Dig into a delicious Cheesy Taco Dip, easily made in a skillet or slow cooker, with seasoned ground beef, green chilies, cream cheese, salsa, and any taco toppings. It is the perfect party food appetizer for football season and holidays.
Cheesy Beef Taco Dip
Our simple Cheesy Taco Dip recipe combines the bold ground beef flavors from my Rotel Dip with the taco taste and hint of the heat of my Texas Trash Dip, tops it with heaps of cheese, and serves it hot and piled high with your favorite taco toppings.
Few appetizers bring friends together like a hot, mouthwatering beef dip that mimics your favorite taco flavors, especially when it’s all baked together in a single skillet (or cooked in a crock pot) until the cheese is bubbly instead of stuffing everything inside a shell.
This ground beef taco cheese dip tastes great on top of tortilla chips, Frito Scoops, and crackers. But for those who are watching their carbs, serve it with fresh veggies, pile it into a baked potato, or simply eat it by the spoonful!
Why We Love Hot Cheesy Taco Dip Recipes
- Quick and easy to make.
- Uses only a handful of simple ingredients.
- A crowd-pleasing appetizer that always gets rave reviews.
- When made in a crockpot, it’s perfectly portable for potlucks, tailgates, or holiday parties.
- Great to serve for game night and family gatherings.
Cheesy Taco Dip Ingredients
- Ground beef: I prefer lean ground beef for this hot taco dip.
- Onions
- Taco seasoning: You can use a store-bought packet or try our homemade taco seasoning.
- Broth or water
- Canned diced green chiles
- Ground cumin
- Salsa
- Cream Cheese
- Shredded Mexican blend cheese or cheddar cheese
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Additions
- Make With Other Meat: Instead of ground beef, use ground pork, ground turkey, or ground chicken to make your cheese and meat dip.
- Tasty Taco Toppings: Feel free to pile on all the fixings! Some of my favorite toppings are shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, guacamole, green onions, sliced olives, fresh cilantro, jalapenos, sour cream, and extra cheese.
- Choose Your Cheese: Feel free to use a Mexican blend cheese, cheddar, Colby Jack, Monterey Jack or a blend of cheeses.
How to Make Cheesy Taco Dip In A Skillet
- Brown The Beef: Brown the ground beef, drain any excess fat, and then add the onions. Cook for about 3 minutes.
- Make The Meat Mixture: Stir in the taco seasoning, cumin, and broth or water. Add the chiles and salsa and cook for a few minutes. Stir in the cream cheese until melted. Mix in the shredded cheese and season with salt and pepper.
Pro Tip: At this point, you can transfer the dip to a casserole dish or simply top the dip with cheese and bake it in the skillet. - Bake: Sprinkle with cheese and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes or until hot, bubbly, and golden brown.
- Serve: Top with taco toppings and serve warm with desired dippers. Enjoy!
HOW TO MAKE TACO DIP IN THE SLOW COOKER
- Brown The Beef: Brown the ground beef, drain any excess fat, and then add the onions. Cook for about 3 minutes.
- Make The Meat Mixture: Add the ground beef mixture to the crock pot. Add the taco seasoning, cumin, broth or water, chiles, salsa, cream cheese and cheese and mix well.
- Cook: Cook on low heat for 3 hours, stirring a a few times. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Sprinkle with cheese and cook on low heat for an additional 10 minutes.
- Serve: Top with taco toppings. Keep the slow cooker on the warm setting while serving and serve with desired dippers. Enjoy!
Tips For Making Cheesy Taco Dip
- If you make this cheese taco dip in your slow cooker, I recommend you stay away from using lettuce as a topping. The lettuce will wilt quickly and look unappealing.
- I like using chunky salsa to make my meat and cheese dip.
- I use mild diced green chiles for this recipe, but if you like spicy foods, use hot green chiles!
- When making this recipe in the slow cooker, you will need only 1/4 cup of broth or water.
- The cheese will become a bit stiffer as it cools, so sturdy tortilla chips are best for dipping.
How to Store Cheesy Taco Dip
- To Store: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- To Reheat: Reheat in the microwave until heated through.
More Easy Dip Recipes
More Taco Inspired Recipes
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Cheesy Taco Dip
Serves — 8
This Cheesy Taco Dip is loaded with ground beef, green chilies, melted cheese and all the taco toppings!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef I use lean ground beef
- ⅓ cup chopped onions
- 1 package taco seasoning about 2 tablespoons if using homemade
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- 1 (4-ounces) canned mild diced green chiles
- ½ cup broth or water use 1/4 cup if making it in the slow cooker
- ½ cup salsa
- 4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature, cubed
- 2 ¼ cups shredded Mexican blend cheese or cheddar cheese, divided
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Optional Toppings
- Chopped Lettuce
- Chopped Tomatoes
- Sliced Olives
- Chopped Onions
- Chopped Cilantro
- Jalapenos
Instructions
To Make it in a Skillet
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a skillet (see notes), brown the ground beef over high heat. Drain any excess fat, if needed. Add the onions and cook for about 3 minutes.1 pound ground beef, 1/3 cup chopped onions
- Lower the heat to medium. Stir in the taco seasoning, cumin and broth or water. Mix well. Add the chiles and salsa and cook for about 2-3 minutes.1 package taco seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 cup broth or water, 1 (4-ounces) canned mild diced green chiles
- Stir in the cream cheese and mix well until melted. Mix in 2 cups of shredded cheese. Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste.4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature, cubed, 2 1/4 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese or cheddar cheese, divided, Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- At this point, you can transfer the dip to a casserole or simply top the dip with cheese and bake it in the skillet.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of shredded cheese on top and bake for 20 minutes or until hot, bubbly and golden brown.2 1/4 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese or cheddar cheese, divided
- Top with desired toppings and serve warm with tortilla chips.
To Make it in the Slow Cooker
- In a skillet, brown the ground beef over high heat. Drain any excess fat, if needed. Add the onions and cook for about 3 minutes.
- Add the ground beef and onion mixture to the crock pot. Add the taco seasoning, cumin, 1/4 cup of broth or water, chiles, salsa, cream cheese and 2 cups of shredded cheese and mix well.
- Cook on low heat for 3 hours, stirring a couple of times through the cooking. Taste and season with salt and ground pepper if needed.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of shredded cheese and cook on low heat for an additional 10 minutes. Top with your desired toppings.
- Keep the slow cooker on the warm setting while serving to keep the dip warm! Serve with tortilla chips.
Jenn’s Notes
I recommend using a skillet that can go into the oven (like a cast iron skillet).
Nutrition Info
Calories: 262kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 84mg | Sodium: 406mg | Potassium: 302mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 600IU | Vitamin C: 0.8mg | Calcium: 255mg | Iron: 1.7mg
Made this on the weekend and it was amazing! Very easy and everyone loved it.