Traeger Smoked Queso Dip Recipe
An easy, cheesy appetizer with a delicious smoky flavor and a spicy kick! This smoked queso dip recipe is made with a blend of cheeses, ground beef, spices, and Rotel. Made in a disposable aluminum pan, this recipe is easy to cook, easy to clean, and perfect for a summer potluck! Oven instructions included, too!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
What Makes This Recipe Great
Summer fun is quickly approaching, which means it’s potluck and BBQ season! I created an easy, delicious smoked queso recipe with minimal prep time and makes your pellet grill do all the work. It’s full of cheese, peppers, ground beef, onion, spices, and Rotel chilis and tomatoes. We got our Traeger 2 years ago, and it’s been the best investment! I love smoking all the things every summer!
Simply dump your ingredients into a foil pan, place it on your smoker, and watch it cook! The resulting dip is out of this world. You can serve this cheese dip with chips, veggies, over nachos, as a spread, or eat it with a spoon- no judgment here!
Looking for other potluck-friendly dishes? Try one of these: Healthy Tuna Pasta Salad, Mango Habanero Salsa, Bacon Ranch Deviled Eggs, and Dairy Free Sausage Dip.
Ingredient Notes
- ground beef: You can also use ground sausage if preferred.
- diced onion
- spices: garlic powder, paprika, cumin, chili powder, and salt.
- Pepper Jack cheese & American cheese: I use a blend of white American and pepper jack cheese. Some recipes call for Velveeta cheese, but I prefer this version because it’s less processed and made with better ingredients. Feel free to substitute if desired. I get big packs of cheese at Costco. American cheese is usually not sold in blocks, so I just slice up the slices into chunks while they’re stacked up!
- Rotel: This is a mixture of tomatoes and green chilis. It comes in variations such as Mild, Hot, and Fire Roasted. Choose the variation based on your spice and flavor preference.
- jalapeno pepper: You can add more if you like it spicier or less to make it milder.
- almond milk: I used this instead of heavy cream or regular milk. Use more to thin out your queso or less, depending on the desired consistency.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Traeger Grill
- Preheat the pellet smoker to 250.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, onions, and spices and saute for 5-7 minutes until cooked through.
- Add the American cheese, pepper jack cheese, cooked beef/onions, cans of rotel, jalapenos, and almond milk to a disposable foil pan.
- Add the pan to the bottom rack of the smoker. Close the lid and cook for 1.5 hours, stirring every 20-30 minutes.
- Serve with tortilla chips, and enjoy!
Oven Method
- Preheat oven to 375. Add the foil pan to the oven and cook for 20 minutes, stirring the queso halfway through.
Crock Pot Method
- Add the cooked beef/onions/seasoning mixture into the crock pot along with the remaining ingredients. Stir. Cook on low for 3-4 hours or high for 1-2 hours, stirring every 20-30 minutes. Once cooked, keep it on low to prevent the cheese from hardening.
Mary’s Tips & Tricks
- Serving: The cheese will harden as it sits, so you may need to reheat it on the grill or in the oven every hour or so if you’re serving this at a party or gathering! Alternatively, you can transfer it to a slow cooker and keep it on low to prevent it from hardening.
- Foil Pans: I used a disposable foil pan because you can cook in and serve easily from the same pan. They’re also easy to transport if you bring the queso to a gathering.
- Pellets: I used Traeger’s pro blend pellets, which are a blend of oak, hickory, and cherry wood. Feel free to use your desired pellets.
- Substitutions: You can use Monterey jack cheese or cheddar cheese instead of pepper jack if desired. It’s easy to switch up the cheeses based on your preferences. Even cream cheese would work. As for protein, you can use cooked chorizo sausage, ground chicken, ground turkey, or ground pork sausage! Choose your favorite!
Serving Tips
- Serve your smoked queso dip with veggies, chips, bread, over nachos, burgers, or whatever you like!
Storage Tips
- Store leftover queso dip in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Leftovers heat up really well and taste amazing. Reheat in the microwave, stovetop, or slow cooker. Stir and serve!
Recipe FAQs
I used Traeger’s pro blend pellets, which are a blend of oak, hickory, and cherry wood. Feel free to use your desired wood chips/pellets.
Yes! It won’t have the same smoky flavor that the Traeger smoker gives it, but you can add a splash of liquid smoke to make up for it. Gas and charcoal grills cook a bit differently, so you’ll need to adjust the cook time depending on which one you have. Cook at 300 degrees until the cheese dip is completely melted, stirring halfway through.
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Traeger Smoked Queso Dip Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef, or ground sausage
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 lbs American cheese
- 1 lb pepperjack cheese
- 2 cans rotel
- 2 jalapenos, seeded and diced. Can add more if you like it spicier!
- ½ cup almond milk, more if needed to thin it out
Equipment
- smoker or oven
Instructions
- Pre-heat smoker to 250.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the ground beef, onions, and spices and saute for 5-7 minutes until cooked through.
- Add the American cheese, pepperjack cheese, cooked beef/onions, cans of rotel, jalapenos, and almond milk to a disposable foil pan.
- Add the pan to the bottom rack of the smoker. Close the lid and cook for 1.5 hours, stirring every 20-30 minutes.
- Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!
Oven Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375. Add the foil pan to the oven and cook for 20 minutes, stirring the queso halfway through.
Crock Pot Instructions
- Add the cooked beef/onions/seasoning mixture into the crock pot along with the remaining ingredients. Stir. Cook on low for 3-4 hours or high for 1-2 hours, stirring every 20-30 minutes. Once cooked, keep it on low to prevent the cheese from hardening.
Notes
Mary’s Tips & Tricks
- Serving: The cheese will harden as it sits, so you may need to reheat it on the grill or in the oven every hour or so if you’re serving this at a party or gathering! Alternatively, you can transfer it to a slow cooker and keep it on low to prevent it from hardening.
- Foil Pans: I used a disposable foil pan because you can cook in and serve easily from the same pan. They’re also easy to transport if you bring the queso to a gathering.
- Pellets: I used Traeger’s pro blend pellets, which are a blend of oak, hickory, and cherry wood. Feel free to use your desired pellets.
- Substitutions: You can use Monterey jack cheese or cheddar cheese instead of pepper jack if desired. It’s easy to switch up the cheeses based on your preferences. Even cream cheese would work. As for protein, you can use cooked chorizo sausage, ground chicken, ground turkey, or ground pork sausage! Choose your favorite!
Serving Tips
- Serve your smoked queso dip with veggies, chips, bread, over nachos, burgers, or whatever you like!
Storage Tips
- Store leftover queso dip in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Leftovers heat up really well and taste amazing. Reheat in the microwave, stovetop, or slow cooker. Stir and serve!
8 Comments on “Traeger Smoked Queso Dip Recipe”
I made this down the beach for taco night. It was delicious with just the right amount of spice to it. We had plenty of leftovers the next day for queso and chips. I plan to make it for the next cook out as well. It’s so easy and so delicious. Highly recommend.
Thank you!!
So. I had high expectations for this. I’m a nacho/queso lover. I was so afraid it wouldn’t turn out like I imagined. Well. It turned out way better than I could have ever expected. It is so good! I want to just eat it with a spoon! I will never make queso the old way again. I used a smoker, and I don’t think I’d do it any other way since we have a smoker. Im sure even without it’s really yummy!
YAY! When I read the first line of this, I got nervous LOL Glad you liked it!
Made this this weekend and it was a huge hit!
Yay! So glad to hear it Natalie!
I always know Mary’s recipes will be winners and this didn’t disappoint! I halved the recipe and it was still a lot! My only adjustment was to use a can of diced green chilis because I forgot to buy a jalapeño. Other than that, I wouldn’t change a thing, and will for sure make this again!
Thanks Lisa! So glad you loved it!