The Most Delicious Slow Cooker Taco Dip

Good mercy. There’s dip recipes and then there’s this, the Most Delicious Slow Cooker Taco Dip recipe. It’s a layer of spicy queso, saucy ground beef and lots of cheese. 

It is all the flavors of the tacos you love layered in an irresistible dip. Have I mentioned my love affair with dips? It is strong and it is real! I mean, what is there not to love about dip, especially this dip?! Every layer just gets better and better!

It all starts with the Tillamook Spicy Queso Starter which knocks this dip out of the park! It is crazy easy. All you have to do is add milk and it is REAL cheese. The thick shreds of cheese melt down perfectly and the flavor is perfection.

The next layer is a saucy ground beef mixture that combines with the spicy queso in the slow cooker to make the flavor-packed base of the dip. Then it is topped with loads of cheese, olives, chopped tomatoes and cilantro. You won’t be able to stop dipping into this, I guarantee it!

Tillamook

We have talked many times about our love for Tillamook. Plain and simple, is just the BEST. Hands down, bar none, no question…the BEST.  I am a little biased since I grew up near Tillamook and went there regularly and ate all their delicious products as a kid. But it is far more than just hometown nostalgia. Tillamook just does things right…like everything right! You can read more about their amazing-ness here.

We are totally obsessed with their various sauce starters. Here are a couple of other recipes where we have used the sauce starters: Easy Philly Cheesesteak Bread and Spicy Queso Pasta Primavera. If you are looking for the sauce starters at your local grocery store, they will be in the refrigerated sections right by all the cheese. You can also use the Tillamook locator to determine where you can find Tillamook sauce starters near you.

What Kind of Ground Beef Should I Use?

We prefer to use 85% lean/15% fat ground sirloin for this recipe. It is a little bit healthier than the 73/27 and 80/20 options but still has that full beefy flavor. The 85/15 also isn’t as dry a the 90/10 or 93/7 that is also available, though those could be used as well. It all just depends on what kind of flavor and texture you want in your beef. Just be sure to drain off the fat after you cook the beef especially if you use beef with higher fat content.

You can read all about the various types of ground beef and what dishes they are best in here.

What Goes in a Taco Dip

We add onions, beef broth, corn starch, a can of fire roasted tomatoes with green chiles and taco seasoning to the ground beef to make a totally saucy and delectable layer in this taco dip that will keep you coming back for more.

Tillamook Mexican 4 Cheese Farmstyle Thick Cut Cheese

The secret to this slow cooker taco dip is that layer of perfectly delicious queso under the ground beef layer, but the real secret is to use the best shredded cheese. A thick cut cheese melts down way better than other shreds and a combination of cheeses in the Mexican blend will take the flavor to a whole new level.

Tillamook actually uses a research and development team to make sure the cheeses selected will lead to the most fantastic flavor combination for your perfect meal, so going with a Mexican Cheese Blend will only make your dip all the better all while opening only one package. 

How to Make Homemade Taco Seasoning

We are all about the homemade taco seasoning and keep a jar of it in our pantry. It lasts for months and is so convenient. You don’t have to worry about picking up that taco seasoning packet at the store. If you want to make your own taco seasoning, here is what you will need:

• Chili Powder
• Ground Cumin
• Smoked Paprika
• Garlic Powder
• Oregano
• Coriander
• Onion Powder
• Fine Sea Salt
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• Cornstarch
• Cayenne
   

If you go this route, one packet is equivalent to about 2 tablespoons (maybe a smidge more) of seasoning.

What is in Mexican Blend Cheese?

Once the spicy queso and ground beef mixture has simmered away in the slow cooker, we add 1 to 2 cups of Mexican blend cheese. We prefer the Tillamook Mexican 4 Cheese Blend which is a combination of naturally aged cheddar, Monterey Jack, Queso Quesadilla and Asadero. You can’t have a taco dip without cheese…lots of cheese!

Get the Farmstyle cut of shredded cheese. It’s thick and delicious in a dip because a thick shreds melts down even better than the littles! Just a little secret tip for you!

Are a Slow Cooker and a Crock Pot the Same Thing?

It seems like slow cookers and crock pots can be used interchangeably, but they are actually not the same thing. A crock pot is a slow cooker, but not all slow cookers are crock pots. How is that for confusing?! Crock Pot was the original creator of the slow cooker though several other companies have produced crock pot style slow cookers. “Crock pot” has become the generic name for all slow cookers.

One thing that makes a slow cooker different from a crock pot or crock pot style slow cooker is that a slow cooker is only heated from a the bottom. Long story short, you can use a slow cooker or a crock pot to make this Most Delicious Slow Cooker Taco Dip. This is our preferred slow cooker.

What Toppings Should I Add to my Taco Dip?

We like to keep our taco dip fairly simple and pleasing to everyone in the crowd.  We add chopped tomatoes, sliced olives and chopped cilantro to ours. You could add lots more depending on your taste. Some options might include:

• sliced jalapenos
• avocados
• black beans (drained thoroughly)
• corn (drained thoroughly)
• dollops of sour cream (you may want to keep this on the side since it won’t do well if it sits on the hot dip for long periods of time)

Make this for your next football party, holiday gathering, Cinco de Mayo fiesta, or just for dinner (we might have done that!).

Visiting Tillamook

You may have seen our frequent trips to Tillamook in Oregon and we’ve had so many questions I thought I’d answer a few really quick!

• Is the Tillamook Creamery Worth Visiting?

Not if you like fun, delicious and memory making moments.

It seriously is the best little trip to make with your family. We have such a blast! We wander around, pretend to milk a cow upstairs, try cheese samples and watch the cheese get made then head back downstairs to order lunch (a brand spanking new menu!) and of course, a big scoop of ice cream before hitting the newly improved gift shop!

• What to Order at Tillamook Creamery

With a brand new menu I know you might be confused on what to get, but my two favorites are the grilled cheese and tomato soup or fried cheese curds. My goodness, I love the fried cheese curds like girls love being told their pretty. Just makes my whole heart melt!

• What is the Best Tillamook IceCream?! 

Glad you asked but we differ. Cade loves Mudslide and I love Marionberry Pie with all of my heart and soul. 

• Where to Stay by Tillamook 

Let me just throw this out there, you should never stay anywhere but the Headlands Lodge in Pacific City. I know, you’re going to have a little drive to Tillamook but my goodness, the views are breathtaking and the lodge is the most beautiful, peaceful place ever. 

Dip RECIPES

Looking for a few different dip recipes other than our Most Delicious Slow Cooker Taco Dip? Here are just a few to get you started:

• Chorizo Dip Queso Fundido
• Slow Cooker Cheesy Lobster Shrimp and Crab Dip
• Cheesy Slow Cooker Sausage Dip
• 3 Ingredient Jarlsberg Cheese Dip
• Barbecue Ranch Corn Dip
• Creamy Cilantro Crab Dip
• Pepperoni Pizza Dip
• Nacho Cheese Sauce
• Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Queso Dip
• Mexican 7 Layer Bean Dip

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