How to Make Crock Pot Cheese Dip
This is the easiest, cheesiest crockpot cheese dip recipe ever! And the best part? There are only 5 ingredients and NO VELVEETA! Just throw everything in the slow cooker for a couple hours and voila! The perfect party appetizer is ready to serve with pretzel bites or tortilla chips.
You Will Love This
- It’s got just 4 ingredients! Monterey Jack cheese, cream cheese, green chiles, and milk. It’s simple, delicious, and filled with real ingredients!
- There’s no Velveeta! Pasteurized cheese products are not high on my list of things I want to feed my family. And moreover, it’s just not necessary in this recipe! You can get a perfectly creamy cheese dip without it. So skip the cheese “product,” and opt for real cheese!
- It’s the perfect party appetizer! Whether it’s game day, a friend’s baby shower, or a graduation party, this vegetarian-friendly crockpot queso dip is a serious crowd-pleaser that you can bring to any occasion. It pairs well with tortilla chips or, my personal fave, pizza dough pretzel bites.
- It travels well! You can heat it up at home, and bring the whole crockpot wherever you’re headed. That way you’ve got a warm appetizer ready to go!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Monterey Jack Cheese — This variety of white cheese offers creaminess with some heat from the peppers. Perfect for this slightly spicy crockpot cheese dip! You can substitute with pepper jack, plain Monterey, or even cheddar, depending on your heat preference. See my tips section below for more cheese options.
- Cream Cheese — Along with the milk, this is what makes our homemade cheese dip creamy and velvety smooth without having to add any processed cheese “product” like Velveeta. And it’s mild enough to not overpower the Monterey jack or green chiles.
- Canned Green Chiles — Go with fire-roasted to add even more smokey, spicy flavor to this homemade cheese dip. The flecks of green are what make it look like the classic appetizer at your favorite Mexican restaurant! You can use standard canned green chiles, but the flavor won’t be as strong as the fire-roasted.
- Milk — I prefer to use 1% milk here because it’s less heavy or rich than whole milk, heavy cream, or half and half, but still accomplishes what we need it to — making this crockpot queso creamy, smooth, and dippable. If you prefer a more rich queso, use 2% milk or whole milk.
Instructions
Add all ingredients to a small crockpot. Cook on high for 2-2.5 hours, stirring every hour so until it’s melted and creamy.
Add more milk if necessary to loosen it up. Serve this crockpot cheese dip with baked pretzel bites or tortilla chips!
Tips for making this recipe:
- You can use a variety of other cheeses in place of the Monterey Jack. Havarti, Munster, American, Gouda, or even Cheddar would work just fine in this dip also. I like the mild flavor of the Monterey Jack and love the way that it melts, but American will give you a very close flavor and texture.
- Please don’t use Velveeta! It can be tempting to use Velveeta as it gives you a great smooth, creamy texture however, after reading the ingredient list you might think twice about why it’s so smooth and creamy. I much prefer the texture of real cheese to the “pasteurized cheese product”.
- Feel free to add more milk to help loosen it up. As the cheese sauce sits it will likely thicken up a bit so don’t be afraid to add a tablespoon at a time of milk as needed. This will keep it loose and creamy.
- If you’re looking for something meatier, you can add cooked ground beef, sausage, or chorizo to this dip! It’s nice to have a vegetarian option but if you know your friends will be missing the meat, go ahead and add a half-pound or so of cooked your favorite cooked meat. Crispy bacon crumbled on top would also be delicious. If you want some non-meat garnishes, sauteed onions and peppers would be divine, especially hotter peppers like jalapenos, serranos, or poblanos. Even some raw or pickled jalapeno slices would work well here. I’d be sure to jazz the meat up with some cumin and chili powder too so it’s got a little Mexican flavor too!
FAQ
The trick is to cook it low and slow, which makes the crockpot the perfect equipment for this homemade queso recipe. If the cheese dip isn’t going to be eaten within the next hour or so, set the crockpot to warm to prevent the cheese from burning on the bottom. Also, make a point to stir it thoroughly every 45 minutes or so to be extra careful. You can also spray the insert of your crockpot nonstick cooking spray before adding the cheese dip ingredients to ensure nothing gets stuck and burns.
There is no true way to keep queso from hardening after it cools; that’s how cheese dip and physics work! The key, though, is to find the sweet spot as far as temperature. Leaving your crockpot on warm throughout the serving period helps ensure that the cheese dip remains in liquid form, but still thick and smooth!
If you’ve ever handled packaged shredded cheese, you’ve probably noticed some brands can leave an almost powdery residue on your fingers. This comes from the cellulose powder that’s added to the shredded cheese to keep it from sticking together or melting in transit to the grocery store. So, while shredded cheese will melt in a crockpot, freshly cubed or grated is preferable. In a pinch, you could use pre-shredded cheese, but keep an eye on it and add milk if needed to keep the dip from getting stringy.
Storage, Freezing, and Reheating Instructions
This homemade cheese dip recipe is simple enough to make the day of serving, but you can save the leftovers (in the unlikely scenario that you have any) or make it ahead of time to make things even easier.
- Store leftover homemade queso in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freeze cooled crockpot cheese dip in a freezer-safe, airtight container or plastic bag for up to 3 months.
- Reheat the frozen cheese dip by letting it thaw in the fridge overnight. Then, place chilled queso in the crockpot and set it on high for 2-2.5hours, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking and burning. You can also place the frozen cheese dip directly in the slow cooker, but it will need to cook for longer. Stovetop reheating is also an option. Just do so over low heat, stirring frequently, until heated through and bubbling.
More Easy Appetizers
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Crock Pot Queso Dip
This is the easiest, cheesiest crockpot cheese dip recipe ever! And the best part? There are only 5 ingredients and NO VELVEETA! Just throw everything in the slow cooker for a couple hours and voila! The perfect party appetizer is ready to serve with pretzel bites or tortilla chips.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 16 oz. Monterey jack cheese, shredded
- 8 oz. cream cheese, cubed
- 7 oz. can fire roasted green chiles
- 1/2 cup 1% milk
- large pinch of Kosher salt
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a small crockpot.
- Cook on high for 2-2.5 hours, stirring every hour so until it’s melted and creamy.
- Add more milk if necessary to loosen it up.
- Serve with baked pretzel bites!
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
You can use a variety of other cheeses in place of the Monterey Jack. Havarti, Munster, American, Gouda, or even Cheddar would work just fine in this dip also. I like the mild flavor of the Monterey Jack and love the way that it melts, but American will give you a very close flavor and texture.
Please don’t use Velveeta! It can be tempting to use Velveeta as it gives you a great smooth, creamy texture however, after reading the ingredient list you might think twice about why it’s so smooth and creamy. I much prefer the texture of real cheese to the “pasteurized cheese product”.
Feel free to add more milk to help loosen it up. As the cheese sauce sits it will likely thicken up a bit so don’t be afraid to add a tablespoon at a time of milk as needed. This will keep it loose and creamy.
If you’re looking for something meatier, you can add cooked ground beef, sausage, or chorizo to this dip! It’s nice to have a vegetarian option but if you know your friends will be missing the meat, go ahead and add a half-pound or so of cooked your favorite cooked meat. Crispy bacon crumbled on top would also be delicious. If you want some non-meat garnishes, sauteed onions and peppers would be divine, especially hotter peppers like jalapenos, serranos, or poblanos. Even some raw or pickled jalapeno slices would work well here. I’d be sure to jazz the meat up with some cumin and chili powder too so it’s got a little Mexican flavor too!
Would a 4 quart crockpot handle this alright?
Any size crockpot will work, but I typically use a 1.5 quart or similar size.
I need help w it h mine. I just did it with mozzarella, and pepper jack, 1/4 cup heavy cream 1/4 cup water (didn’t have milk other than vanilla almond lol), and 1/2 jar of rotel that I put in the blender cause my kids won’t eat it if they can see chunks and it came out looking like super cheesy grits but it was not good at all. Was it the mozzarella? 😭😭 any idea how to fix it? Lol
It sounds like you left out the cream cheese! That is a really important ingredient. If you have some on hand you can mix it in until it melts. But honestly, I’d recommend making the dip over again and including all the ingredients as listed – water will not give you a great queso dip, unfortunately 🙁
Hero status for a delicious NON processed cheese queso! Now gimme all the soft pretzels so I can get to dipping already!!
OMG I’m right there with you on the soft pretzels! This is our family’s go-to dip for those!!
You say small crockpot…how small? Does the dip size, 1.5 quart work, or is that too small? Your link in the recipe goes to a six quart crockpot. Thanks!
I use a 1.5 quart crock pot. Check the “equipment” section of my recipe card and you’ll find the direct link to the one that I have. You could use a larger one but it will look best in a smaller one. Hope that helps!
YeH, I just saw that! Don’t know how I missed it earlier. I swear a link earlier in the post went to a larger one. Thanks!
You are right – the link above did go to a large one! I updated that one so I think now they should all go to the right one. 🙂
So yummy!! Made this for a Christmas get together and it was a hit. We added diced tomatoes, which was a really yummy addition. Still eating it two days after! Thanks!!
Diced tomatoes would be delicious in this dip – great idea! I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for leaving a review 🙂
Wondering about doubling it. Any issues? .
I don’t think you’d have any issues doubling it! Just might need to add a bit more cooking time!
Is this dip spicy at all with the chiles? Wondering if it is kid friendly.
Good question! I think that you can buy mild green chiles, but they’ll probably still have a hint of spice. You can certainly just leave the green chiles out too!
Are there any spices or anything else you would substitute for flavor instead or just leave it out? Thanks!
You could try cumin (maybe 1/4-1/2 teaspoon or so) to add some flavor without adding spice!