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A close-up overhead photo of Crockpot Rotel Dip. The thick, orange-yellow cheese dip is full of ground beef crumbles, red tomatoes, and green chilies.

Ultimate Crockpot Rotel Dip (Easy, Cheesy & Beefy)

This Crockpot Rotel Dip recipe is the ultimate party appetizer, featuring thick, melted yellow cheese, well-browned ground beef, and a zesty kick from diced tomatoes and green chilies. It's incredibly easy and always a crowd-pleaser.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 12 people
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: American, Tex-Mex
Calories: 350
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 32 oz Processed Cheese Loaf (like Velveeta) cubed
  • 1 lb Ground Beef 85/15 lean-to-fat ratio recommended
  • 10 oz Canned Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies (like Rotel) undrained
  • 8 oz Cream Cheese cubed
  • 1 tsp Onion Powder
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • Kosher Salt & Black Pepper to taste
  • Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips for serving

Equipment

  • 1 Slow Cooker (Crockpot) 4-quart or larger
  • 1 Large Skillet

Method
 

Brown the Beef
  1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and season with a pinch of salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Cook, breaking the meat apart into small crumbles, for about 7-10 minutes until well-browned.
  2. Drain off any excess grease thoroughly.
Combine and Melt
  1. Place the cubed processed cheese and cream cheese into the bottom of a 4-quart or larger slow cooker. Top with the drained, browned beef and the undrained can of tomatoes and green chilies.
  2. Cover and cook on LOW for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally, until the cheese is completely melted, hot, and glossy.
Serve
  1. Stir everything together until well combined. Set the slow cooker to the WARM setting and serve hot with tortilla chips.

Notes

Don't Use Pre-Shredded Cheese: Packaged shredded cheeses are coated in starches to prevent clumping, which can result in a grainy or gritty dip.
Cube the Cheese: Cutting the Velveeta and cream cheese into 1-inch cubes helps them melt much more quickly and evenly.
Thoroughly Drain the Beef: This is a critical step. Excess grease will make the dip oily and can cause it to separate.
Adjusting Spice Level: You can easily control the heat by your choice of canned tomatoes and chilies (Mild, Original, or Hot).