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. Queso Blanco replaces the previous yellow-color queso on the Chipotle menu.
Queso Blanco’s Monterey Jack cheese is made from dairy supplied by small and mid-size family farms in Wisconsin, adhering to Chipotle’s ‘Food with Integrity’ standards. This sourcing practice aligns with the brand’s larger efforts to support local farmers who are committed to raising or growing ingredients with the welfare of animals and the environment top of mind.
Queso Blanco is the third new menu item that has completed Chipotle’s “stage-gate process,” which allows the company to test, learn, listen to customer feedback, and iterate extensively before moving forward with a national launch. The new queso recipe was tested in 52 locations across three markets, Dallas, Detroit and San Diego, in 2019.
“Feedback on Queso Blanco in the test markets exceeded our expectations and it quickly became clear that we needed to give all of our guests access to this delicious queso,” said Chris Brandt, Chief Marketing Officer at Chipotle. “Our culinary team perfected a recipe of real, responsibly sourced ingredients, helping to advance our mission of Cultivating a Better World.”
