Chorizo Queso Dip ~ warm, velvety smooth Mexican cheese and chorizo dip with diced tomatoes, fresh cilantro and a light squeeze of lime juice. Serve with warm tortilla chips.
In our family watching football on Thanksgiving Day is an endurance sport. That means that a ridiculous number of competitive-worthy appetizers are also needed like this Chorizo Queso Dip. Warm, creamy melted cheese, bites of spicy chorizo, tomatoes, fresh cilantro and a light squeeze of lime juice.
It makes the perfect vessel for warm, lightly salted tortilla chips. It’s not a first down. It’s a touchdown.
Hours later the turkey, potatoes and some rock star sides are still part of the tradition, but the meantime, oh man. . . this dip. Sigh.
Does this dip have Velveeta cheese in it?
It does! If you’re a fan of Velveeta, you already know it’s ‘liquid gold’. I didn’t coin the phrase, but there’s really no better description.
I get it ~ some shy away from processed cheese – but you can’t get the smooth, silky texture of this Chorizo Queso Dip any other way.
You may have grown up on a version of the Velveeta-Rotel tomatoes-microwave dip. Chorizo Queso Dip is similar to that dip in the way that a bicycle and a fancy sports car are both transportation. Similar, but completely different.
Chorizo Queso Dip Ingredient:
- olive oil
- fresh chorizo casings removed
- Ro*Tel Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies
- lime juice
- Velveeta cheese
- sharp cheddar cheese grated
- heavy cream
- Pinch of salt
- chili powder
- cumin
- fresh cilantro
- Tortilla chips
Instructions:
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat then add a drizzle of olive oil.
If you bought chorizo without casings, yay! My grocery store didn’t have it so I did the heavy lifting and removed them myself.
Any-hoo, add the sausage to the skillet breaking it up with a wooden spoon and brown it until it’s cooked through.
Next drain the excess fat (note: I also like to blot it with a couple of wadded up paper towels).
Set aside about a tablespoon of the cooked chorizo to garnish the top of the dip then fold in the canned tomatoes and their juices and lime juice. Give it a good stir then dot the top with the Velveeta. 
Cook over medium-low heat about 5-7 minutes or until the Velveeta is melted and the dip is smooth then blend in the cheddar cheese, heavy cream, salt, chili powder and cumin and cook 2-3 minutes stirring frequently.
Sprinkle in the cilantro, then transfer the Chorizo Queso Dip to a serving bowl and top with the reserved chorizo and a bit of cilantro. Warm the tortilla chips in the microwave for a few seconds and serve right away.
Enjoy!
If you tried this Chorizo Queso Dip recipe or any other on the blog I’d love to hear from you with a comment or star rating in the recipe box.
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Chorizo Queso Dip
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounces fresh chorizo casings removed
- 1 10 ounce can Ro*Tel Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies undrained
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 8 ounces Velveeta cheese
- ½ cup Sharp Cheddar cheese grated
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- Pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 3 tablespoons cilantro finely chopped (optional: more for garnish)
- Tortilla chips
Instructions
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat then add the olive oil.
- Remove the chorizo from its casings and drop it into the skillet. Cook until it's brown and cooked through, breaking it up with a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Drain excess fat (optional: blot with paper towel) and reserve 1 tablespoon of the cooked chorizo for garnish.
- Fold in the tomatoes (including juices) and lime juice and once combined, dot the top with the Velveeta (shown) and cook over medium-low heat 5-7 minutes or until the Velveeta is melted and the dip is smooth.
- Blend in the Cheddar cheese then fold in the heavy cream, salt, chili powder and cumin, cooking another 2-3 minutes stirring frequently.
- Combine the cilantro, then transfer the dip to a serving bowl, top with garnish and serve right away with warm tortilla chips.
Great recipe……sometimes Velveeta is the only way to go! Love the crispy chorizo sprinkled on top….yum! Pinned. Have a really good weekend. Chat again soon!
Hey there Mary – thanks so much! We love a good cheesy anything around here and if it’s spicy — well, that much better. Hope you’re weekend is going well. Definitely chat again soon!
Really simple and yummy! Has a great flavor and kick at the end. Of course creamy & delish! Thank you!
Thanks so much Alison! So glad you liked the dip – it’s one of my favorites. I appreciate you taking the time to comment ~ Bernie
What do you mean by “1/2 sharp cheddar cheese?” 1/2 cup? 1/2 pound?
Hi there / yes 1/2 cup cheddar cheese – thanks for the extra set of eyes!
My GAWD. This is THE BEST QUESO RECIPE EVER. I added a bit more cheese (monterrey jack) and added some Greek yogurt (1/4 cup). Threw in some smoked paprika and aleppo pepper. Fried up the chorizo and shoved it all in my little crock pot on low till it got all gooey and delicious. Thank you for this recipe! It took me forever, but I finally found your blog again so I could leave this comment. We ate it for days – on doritos. With sweet potatoes. Off a spoon because I couldn’t get enough. SO. GOOD.
OMG Terese – I couldn’t love this comment any more! I’m literally cracking up because I feel the same way about this dip. Cannot.Get.Enough. — oh – and Doritos?! Seriously you’re my food spirit animal – thanks so much!