Slow Cooker Green Chili Queso Blanco

Make the best queso blanco in a slow cooker with green chilies, avocado, cilantro, pepper jack and cream cheese! This green chili queso dip is the perfect side dish for taco night, a delicious party snack or game day appetizer! It only takes 10 minutes to prep and an hour in the slow cooker to make this easy queso recipe!

This delicious recipe twist on queso dip requires no Velvetta or Rotel! It’s made with real, fresh ingredients like jalapenos, serrano peppers, fresh squeezed lime juice, cilantro and avocado. The creamy, cheesy goodness comes from a combination of pepper jack cheese, cream cheese and sour cream.

Originally published in 2016, I’m updating this post today with new images, a video and some tips and tricks that I’ve learned over the years. But don’t worry, it’s the same delicious recipe that everyone has come to know and love!

In fact, this is one of the top 3 most requested recipes when I host parties, and it’s one of my parents all-time favorite recipes that I’ve ever shared on the blog! Needless to say, it’s a crowd pleaser!

This creamy, flavorful dip is perfect for a party because you can make it ahead of time and then leave it in a slow cooker on warm for up to 8 hours. It’s also the perfect side dish for Taco Tuesday, or any Mexican dinner! Once again, because it can be prepped ahead of time, you can leave it in the slow cooker on warm until you’re ready to eat dinner.

Want this queso dip ASAP? I’ll also give you instructions for how to make it quickly on the stove top, instead of in a slow cooker! Serve the queso with chips for dipping, spread it on a tostada or drizzle it over your favorite tacos! If you love Chipotle’s Queso Blanco, then you’re going to love this recipe, because just like Chipotle, it’s made with real, fresh ingredients!

Ingredients

• Olive oil – or feel free to use another neutral flavored oil, like avocado, canola or vegetable oil.
• Onion – for this recipe you can use a yellow or red onion, whichever is your preference.
• Serrano pepper – serranos are 5 times hotter than a jalapeno, so one small serrano pepper will add a decent amount of heat to this dip. If you want a more mild flavor, replace the serrano with another jalapeno, or leave it out altogether.
• Jalapeño – one fresh, minced jalapeno will add a ton of flavor to this dip, but not too much heat. I do always recommend adding a jalapeno to this recipe unless your extremely sensitive to spice.
• Garlic cloves – fresh minced cloves are always preferred for the best flavor!
• Avocado – a peeled, smashed avocado adds a delicious layer of creaminess and flavor to this dip. If you can’t find a ripe avocado, the makers of Wholly Guacamole also sell Wholly Avocado. This is simply vacuumed sealed smashed avocado, without anything else added. This is a great substitute and can be found in the produce section of most major grocery stores. Use 4 ounces of the Wholly Avocado to replace one medium smashed avocado.
• Lime juice – I recommend fresh squeezed for the best flavor!
• Diced green chiles – these canned chilies are found in the Hispanic section of most grocery stores, near the salsas and hot sauce.
• Cilantro – if you’re not a fan of cilantro, you can leave it out, or replace it with 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, or 1 tablespoon dried oregano.
• Ground cumin
• Sea salt – or kosher salt, either one will give you the best flavor in this dip.
• Cream cheese
• Pepper jack cheese – I recommend shredding the cheese at home yourself, as it melts better than pre-shredded cheeses, which have additives that prevent them from melting as well. Monterey jack can be used in place of pepper jack for less spice.
• Sour cream – to add an extra layer of creaminess to the dip!

Instructions

I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions, ingredient quantities and step by step video, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

1. Add olive oil to a skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Add diced onions, serrano peppers and jalapenos. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for an additional minute. Remove from the heat and add to a Crock Pot set to low heat.
2. Add mashed avocado, lime juice, diced green chilies, cilantro, cumin and sea salt to the Crock Pot.
3. Add cubed cream cheese and shredded pepper jack cheese to the Crock Pot.
4. Stir everything together.
5. Cover and slow cook for 30 minutes on low, open and stir.
6. Continue to cook on low for an additional 30 minutes – 1 hour.
7. After 1 hour in the slow cooker, stir in the sour cream.
8. Leave in the slow cooker on the warm setting for up to 8 hours, or serve immediately.

How to make it on the stove

1. Add olive oil to a large saucepan, or dutch oven, on the stove over medium-high heat. Add diced onions, serrano peppers and jalapenos. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for an additional minute.
2. Add mashed avocado, lime juice, diced green chilies, cilantro, cumin and sea salt to the pan on the stove. Stir to combine the ingredients
3. Add cubed cream cheese and shredded pepper jack cheese to the pan and stir to combine.
4. Turn the heat on the stove to medium-low. Stir the queso frequently while you wait for the cheese to melt.
5. Once the cheese is melted, stir in the sour cream, then serve immediately.

Additions and variations

This white cheese dip is perfect just the way it is, but if you’d like to add meat or extra veggies, here are some ideas!

• Guacamole – top the queso with a scoop of guacamole, and a drizzle of hot sauce, before serving, to make it similar to Torchy’s Tacos Green Chile Queso.
• Chorizo or soyrizo – cook and crumble 12 ounces of chorizo or soy chorizo and stir it into the dip with the sour cream. This will make a delicious version of Torchy’s Hillbilly Queso Dip!
• Ground beef – cook and crumble 1/2 pound of ground beef in a skillet on the stove. Drain any grease, then toss the cooked ground beef with 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning and 1 tablespoon water. Add the cooked, seasoned ground beef to the dip with the sour cream.
• Chicken – pull 1 cup of cooked chicken from a rotisserie chicken and add it to the dip.
• Tomatoes – after the dip is cooked, stir in 1 cup of diced tomatoes after the sour cream. This will make the dip more similar to Chipotle’s Queso Blanco.
• Bell pepper – if you’re sensitive to spice, substitute the jalapeno and serrano pepper with 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper.

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