Slow Cooker Queso Dip
We're making this creamy dip in the slow cooker and utilizing a few choice ingredients to ensure it tastes like the neon nacho cheese sauce of your youth.
Serves10 to 12
Makesabout 2 1/3 cups
Queso dip, for the uninitiated (welcome to the fold!), is an unapologetically cheesy sauce designed for chip-dipping and ladling over fries. And, most importantly for us, it’s the scene-stealer at any party. We’re making this creamy dip in the slow cooker and utilizing a few choice ingredients to ensure it tastes just like the neon nacho cheese sauce you love to break out for parties.
So if you’re looking to infuse your game-day menu with a dose of nostalgia, be sure to invite this slow cooker queso dip to the party.
Embrace the Neon Cheese
The use of Velveeta cheese in this recipe is going to raise some eyebrows, but here’s the thing: Because Velveeta is a shelf-stable cheese product, it can sit in the slow cooker for several hours without getting grainy or gloopy, or separating. It is also so creamy on its own that it only needs a little milk and the heat of the slow cooker to transform it into dip.
Even though it’s shelf stable, Velveeta is sometimes found next to the shredded cheese in the dairy case. If it’s not there, look for it near the canned Parmesan in the pasta aisle.
Top Your Nachos
This queso recipe only requires three ingredients. Up the nacho ante by picking out three to four extra toppings for guests to dress up their chips and cheese dip with. While the dip can be thrown together the day of the party, fix up your toppings the day before and stash them, covered, in a serving dish in the fridge.
A Few Ways Upgrade Your Queso
- Canned diced tomatoes and peppers (like Ro-tel)
- Canned black beans
- Salsa
- Avocado
- Chopped fresh tomatoes
- Chopped cilantro or chives
- Crumbled cooked bacon
- Chopped red onions
- Sliced black olives
- Chopped bell or poblano peppers
Slow Cooker Queso Dip
We're making this creamy dip in the slow cooker and utilizing a few choice ingredients to ensure it tastes like the neon nacho cheese sauce of your youth.
Makes about 2 1/3 cups
Serves 10 to 12
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1 pound
Velveeta cheese spread, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 cup
milk
- 1 to 2 tablespoons
hot sauce, such as Frank's Red Hot or Cholula
Tortilla chips, for serving
Instructions
Place the Velveeta, milk, and hot sauce in a 1 1/2-quart or larger slow cooker. Cover and cook on the LOW setting until the Velveeta is completely melted, about 1 hour.
Whisk until smooth, then turn the slow-cooker setting to WARM if your slow cooker has that setting. If your slow cooker doesn't have a warm setting, leave on LOW uncovered to keep the dip warm without burning. Serve warm with tortilla chips and toppings.
Recipe Notes
Stovetop option: Place all the ingredients in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat. Cook, whisking occasionally, until the Velveeta is completely melted and the dip is smooth and warmed through.
Storage: Store leftover dip in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. It can also be frozen for up to 2 months. Reheat in the slow cooker or on the stovetop over low heat until pourable.