Introducing my go-to homemade Chili Cheese Dip, or also called Chili Queso Dip. This warm dip is loaded with ground beef, beans, cheese, green chilies and tomatoes, seasoned with Chili powder, paprika, and cumin. Ready under 30 minutes!
Highly recommend making a big batch as appetizer and snacks for your Game Day or Super Bowl watch parties and serve it with tortilla chips. Be sure grab yourself a big crunchy bite before it runs out! Because here’s the truth…it will be gone fast!
Love a good dip recipe? Don’t forget to also check out some of my other favorites on the blog: Roasted Garlic Bread Dip, Caramelized Onion Dip, Chunky Guacamole, Crab Rangoon Dip and Rotel Velveeta Queso!
Why we love this easy chili cheese dip
Confession time: I never love chili cheese dip until this chili cheese dip.
Chili cheese dip, or chili queso dip (queso is cheese in Spanish), is a popular dip here in Texas and is the perfect combination of hearty chili and a flavorful queso cheese dip – two very popular foods in this state.
Our chili cheese dip is cheesy, creamy, and loaded with ground beef and beans. Because of that it is chunky, filling and hearty.
It is such a popular dip and appetizer especially for game day, I set off to create a chili cheese dip that I’ll love. I wanted to create one that is cheesy, chunky, flavorful and yet balanced
Not trying to brag, but I think I have arrived… 😉 I LOVE this ground beef chili cheese dip recipe.
Besides tasting incredible, here’s all the reasons why chili queso dip is so awesome:
- No pre-made chili! You can get chili from a can, but it’s not that hard to make your own and it is MUCH better.
- It’s straightforward and tasty! Under 30 minutes on the skillet and we are done.
- It’s super easy to make! We all need to be eating chili cheese dip, not working hard on it! 😉
- It’s meaty and chunky, loaded with beef, tomatoes, cheddar cheese and beans — this chili cheese dip is truly the bomb!
- It’s also customizable – like you can top it with green onions for a fresh crunchy bite, or add pico de gallo to it catch those tastebuds by surprise. Or if you are like my spicy loving husband…drizzle hot sauce to make it even spicier!
- It reheats well! Make ahead friendly, store in refrigerator or freezer, and tastes as good as new when reheated!
Ingredients
Here are all the ingredients that goes into this delicious chili cheese dip. These are also easy to find ingredients that are also simple to work with:
- lean ground beef: avoid using ground beef that is high in fat content because we don’t want to end up with a pool of grease. Try to get 90% or higher lean ground beef.
- Velveeta cheese: American cheese product made by Kraft that is kinda the key to this dish. It’s creamy, smooth and it melts like a dream. We also use it in our queso recipe too and I love the flavor it brings to cheese dips.
- onion: used as an aromatic for the chili cheese dip
- garlic: along with the onions, these are the aromatics that make a world of difference for the flavor of the chili
- spices: and it’s simply just salt, chili powder, paprika and cumin. Alternatively, you can use taco seasoning.
- tomato sauce: use good quality tomato sauce for the best flavor and for a slightly fresher feel, make your own! Coming soon – a tomato sauce recipe by my dear husband!
- rotel: because why mess with chopping veggies when you can get this (which is basically a tomato/ green chilies mix in each cans)? 😉 In rare cases, you can’t find this at the grocery store, you can substitute it with tomatoes and green chilies.
- kidney beans: these typically come in canned form, and come with lots of liquid as well. Be sure to drain it! You can also use black beans and/or pinto beans.
- cheddar cheese: I like adding cheddar cheese in addition to velveeta to give it another dimension of flavor. This will also help thicken the chili cheese dip.
- pico de gallo: make for a great garnish with a bite of freshness
How to make it
Oh hello gooey, chunky chili cheese dip!
Our ground beef chili cheese dip is made in a cast iron skillet (or any skillet) on the stovetop, then served straight on the cast iron if you’d like! Translation: it’s one less dish to wash!
Everything is made and served in one skillet – isn’t that the best thing ever??
First, heat a 12-inch cast iron skillet and add cooking oil to grease it. Then bring on the onions and garlic first, followed by the ground beef. Cook and break it into smaller pieces.
Once ground beef is completely cooked, add seasonings (chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt), and give it a good stir.
Next, add tomato sauce, kidney beans and Rotel. Stir and mix well.
And now we will incorporate the cheese, or queso, into our chili cheese (or queso) dip.
Reduce the flame to medium low heat, and cut Velveeta into smaller chucks and add it to the skillet (see picture below). By cutting cheese into smaller chunks, we are helping it melt quickly and evenly.
Stir to mix everything under medium low heat.
Once Velveeta is completely melted, shred cheddar cheese and add to the skillet.
Continue stirring and cook over medium low heat until cheese and melted and chili cheese dip heats evenly throughout.
If the dip seems runny, you can add more cheese. Although keep in mind that as chili cheese dip cools it will thicken.
If you are letting it sit out for a few hours while everyone digs into it, you may want to start off with a slightly runny dip and let it thicken as time goes by.
For the final oomph, garnish with more cheddar cheese and pico de gallo. Pico is optional, but I like the freshness it adds to it!
how to serve it
This is bite of chili cheese dip is savory, tangy, meaty and melts in the mouth…oh so very cheesy!
I find myself wanting to pair this with tortilla chips or any other kinda corn chips.
Eat it as dip, or pour it over hot dogs or burgers…or even pasta…top it with tater tots…ANYTHING.
Enjoy this thick, rich and satisfying chili cheese dip!
Make it for your next football or basketball watch parties, with a beer in hand. It’s the most delicious pairing!
Make Ahead and Storage
Make ahead and store covered in an airtight container the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freezer for up to 2 months. If making ahead, don’t garnish with pico de gallo until ready to serve.
If frozen, bring to refrigerator 24 hours ahead of time to let it thaw completely. To reheat, warm on stovetop or microwave until it is heated through.
Tips and Tricks
- For faster melting: Cut the Velveeta cheese into small pieces to help it melt faster.
- If you need to thicken the dip: consider adding more cheddar cheese, a different cheese such as cream cheese, or sour cream. Beans is a great way to thicken and add nutrition to the dip.
- Customize it to make it your own: Add jalapenos, green onions, or cilantro as toppings or mix ins for an extra kick of flavor!
Frequently Asked Questions
Cast iron skillet definitely isn’t a must. You do need something that is deep (deep sided skillet) and large enough to cook everything. Before transferring it into a bowl to serve as a dip.
Chili cheese dip will be slightly runny right after cooking. It should thicken up while it cools.
If you really want to thicken it up more, you can add more cheddar cheese or Velveeta, or add sour cream or cream cheese.
Yes! It freezes really well. Make sure to bring to a complete defrost before reheating.
ENJOYED THIS RECIPE? Tell us what you think by leaving a rating and review below! 🤍
More Appetizer Recipes
- Roasted Garlic Bread Dip
- Pizza Sliders
- Crispy Baked Chicken Taquitos
- Chicken Parmesan Sliders
- Turkey Pinwheels
- Caramelized Onion Goat Cheese Tart
- Italian Sliders
Chili Cheese Dip
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 8 oz tomato sauce
- 16 oz kidney beans drained
- 16 oz rotel drained
- 8 oz Velveeta cheese
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded, plus more for topping
- 1/2 cup pico de gallo for garnish
- cooking oil
Instructions
- Heat a cast iron skillet, or a deep-sided skillet, over medium heat. Once warm, drizzle with cooking oil. Add onions. Cook until they begin to soften. Add garlic. Cook until fragrant.
- Add ground beef breaking it into smaller pieces. Add seasoning: salt, pepper, chili powder, paprika, and cumin. Stir and cook.
- Once meat is fully cooked, add tomato sauce, beans and rotel. Stir to combine.
- Lower the heat. Add velveeta. Stir it into the dip and allow it to fully melt.
- Fold in cheddar cheese. Allow to melt.
- Remove from heat. Top with extra shredded cheddar cheese and pico de gallo if desired.
- Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!
