Smoked Queso

Smoked queso dip is the ultimate party dip we all need in our lives! This delicious cheese dip is loaded with cream cheese, spicy tomatoes, and flavor.

How strong is your queso game?

This delicious dip will blow you away. It is a perfectly cheesy dip for any barbecue, game days, or your next party! Smoked queso is the best version of your favorite cheese dip!

Fire up the Traeger, Big Green Egg, or electric smoker for this easy-to-make smoked appetizer. The process of cooking it on the pellet smoker or charcoal grill adds an extra layer of flavor to each cheesy bite.

It's easy to make, too! What are you waiting for? Try it today!

This smoked queso recipe is dedicated to delicious smoky flavor.

Jump to:

• Tips + tricks
• Key ingredients
• How to make smoked queso dip
• What to serve with smoked queso dip
• More smoked snacks to love
• Make Ahead
• Batch + Storage
• Substitutions + variations
• Which wood pellets?
• Recommended tools
• If you love this post
• 📖 Printable Recipe

Tips + tricks

No. 1 --> Just say no Velveeta! This recipe is made without Velveeta cheese. Instead of Velveeta, this recipe owes its creaminess to cream cheese!

No. 2 --> Don't use pre-shredded cheese, it is coated with starches and anti-caking agents to prevent the shredded cheese from clumping together in the bag, but it also affects the sauce quality. Grab the box grater, you're worth the extra effort!

No. 3 --> I use my little shallow half-size chafing pan for this recipe. Not only is this stainless steel dish incredibly easy to clean, but it's also the perfect size! If you don't have one, use a disposable aluminum pan for easier cleanup.

No. 4 --> Seriously, try this hot cheese dip, and you'll see why this crowd pleaser went viral on social media. It's filled with cheesy goodness, spicy peppers, and smoke flavor, you just can't beat it, it's the best smoked queso dip.

Key ingredients

Cheese: This recipe owes its deliciousness to cheese. Tons of cheese. Cream cheese, shredded cheese, mixed cheese if you want. I used marble for these photos, but I've had great luck with pepper jack cheese too!

Veggies: While loaded with cheese, this recipe also has a bunch of delicious veggies in it. This is why we cook the queso for so long, the veggies need to soften. It's got bell pepper, onion, and a can of Rotel tomatoes.

Meat: Can't beat smoked meat! I used leftover smoked brisket, but feel free to use breakfast sausage, taco meat, or leftover smoked pulled pork!

How to make smoked queso dip

1. Preheat your smoker to 225f. If you're using a charcoal grill, you'll be cooking on indirect heat.
2. Meanwhile, dice the onion and bell pepper. Coarsely chop the cream cheese and shred the cheddar.
3. Combine all the ingredients into a smoker-safe baking dish, a disposable foil pan, or large cast-iron skillet work well too.
4. Smoke the queso dip for 1 hour at 225f, then stir well. Not all the ingredients will be melted yet, and that's ok, just give it a good stir.
5. Increase the temperature of the smoker to 350f for another hour, stirring every 20 minutes or so.
6. Remove from smoker, transfer to a serving dish, if desired, and serve with your favorite tortilla chips.

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What to serve with smoked queso dip

In my snackaholic opinion, nearly anything would be a good dipper into this dish. The key is to find something that is sturdy and can hold on to the great queso! Here are some ideas:

• tortilla chips
• celery sticks
• carrot sticks
• sourdough bread cubes
• crackers

More smoked snacks to love

Make Ahead

Smoked queso can be made ahead quite easily! Simply prepare all the ingredients and toss the veggies and cheese into separate airtight containers up to 2 days ahead. When ready, simply assemble just before cooking.

Batch + Storage

Batch:

This smoked queso dip recipe yields about 4 cups of glorious dip. I find this to be the perfect amount for 8-10 people!

Storage:

Leftover smoked queso can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. If you've got too much queso to eat as a dip in a couple of days, turn it into mac and cheese, or use it to top tacos, burgers, or wraps!

Leftover queso can be frozen, but the texture can change a bit. To mitigate that, thaw it slowly at room temperature, and reheat it slowly in the oven at low temperatures.

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Substitutions + variations

There are a few different ways to customize this recipe to suit your tastes.

• sub the original Rotel tomatoes for regular diced tomatoes if you prefer a less spicy queso
• swap the leftover smoked brisket for leftover smoked pulled pork or leftover smoked turkey or even shredded oven roasted chicken!
• use spiced ground beef, ground sausage, breakfast sausage, anything that is delicious!
• add sliced jalapeno peppers, frozen sliced jalapenos, or green chiles to increase the heat!
• change up the cheddar for gouda, pepper jack, or sharp cheddar cheese.
• use smoked cheese for an even stronger smoked element

Which wood pellets?

This recipe is plenty flavorful on its own, so the pellets, while they matter aren't going to make or break your dip.

Anything that's universal is a great option! There's no need to empty your hopper and go through a pellet change unless you're running mesquite or something super strong. We usually run Lumberjack Competition Blend, which is a blend of cherry, maple, and hickory.

If you're running a charcoal grill, don't forget to soak your wood chips!

Recommended tools

Smoker: Kevy and I purchased a TRAEGER TIMBERLINE 1300 in June 2019. Our life has changed! It's such a great machine - we've run thousands of pounds of pellets through our Traeger grill and would buy it again and again! Check out all the great SMOKED RECIPES we've developed.

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