Chili Cheese Dip with Ground Beef That Stays Creamy
Chili cheese dip with ground beef is the kind of game-day food that disappears before halftime—warm, salty, a little spicy, and basically engineered for tortilla chips. This version is intentionally the classic “Rotel + melty cheese + beef” style, but with a couple small choices that keep it creamy instead of turning into a thick, grainy brick.
Equipment
- Large skillet
- Wooden spoon or spatula
- Mini slow cooker or small slow cooker (to keep warm)
Ingredients
- 450 g ground beef (80/20 or 85/15)
- 15 ml neutral oil only if your beef is very lean
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 can Ro-Tel (diced tomatoes with green chiles) undrained (283 g / 10 oz)
- 450 g Velveeta (or processed melting cheese) cubed small (16 oz)
- 115 g cream cheese (full-fat) cubed (4 oz)
- 30 g pickled jalapeños chopped, optional (about 2 tbsp)
- tortilla chips, Fritos scoops, or sturdy crackers for serving
- chopped cilantro optional topping
- sliced scallions optional topping
Instructions
- Brown the beef. Set a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up small, until no pink remains and you’ve got browned bits on the bottom—about 8–10 minutes.
- Drain smartly (or don’t). If there’s a lot of grease, spoon off most of it. Leave about 1–2 tbsp behind for flavor and for helping the spices bloom.
- Season in the pan. Add chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir for 30 seconds. You should smell the spices immediately.
- Add the tomatoes and chiles. Pour in the undrained can of Ro-Tel. Scrape the bottom of the skillet to loosen the browned bits. Let it bubble for 1–2 minutes.
- Turn the heat down before cheese. Reduce to low. Add the cubed Velveeta and cubed cream cheese.
- Melt gently, stirring often. Keep stirring and scraping the bottom until the dip is smooth and glossy, 5–8 minutes. It’ll look a little loose at first—good. It thickens as it sits.
- Finish and adjust. Stir in jalapeños if using. Taste and adjust salt if needed.
- Serve hot and keep it hot. Transfer to a warm mini slow cooker or a small slow cooker on WARM.
Nutrition
Calories: 520kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 28gFat: 41gSaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 135mgSodium: 1380mgPotassium: 520mgFiber: 2gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 900IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 320mgIron: 3.2mg
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