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.

Expert tips

• This dip is vegetarian and gluten free, perfect for serving to a crowd!
• I used a 2.5 quart mini casserole Crock Pot to make this white queso dip. You can use a larger slow cooker, but I wouldn’t use anything smaller, as all of the ingredients won’t fit.
• The spice level of this dip is somewhere between medium and mild, depending on how spicy the peppers are, which can vary. My Mom LOVES this dip and she doesn’t eat anything spicy, so that will give you a gauge of the spice level.
• To make the dip less spicy, replace the jalapeno and serrano with 1/2 cup diced green bell peppers. Use Monterrey Jack cheese, instead of pepper jack cheese and use a can of mild diced green chilies.
• To make this dip more spicy, add an additional serrano pepper and use a can of hot diced green chilies.

How to store and reheat

• To store: place any queso dip leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
• To reheat in a slow cooker: add the queso back to a slow cooker, set to low, for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes. open and stir the dip. If the dip is hot, switch the slow cooker setting to warm. If it’s not hot, keep the dip on low for an additional 15 minutes.
• To reheat on the stove: transfer the dip to a saucepan on the stove over medium-low heat. Heat the queso for 10-15 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes until the queso is hot.
• To reheat in the microwave: transfer the dip to a microwave safe bowl. Cover and microwave for 60 seconds. Stir, then microwave for an additional 30 seconds, or until warm.
• To freeze: I do not recommend freezing this queso dip, as the cheese and sour cream will separate when frozen, and the consistency of the dip will not remain the same.

Ways to serve it

Dip up this queso blanco dip with tortilla chips just like at your favorite Mexican restaurant! Or serve it with veggies, like carrots, bell peppers, or sweet mini peppers, for dipping up the queso! You can also make it part of a meal and serve it with any of these scrumptious Mexican recipes!

• On tostadas – instead of a layer of refried beans on a tostada, try spreading a layer of queso directly on the tostada before adding the meat, like on these Carnitas Tostadas. As a kid, I didn’t like beans, so this was always how I’d eat my tostadas, and it’s a tradition that I still love as an adult!
• In a burrito bowl – Whether you drizzle it over the top, or dollop it on the side, just like at Chipotle, a burrito bowl is even more delicious when you add queso blanco! Try it in this Vegetarian Burrito Bowl or this Carne Asada Bowl!
• With tacos – drizzled on top of a taco, or served on the side for dipping, this queso is delicious with a variety of tacos! Try serving it with these Steak Tacos, Pulled Pork Tacos, or this Taco Ring recipe.
• As an appetizer dip – instead of chips, try dipping your favorite Mexican-style appetizers right into the queso! It’s a great dip for these Taco Crescent Rolls, Green Chili Chicken Rolled Tacos or Soy Chorizo Quesadillas.
• With breakfast – queso for breakfast? Sign me up! This queso blanco is perfect to pair with chilaquiles, breakfast burritos or migas!
• On enchiladas – drizzle this queso over your favorite enchilada recipe, before serving, for a tasty finishing touch! Try it on these Chicken Enchiladas, Veggie Enchiladas or Low Carb Enchiladas.
• On nachos – we all know that when it comes to nachos, the more cheese, the better! Serve this queso dip on top of Crock Pot Chicken Nachos, Low Carb Nachos or The Ultimate Pulled Pork Nachos!

More dip recipes

When I dip, you dip, we dip, into even more delicious dip recipes! Make a dip bar at your next get-together combining this Green Chili Queso Blanco with any of these tasty dip recipes.

• French Onion Dip Queso
• Cheesy Baked Taco Dip
• Bruschetta Cheese Dip
• Hot Crab Dip
• Chorizo Queso Dip
• 7 Layer Dip

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