I think of tequeños as Venezuelan cheese sticks. Simple pastry dough gets wrapped around cheese and deep fried until golden brown. Serve a tequeño with your favorite dipping sauce and you’ve got an impressive appetizer!
Lately I’ve been focused on a few classic Venezuelan recipes as they make me feel close to my mother’s side of our family (she was born in Venezuela and moved to the US in elementary school). Food and cooking is such a fun part of culture and it’s just one of those little things that as I grow up I crave more of.
Related: Next up try our recipe for cachapas or arepas.
Tequeño Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Unsalted butter
- Egg
- Water
- Cheese- queso blanco, queso semiduro, or low moisture mozzarella
- Oil for frying – canola or vegetable oil work well
How to make Tequeños
Start by making the dough. In a large mixing bowl combine the flour and salt. Cut the cold butter into small pieces and incorporate it into the flour mixture. A pastry blender is a good tool for this or you can use your clean hands (this is what I do). It should resemble small pebbles.
Next Add the egg and 1/4 cup cold water. Stir together until the dough forms a shaggy ball. If it seems too dry to stick together you may need 1-2 more tablespoons of cold water. The dough should be a slightly softer version of pie crust dough. Allow the dough to rest for a few minutes.
Cut the cheese into small sticks. I tend to aim for mozzarella cheese sticks (the kind you buy that are individually wrapped for snacking) size but then cut in half lengthwise. You can also take a look at the photos in this post to get an idea of the size you are aiming for with the cheese.
Roll the dough into a large rectangle. Cut into thin strips, I use a pizza cutter to do this. Wrap each cheese stick in the dough, sealing the ends but dapping a little water onto the dough and pressing together.
In a large pot or cast iron skillet heat the oil to around 375°F. Deep fry the tequeños in the oil for 3-4 minutes. Rotate them halfway through so all sides get crispy and golden brown. Transfer to a plate with paper towels after to remove excess oil.
Serve warm with whatever dipping sauce you prefer!
Notes and Substitutions
- Queso blanco and queso semiduro are more traditional choices for the the filling in tequeños but I always use low moisture mozzarella as it’s easier for me to find. Really any salty, hard melting cheese will work in these.
- I reference mozzarella cheese sticks to give you an idea of the thickness you are aiming to cut the cheese into. But, I don’t recommend using cheese sticks as typically the mozzarella used for those isn’t low moisture and so tends to be too soft to hold up well in deep frying.
- Wrapping the tequeños is skill. It’s not difficult but it may take one or two before you get the hang of it.
- If your tequeños leak a little during frying it’s OK! The cheese will turn into little crunchy bits that stick to the outside and IMO make these even better.
- These are flaky and lightly sweet on the outside with a salty, melted cheese inside. They are delicious but a little plain. Sauce is a must! My top choice is guasacaca (Venezuelan avocado sauce) or salsa rosa (mayo and ketchup—add a splash of hot sauce if you dare). Salsa work great. But another option, completely untraditional, is marinara sauce.
- Tequeños are best the day they are made, warm from the initial cooking. If you do have leftovers you can rewarm them in the air fryer for a few minutes.
More Latin American and Tex-Mex Recipes
- Chalupa
- Quesadillas
- Ceviche
- Torta
- Pozole
- Elote
- Chicharron
- Mole Sauce
- Chipotle Sauce
- Queso
- Enchilada Sauce
- Chicken Verde Enchiladas
- Taco Dip
- Birria Tacos
- Chimichangas
- Fajitas
- Huevos Rancheros
- Taco Salad
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you air fry tequeños?
This recipe is for homemade tequeños. I did test air frying them and IMO, no. It’s not very good although technically works. I do think air frying store-bought (already cooked and frozen) tequeños would work well thought.
Can you bake tequeños?
Yes, this recipe for from scratch tequeños can be baked in the oven instead of deep fried. If you do brush the outside with either egg wash or a little oil and bake at 400°F for 9-11 minutes. The outside should look golden brown.
Can I use pie crust to make tequeños?
No. Pie crust typically does not contain egg, so it’s a little denser and less ‘fluffy’ than the pastry dough used for tequeños.
Tequeño
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter cold
- 1 egg
- 4-6 tablespoons water cold
- 16 ounces low moisture mozzarella
Instructions
- Start by making the dough. In a large mixing bowl combine the flour and salt. Cut the cold butter into small pieces and incorporate it into the flour mixture. It should resemble small pebbles.
- Next Add the egg and 1/4 cup cold water. Stir together until the dough forms a shaggy ball.
- If it seems too dry to stick together you may need 1-2 more tablespoons of cold water. The dough should be a slightly softer version of pie crust dough.
- Allow the dough to rest for a few minutes.
- Cut the cheese into small sticks. I tend to aim for mozzarella cheese sticks (the kind you buy that are individually wrapped for snacking) size but then cut in half lengthwise.
- Roll the dough into a large rectangle. Cut into thin strips, I use a pizza cutter to do this.
- Wrap each cheese stick in the dough, sealing the ends but dapping a little water onto the dough and pressing together.
- In a large pot or cast iron skillet heat the oil to around 375°F.
- Deep fry the tequeños in the oil for 3-4 minutes. Rotate them halfway through so all sides get crispy and golden brown.
- Transfer to a plate with paper towels after to remove excess oil.
Notes
- Queso blanco and queso semiduro are more traditional choices for the the filling in tequeños but I always use low moisture mozzarella as it’s easier for me to find. Really any salty, hard melting cheese will work in these.
- I reference mozzarella cheese sticks to give you an idea of the thickness you are aiming to cut the cheese into. But, I don’t recommend using cheese sticks as typically the mozzarella used for those isn’t low moisture and so tends to be too soft to hold up well in deep frying.
- Wrapping the tequeños is skill. It’s not difficult but it may take one or two before you get the hang of it.
- If your tequeños leak a little during frying it’s OK! The cheese will turn into little crunchy bits that stick to the outside and IMO make these even better.
- These are flaky and lightly sweet on the outside with a salty, melted cheese inside. They are delicious but a little plain. Sauce is a must! My top choice is guasacaca (Venezuelan avocado sauce) or salsa rosa (mayo and ketchup—add a splash of hot sauce if you dare). Salsa work great. But another option, completely untraditional, is marinara sauce.
- Tequeños are best the day they are made, warm from the initial cooking. If you do have leftovers you can rewarm them in the air fryer for a few minutes.