This easy Chili Con Queso is a cheesy and meaty party dip that everyone is going to love. It’s great with tortillas or poured over enchiladas. Plus, it’s ready in under 15 minutes with just 4 ingredients!
The Best Chili Con Queso Recipe
Ordering Chili Con Queso is a must when you’re out at a Mexican restaurant, right? But what if we told you that you could make your own smooth and melty queso dip at home in just 15 minutes? And that’s what we have here with this incredible queso dip recipe – straight out of Texas, so you know it’s got to be good!
We’ve been using this recipe for years and there’s no hiding how incredible it is. Your friends are going to be obsessed with it and it’s up to you if you want to share how easy it is to make! We use a few classic queso ingredients like Velveeta, diced tomatoes, and a jar of queso cheese which provide the best creamy vessel for our Homemade Taco Meat.
The taco meat is seasoned perfectly and isn’t too spicy, so this dip is great for the whole family. Of course, we have a few suggestions on how to add a little heat if you like it spicy and even how to make it vegetarian! Read on to find out!
Why You’ll Love This Queso Recipe
Here’s why this is going to be one of our favorite party appetizers:
- 4 ingredient recipe: And most of the ingredients you can grab right off the shelf at the supermarket. The Taco Meat is easy to make, but you can also keep pre-made portions of it in the freezer for recipes just like this one.
- It’s super fast: No one wants to be wasting time in the kitchen when there’s a party going on! This dip is so quick and easy because it takes less than 15 minutes to make.
- Crockpot friendly: Once the dip is made you can put it right in the slow cooker to stay warm. This is a special touch that all of your guests will love!
Recipe Ingredients
4 ingredients – that’s all you need and here’s what they are:
- Prepared Taco Meat: Our taco meat filling is perfect for this queso dip because it’s not too spicy but still has a ton of flavor.
- Velveeta Cheese: We have yet to find another cheese that’s as creamy and perfect for queso as Velveeta is and we’ve tried a bunch. We always come back to good ol’ Velveeta.
- Jar of Queso Cheese: We used On the Border Monterey Jack Queso but you can use any queso flavor or brand you enjoy.
- Rotel Tomatoes: We suggest using mild Rotel when you’re making this for a crowd so that it’s not too spicy. If you want it spicy, the original or hot versions of rotel will definitely turn up the heat!
How to Make Chili Con Queso
It’s silly how simple this recipe is. But like we said, you don’t need to share your secret! Follow the steps below and you’ll wow your friends over and over again.
Add the ingredients to a large skillet. And then stir together the Taco Meat, Velveeta, queso dip, and tomatoes.
Next, stir until all the cheese is melted. This will take about 5 minutes.
Serve immediately! This dip is best served warm with a bowl of tortilla chips or smothered on top of enchiladas.
Recipe Variations
Remember when we said we were going to tell you how to make this dip extra spicy? Plus we’ll tell you a few other ways to make this queso even more delicious!
- How to make it spicy: You can easily control the heat with this queso because the Rotel brand comes in many different levels of heat. If you are cooking for a crowd, I recommend using Mild as this will be pleasing to most palates. If you are looking for a little heat, use the Original and if you want it spicy, use Hot. Or, they even have a Serrano version for those who love things EXTRA HOT!
- How to make it vegetarian: Keep this vegetarian by skipping the taco meat. Instead, add a can (or two if you like it with a lot of beans) of chili beans and 2 tablespoons of our Homemade Taco Seasoning.
- Add garnishes: Try adding fresh garnishes, like Pico de Gallo, on top for a little bite and more flavor. Diced fresh tomatoes, jalapenos, cilantro, and red onions are all great. A Mexican restaurant we love in Texas always adds a scoop of Guacamole to the center of their queso and it’s delicious!
What to Serve with Chili Con Queso
Here are some other Mexican-inspired dishes that we like to serve with this recipe.
- Use it as a topping for walking tacos: Have all of the fixings ready for our Walking Tacos and a crockpot filled with this warm queso dip and you have a fun dinner party idea!
- Pour it over enchiladas: This melted queso would be an amazing addition to our Beef Enchiladas recipe because it makes it extry meaty and extra delicious!
- Serve it with shredded chicken: Pour some over our Mexican Crockpot Chicken (we have an Instant Pot recipe, too!) and crumble some tortilla chips on top for the perfect dinner!
- Pico and Guac: Make our Pico de Gallo and Easy Guacamole recipe for an assortment of party dips.
Can I Make This for a Crowd?
We’ve been serving this Chili Con Queso at parties for years and there have been no complaints! In fact, it’s the opposite because our friends and family beg us to make it!
We recommend keeping the dip warm in a slow cooker when serving a crowd. So once everything is melted and warm, add the dip to a Crockpot and keep it on warm. Then, every once in a while, go stir the queso to keep it from forming a film on top.
Keep extra ingredients on hand because you’re going to run out and need to make another batch! Everyone’s going to be devouring it!
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Store leftover Chili Con Queso in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. We recommend reheating it in a skillet just as you originally made the dip. Or you can reheat it in the microwave, but do it in 20-second increments so that the cheese doesn’t boil or burn.
Can I Freeze This?
We don’t recommend freezing this recipe. You’ll never get that amazing melty consistency that you had the first time around.
But you can freeze small portions of the Taco Meat so that you don’t need to cook the meat every time you want to make this recipe.
Chili Con Queso
Ingredients
- 1 batch prepared taco meat
- 8 oz Velveeta, cubed
- 1 15.5 oz jar queso cheese
- 1 10 oz can Rotel (do not drain)
- Pico de gallo, optional topping
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add taco meat, Velveeta, queso and diced tomatoes. (If you are making the taco meat fresh, add the velveeta, queso and rotel once the meat is cooked through.)
- Mix everything together and keep stirring while the cheeses melt and blend with the meat and tomatoes, about 5 minutes.
- Serve warm topped with pico de gallo, if desired.
