Smoky slow cooker beef queso dip is an extra-flavorful, just-spicy-enough appetizer perfect for Game Day - or whenever! This hearty homemade queso is made with real cheese, features easy chipotle peppers in adobo for heat, and stays creamy and warm for even stragglers to the party to enjoy.
I'll be frank: I'll always be more of a football food fan than an actual football fan. Not growing up watching professional football and then going to a D3 school where football wasn't a big deal solidified that for me.
However I do love a good theme and getting festive for any kind of occasion so please count me in if you're having people over to watch the game. I just may keep a closer eye on the appetizer table.
This is the ONLY way I make beef queso dip at home, no deviations, even if I'm not needing it to stay warm in the slow cooker for hours for a crowd. The flavor is just that good I never want to disappoint myself by experimenting.
(Looking for something meat-free? Smoked gouda dip brings a similarly smoky flavor in a quicker stovetop version).
Why This Crock Pot Beef Queso Hits
Ooh I love this queso so much -
- The beef is cooked and seasoned. Beyond just browning the beef, spending an extra few minutes to season it with chili powder, cumin, and S&P before adding it to the slow cooker makes a big difference in flavor depth.
- Seriously packed with meat. Sort of specific, but have you ever been disappointed when ordering beef queso out somewhere and it has barely any beef? (Just me?). Never on my watch. There's beef in every scoop and bite of this beef queso recipe.
- It uses real cheese... Just a personal preference (I will most certainly chow down on Velveeta-based dips when presented with them), but block cream cheese, pepper jack, and colby jack have all the melt you need in my preferred homemade beef queso version.
- ...and chipotle pepper in adobo. This makes more of an impact than you might think! This canned good is great to have on hand and a little goes a long way to bring spiciness, but also ultra rich, smoky flavor. Just the thing to pair with beef and cut through all the creamy cheesiness.
- Slow cooker = easy entertaining. Once you get your skillet work out of the way, everything gets loaded into a slow cooker and besides a stir or two, your work is done. It can stay on warm the whole party through and remain scoopable at the ready. Just gotta make sure it's plugged in.
Recipe Ingredients
For the seasoned beef, you'll need ground beef (your preferred fat percentage is fine as the fat is drained), chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and some water like in my homemade taco meat recipe to ensure it's juicy with well-dispersed spices.
Otherwise you'll need...
- Chipotle pepper in adobo: One pepper, chopped up, delivers so much smoky, rich flavor and a nice amount of heat dispersed throughout this dip (nothing super wild). I find these in the "international foods" aisle of my grocery store. They come canned in adobo sauce, and you can freeze the leftover peppers.
- Milk: I'm not a stickler for whole milk in recipes like this or bust - 2% or whatever you typically have on hand will be fine.
- Diced tomatoes: I like to get the ones with green chiles, like RO*TEL.
- Melty cheese: Equal parts pepper jack and colby jack are my go-to picks, but you can also sub in cheddar.
- Cream cheese: Use a block of cream cheese, not whipped cream cheese in a tub. I'm partial to sticking with full-fat cream cheese (and not reduced-fat Neufchâtel) for the ultimate creaminess.
Making Beef Queso Dip in the Slow Cooker
Homemade beef queso cooks in two parts: the skillet and the crock pot. Start with the skillet:
- Cook the onion and garlic. Just for a few minutes to activate their flavors.
- Cook the seasoned ground beef. Be sure to drain away the fat once it's done. You can't add raw meat to crock pot beef queso. It'll take too long, for one thing, and the fat won't have anywhere to run to - it'll be very greasy.
- Add everything to your slow cooker. You can use a larger size than a 1.5- to 2-quart slow cooker if that's what you have, but I'm not sure the quantity of ingredients here would sufficiently fill out a gigantic one or anything.
- Slow cook. Cook on LOW heat for 1 to 1.5 hours, stir in a little extra milk, then cook for a bit more time until thoroughly warmed and creamy. At that point switch to the WARM setting and serve alongside tortilla chips. It may need a stir or two during this stage but really it's a low-maintenance warm party dip.
Tips and Tricks
- Perfect slow cooker for dips: A 1.5- to 2-quart slow cooker (paid link) is the BEST size for hot dips. It does what it needs to do and fits all of the ingredients without taking up too much room on the appetizer table. Plus it leaves your big crock pot open for slow cooker buffalo chicken or whatever else is on the menu.
- Prevent greasy, watery queso: Make sure to drain the fat from the beef and drain the liquid from the diced tomatoes before adding them to the slow cooker.
- Make it spicier: Start by using one chipotle pepper as per the recipe, let everything melt and combine, then taste. Stir in another pepper or a few tablespoons of the adobo sauce if you'd like more heat.
- Reheat leftover beef queso: Scoop leftover queso dip into a small saucepan set over low heat. Drizzle in milk a small amount at a time as it heats to help it become creamy again.
Did you enjoy this recipe? I’d love for you to leave a star rating and a comment review in the recipe card below!
Smoky Slow Cooker Beef Queso Dip
Ingredients
- ¾ pound (12 ounces) ground beef your preferred fat percentage
- ¾ teaspoon salt divided
- ¾ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ¼ cup chopped onion (about half of a small onion)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup diced tomatoes with green chiles, drained
- 1 ½ cups shredded pepper jack cheese
- 1 ½ cups shredded colby jack cheese
- 8 ounces block cream cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo, finely chopped (1 pepper, NOT 1 can)
- 10 Tablespoons milk (I used 2%), divided
Instructions
- Add beef to a skillet set over medium heat. Break up the beef into crumbles as it cooks until they are no longer pink. Drain the fat from the beef and place the skillet with the drained beef back on the stove.
- Sprinkle chili powder, ½ teaspoon of the salt, cumin, and pepper over the beef. Raise heat to medium-high and pour in the water. Simmer until the water has reduced and stir. Transfer beef to a bowl and carefully wipe out skillet to use again.
- Add 1 teaspoon oil to the skillet set over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and stir. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until onion has become golden. Remove skillet from heat.
- Add beef, onion/garlic mixture, drained tomatoes, shredded cheeses, cream cheese, chopped chipotle pepper, and ½ cup of milk to the insert of a 1.5- or 2-quart slow cooker. Cook for 1 to 1 ½ hours on low, then stir. Stir in an additional 2 Tablespoons of milk and continue to cook until heated throughout and creamy to your liking. To serve, switch heat to 'warm' and stir occasionally.
Notes
- I used approximately half of a can of diced tomatoes with green chiles in this recipe. You can add more if you like, just be sure to drain them before adding to the slow cooker to prevent wateriness.
- Leftover portions should be refrigerated in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.
- Reheat leftover beef queso dip by scooping into a small saucepan set over low heat on the stovetop. Drizzle in a little extra milk, as needed, for it to become nice and creamy again.
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Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
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