This slow cooker queso dip is made with cream cheese, American cheese, and a few other ingredients. We love to serve it with tortilla chips, veggies, and other cheesy appetizers.
This slow cooker queso dip is served at every one of our game-day parties. Kids and adults alike scrape the slow cooker clean. We love that you don’t have to slave over the stove-top to make this queso. Add everything to the slow cooker and you’re done.
We like to serve this slow cooker queso as an appetizer next to this Mexican corn salad, 7-layer taco dip, and elote.
What You Need for Queso Dip
- Slow cooker: this recipe is written for a slow cooker. We wouldn’t recommend making this recipe on the stovetop. If you are looking for a stove-top queso, try this homemade queso recipe.
- American cheese: do not skip the American cheese. It melts well and stays melted. If you use a different cheese it will turn out clumpy.
- Cream cheese: the cream cheese in this recipe thickens the queso and makes it creamy and delicious.
Slow Cooker Queso Dip Tips & Tricks
Don’t cook on high
We tested this queso dip with the slow cooker on high, and the higher cook temperature caused the cheese to burn around the edges and on the bottom. For this reason, we ONLY RECOMMEND COOKING THIS QUESO ON LOW.
Make sure you stir!
We all love a good set-it-and-forget-it slow cooker recipe, but this queso dip requires a bit of stirring throughout. We recommend setting a timer and giving it a good stir at least every 30 minutes to ensure even melting and prevent burning.
American cheese is key
We tested this recipe without American cheese, which is a processed variety of cheese, and it was not nearly as smooth and creamy. For that reason, we recommend NOT skipping the American cheese.
Typically American cheese will come already sliced (think Kraft Singles!), but we’ve found most major grocers will carry American slices that aren’t individually wrapped. We recommend this route to limit waste!
Spice to your liking!
Like a little more kick to your queso? YOU DO YOU! Feel free to use a hot salsa or add additional spices that pack a punch like cayenne, red pepper flakes or your favorite hot sauce.
This queso is relatively mild when a mild salsa variety is used 😀
Double it!
This recipe can easily be doubled if you’re serving a larger group. Just make sure your slow cooker is large enough to accommodate all that cheese!
Reversely, you can cut this recipe in half to serve a smaller group as well. Just make sure you’re stirring frequently as the cooking / melting time will likely be less than a full batch!
How to Store Slow Cooker Queso
Store this slow cooker queso dip in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
When Reheating Queso: we recommend reheating just like it’s cooked — LOW AND SLOW! Reheat in the slow cooker on low, stirring frequently. This will help prevent any separating or uneven reheating.
Freezing Queso: because cheese has a difficult time with drastic temperature changes, we do NOT recommend freezing this queso dip!
What to Serve with Queso Dip
Obviously, this queso dip is delicious with your favorite tortilla chips and vegetables. You can also layer it in quesadillas or add it to walking tacos.
Slow Cooker Queso
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 cup 2% milk
- 2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese
- 16 oz. American cheese cut into pieces*
- 8 oz. cream cheese
- 16 oz. salsa any kind
- 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon cumin
Instructions
- First, spray the slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
- Then, whisk cornstarch into the milk until it dissolves. Pour into the slow cooker and then add the rest of the ingredients.
- Mix everything together and then cover the slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 1.5 to 2 hours stirring every 15-30 minutes to be sure the edges don’t burn. We recommend NOT cooking this on high as it can easily burn.
- When all the cheese is melted and smooth, stir and turn the slow cooker to warm.
- Serve with tortilla chips, vegetables, or pretzels.
I followed this recipe exactly as written and it came out gritty and way too thick. I tried thinning it out with more milk at the end but it made no difference. I guess there is just no substitute for the creamy velveeta dip!
Turned out great! Did a half recipie and added chorizo! Will be a Sunday staple in our house!