Smoked Queso Dip

This smoked queso dip is a crowd-pleasing, melty cheese appetizer that requires little prep and yields restaurant quality results.

What is Queso Dip?

Queso means cheese in Spanish. This dip is a melty cheese appetizer full of flavor from the meaty sausage, cheese and jalapeño.

Cooking the queso dip in the smoker adds so much flavor and makes this appetizer irresistible.

This recipe went viral on TikTok and thanks to Meat Church seasonings.

Why you will love this recipe

What's not to love about a smokey and cheesy appetizer that you can make in no time?

This recipe is quick, you only need to prep a few ingredients and toss them together, your smoker will do the heavy lifting.

This recipe is perfect for game day or any holiday party. It truly is a crowd-pleaser.

Smoked Queso Ingredients

The ingredients you need for this recipe are just a few and this is a highly customizable recipe.

• Sausage: We like the hot Jimmy Dean's sausage. But use the mild if you don't want your queso to be too spicy.
• Cream cheese: Helps with melting the cheesy and adds a bit of tangy flavor.
• Cheese: Cheddar and pepper jack are a good combination. Monterrey would also be great. Any cheese that melts well will work.
• Rotel: We used the mild classic green chilis and tomato blend.
• Velveeta: We used velveeta as in the original recipe, you will need to keep the queso dip warm or it will solidify quickly because of the Velveeta.
• Jalapeno: This spicy pepper adds a quick to the queso. Add as much or as little as you'd like depending on your heat tolerance.
• Cilantro: This savory herb adds a ton of flavor but if you happen to dislike it, just leave it out.

How to make smoked queso

This recipe is super simple and requires little prep. Most of the work includes chopping the ingredients and the rest is pretty much hands off.

Start by prepping the sausage. You want to brown the sausage in a skillet until fully cooked.

While the sausage is cooking, start grating the cheeses. Using fresh cheese from a block allows for better melting, so I highly recommend grating your own cheese.

Dice the jalapeños, chop the cilantro (if using) and cut the Velveeta into 1 inch chunks.

While your smoker is going through the pre heat cycle, arrange the queso ingredients in an aluminum pan.

Smoke at 225 for 2 hours until the cheeses are melted. Add a splash of milk (about 1 cup) and mix well until you get the desired consistency.

Tips to make this dip

Use your favorite sausage or ground beef. If using ground beef you will need to season it to taste.

This dip solidifies at room temperature, so it is important to keep it warm. if you have a crockpot, add the smoked dip to it and keep it in the warm setting.

I will make another version of this dip without the Velveeta cheese to compare the end results. Stay tuned for that version.

What to serve with queso

This dip is great with tortilla chips as served in restaurants. The tortilla chips that are shaped like tiny cups are perfect for this dip.

Use a tortilla chip that is sturdy since this dip is heavy and will break the thinner tortilla chips.

You can also make nachos with this dip and just pour it over a bed of tortilla chips and load it with with guacamole and sour cream.

If you want to add a healthier spin, dip some uncooked broccoli florets, some carrot sticks or crunchy Persian cucumbers.