Smoked Queso Dip

Smoked Queso brings queso dip to a whole new elevation. Velvetta, pepper jack cheese, jalapenos, Rotel, and more are all mixed together and tossed on your Traeger. Queso on the grill is such a winner for a party cheese dip. This offers a smoky flavor, and is good for cooking in a disposable foil pan. Give this queso dip recipe a try for a dip any night of the week.

This smoked queso dip recipe is so easy to make, it takes about 5-10 minutes to prep. Toss the queso ingredients into a pan, toss on the grill, and let it handle the rest. An easy smoked queso dip with meat!

Try our latest Blackstone Brats recipe as well for a tasty grill recipe. A new version of your usual cheese dip you can make on a Traeger pellet grill, Big Green Egg, or any other smoker or smoke box style grill.

A fun party food, game day appetizer and more. We love how easy this party dip recipe mixes up. It is loaded with cheesy goodness. This is a great appetizer for your next party or even coming up. This is the dip for any occasion. There are different ways to serve it up that is a low-maintenance recipe.

Why You Will Love This Smoked Queso Dip…

• Easy ingredients you might already have on hand.
• Cheesy goodness is a dippable recipe that is packed with rich flavors.
• Quick to assemble and get on the smoker.
• Smoking the cheese dip is going to enhance all the flavors and create layers of flavor.
• Great for cooking on Traeger, Green Mountain, Gas grill, etc.
• Party-friendly for a game day entertaining or summer cookout.
• Tailgate or Campfire Queso Recipe that is great for serving a crowd.

Queso Ingredients

Here are the Traeger queso ingredients we used. But, know you can change up the ingredients of this loaded queso dip a bit.

• Velveeta – This is going to help add a ton of cheesy texture to the dish. Plus Velveeta is rich, so it adds a lot of flavor.
• Pepper Jack Cheese – This adds a kick of flavor to your dip. If you are not a fan of spice, swap with a Monterey Jack instead.
• Ground Beef Breakfast Sausage or Chorizo – The meat is your choice. We used ground beef for this recipe.
• Rotel – Canned tomatoes with green chiles are what Rotel tomatoes are. If you can’t find it just do 1 can of diced tomatoes and 1 can of green chili’s leave the juice.
• Pickled Jalapenos – Spice and tang are what come from canned peppers. Now, if you want it to be spicy add fresh and leave the seeds.
• Minced Garlic – Jarred or fresh minced garlic works. It adds a nice flavor to the dip.
• Diced Onion – White or yellow onion is recommended for this.

How to Make

Full directions on how to make smoked queso are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a quick walk-through on how it is made.

1. Add all your ingredients to your pan. We used an aluminum throw-away 9×13 pan. You can use whatever you would like.
2. Preheat the grill (we used our Green Mountain Grill) to 200-250 degrees, then place your queso dip mixture on and let it cook for 2 hours, stirring here and there.
3. Once done, serve with your usual dippers.

Stir the easy-smoked queso dip to ensure the smokey flavor is incorporated through the whole dip. This is a dip for a backyard party or game-day dip. We used tortilla chips and pork rinds to transform this into the ultimate party dip for kids and adults to enjoy.

Expert Tips and Variations

Meat – You can use Chorizo, sausage, beef, or any meat you want. Or if you want a meatless cheese dip, go right ahead.

Cheese – we used Velveeta and Pepperjack. We recommend the Velveeta cheese but the other you can use a Monterey Jack cheese, sharp, etc. Just buy a block of cheese and dice it up.

Jalapeno – we used jarred pickled jalapenos. You can skip this but we find it adds tons of flavor. If you want more heat use fresh jalapeno to toss in.

Stir The Dip – Make sure to stir the dip, otherwise, you will find it cooks unevenly. Smoking the dip low and slow helps allow some of that smoky flavor to get into the dip.

Variations To Recipe and Tips

Here are different variations to this pellet smoker queso recipe. The smoke flavor ramps up the addiction to this dip.

• Change up the type of wood chips used, hickory wood, apple, etc. these will alter the flavor a bit.
• Change up the type of cheese used. We did a mix but you are welcome to play around with the types of cheese used. Colby jack, sharp cheddar, etc.
• Chorizo sausage or pork sausage is a great change in the protein used. Or leave out ground meats if you want a meatless dip.
• Slice up cheese and skip the pre-shredded cheese. It will make the dip extra greasy to use any kind of cheese that are pre-shredded.
• Cook in a cast iron skillet instead of a disposable aluminum pan.
• Add the seeds of a jalapeno to make this hot cheese dip spicy. It will add great flavor.
• Stir in some pico de gallo to add more of a fresh flavor to the dip.
• Swap meat with cooked-up chicken and add a packet of taco seasoning for a chicken taco dip.

What To Dip Rotel Cheese Dip In

Not sure what to serve with this smoked cheese dip? Here are a few ideas for this queso dip on the grill!

• Pork Rinds
• Tortilla Chips
• Fresh Veggies – we love snap peas and carrot sticks
• Bread
• Etc

Storing

You can store your cheese dip for up to three days in the refrigerator. Just reheat in the microwave.

Or if you do a skillet on the stove or in the oven, add a little milk. This will help thin up the sauce.

Due to the dairy used, this queso dip does not freeze well.

Practical notes

Can we make the smoke queso in the slow cooker?

You are more than welcome to make this in a slow cooker or even a Dutch oven if you want. You will find that cooking it this way will take away the smokey flavor, bit it will still be a tasty dip. Place all the ingredients in a slow cooker and cook on low for 4-5 hours. Stir often to ensure it doesn’t stick. If you cook with a Dutch oven, then cook for 2-3 hours in the oven at 250 degrees. Stir often is the main thing to ensure it is a cheese dip for serving up. You can add 1/2 teaspoon of liquid smoke to help elevate the flavor of the dip to offer a smokey component.

Is Velveeta keto?

Velveeta is not keto-friendly. You can swap the Velveeta with sharp block cheese or Monterey Jack cheese instead as an alternative.

Why is our queso so thick?

If your queso dip is too thick for your liking, add a splash of milk. This will help thin up the dip, and not change the flavor of your cheesy dip!

What is Queso?

Queso or Queso fresco dip is a Velveeta or cheese-based dip that is seasoned with green chilis, diced tomatoes, and other ingredients. A popular Velveeta queso recipe that is made for parties, game day snacks, and bring to a potluck!

Is queso and con queso the same thing?

Con queso and queso are both the same thing. It means cheese dip. Most Mexican restaurants serve up this famous cheese dip. You also can buy a white cheese dip as well.

Want More Dip Recipes

• Buffalo Chicken Dip
• Crab Dip
• Dill Pickle Dip
• Spinach Artichoke Dip
• 7 Layer Dip
• Cream Cheese Bacon Dip

Have you tried the recipe? If so, please leave a star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below or drop a comment. Also stay in touch with us through social media by following us on Facebook Pinterest or our Facebook Group

Ingredients

Makes 9 x13 pan

Supplies

• Grill
• Aluminum Pan
• Meat Chopper

Smoked Queso Ingredients

• 1 block of Velveeta, 32 ounces
• 1 block of Pepper Jack Cheese, 16 ounces
• 1 can Rotel, 20 ounce
• 3/4 cup pickled jalapenos in a jar
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 pound ground beef, cooked and chopped

Method

1. Add in all the ingredients into your aluminum foil 9×13 pan. Velveeta, Pepper jack cheese, diced onion, garlic, can of Rotel with liquid, pickled jalapenos, and cooked ground beef.
2. Turn the grill on to 200-250 degrees. There is wiggle room in the temperature. Place the cheese dip on the grill uncovered.
3. Cook for 2 hours and stir every 15-20 minutes.
4. Once the smoked queso is done, serve with your favorite dippers. Pork rids, corn chips, tortilla chips, veggies, etc.

Kitchen notes

Rotel is canned tomatoes with green chilis. You can also opt for a can of diced tomatoes and a small can of green chilis to replace. You are welcome to use ground sausage, chorizo, etc to replace of ground beef. The jalapenos add heat, if you want it to be milder, leave them out. You can swap pepper jack cheese with sharp cheese or Monterey jack cheese as well. If you don’t have a grill, bake in the oven at 220 degrees, stirring until the mixture is fully cooked. Cook your onions and garlic with the ground beef on the stove. Store the leftover dip in the fridge for up to 3 days. If the dip is too thick, add a splash of milk to thin up the con queso dip.