Do you love tacos? Do they give you the same feeling as comfort food like mac and cheese, lasagna, or chicken noodle soup? Well if so then I have a recipe for you that is my favorite go-to dish when it comes to entertaining. This dish is called The BEST Slow Cooker Taco Dip. It’s made with seasoned ground beef, garlic, onion, taco seasoning mix, Velveeta, sour cream, and Rotel. All of these ingredients meld together in a slow cooker on low for 2 hours. Once cooked, simply serve with tortilla or corn chips! This post contains affiliate links.

I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but there are a lot of dips around this time of year. And I don’t know about you, but it’s always easier for me to make an appetizer than an actual meal to serve at parties. Don’t get me wrong – I love cooking and baking as much as the next person, but sometimes it just doesn’t seem worth the hassle when so many people have already made something similar.
Enter Slow Cooker Taco Dip! It’s easy enough to throw together on a weeknight, delicious enough that everyone will want seconds (and thirds!), and perfect for dipping tortilla chips, or mini rainbow peppers into! This means no one has to miss out on the fun because they’re watching their carbs!
Before we get to this creamy, perfectly spiced dip, I wanted to share some tips and tricks for the BEST results possible.
Crockpot Taco Dip with Ground Beef
While there are many taco dips on the net, many do not even include ground beef. Sure, that is perfectly fine for anyone wanting a meatless appetizer, but for us–we’re all about the beef! This appetizer is a must-try because you really do have minimal work involved. You will need to mince, or press some garlic, dice an onion, and brown your beef, but I assure you it is worth it! Everyone will be wanting this recipe so be prepared to share!
Unlike making tacos, I chose not to add the taco spice packet to the beef and added it directly to my 3-quart Crockpot which is the Hearth and Hand model by Magnolia. This size slow cooker was perfect for this appetizer, but you could use a 5-quart, or a 6-quart if you choose to double this recipe.
What’s In Taco Dip with Ground Beef
Ground Beef: We used Grass-fed, lean ground beef from Butcher Box to make it easier to drain any excess grease when browning the beef. However, you can use any fat percentage you prefer. Please keep in mind you will need to drain the excess fat.
Cheese: We used 16 ounces of Velveeta Original, cubed to help it melt evenly. Velveeta is a processed cheese product that is shelf-stable and available in various flavors and sizes.
Tomato: Since we like bold flavors and spice, a 10-ounce can of Rotel Original was used. You do not want to drain this product.
Spice: We used a taco spice packet for this recipe to add flavor. I added it directly to the slow cooker and did not use it to season the beef. This provided a more evenly distributed flavor. You could use homemade taco spice (if you prefer) which would equal two tablespoons of spice.
Vegetables: Freshly diced white onion, and minced/pressed fresh garlic were used to sauté with the ground beef for extra flavor.
How to Make Slow Cooker Taco Dip
This Taco Dip comes together so easily making game day appetizers a breeze!
- Brown the ground beef with the diced onion, and garlic. Drain any excess fat.
- Add the ground beef mixture to your slow cooker. Top with Velveeta diced cubes, sour cream, and spice.
- Add the lid to the Crockpot, and set the slow cooker to low for 2 hours; stir occasionally.
- Once done, keep on warm until serving.
Recipe Variations
- Use ground turkey, chicken, bison, deer, or even meatless crumbles. Just make sure you use 1 1/2 pounds.
- Instead of Rotel, substitute 10 ounces of plain diced tomatoes to ease up on some of the spice.
- Nonfat Greek yogurt can be used instead of sour cream.
- Instead of Velveeta cheese, you can substitute it with 1/2 cup of sour cream and 2 cups of shredded cheddar.
Leftovers
If you have any leftovers, they can be easily stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days. To heat, place leftovers in the microwave and warm until heated throughout.
To freeze this dip, add it to an airtight freezer bag, remove all the air, flatten, and freeze. To enjoy, thaw in the refrigerator and heat on the stovetop, or microwave until warmed throughout; serve immediately.
More Dip Recipes
Chances are, you’re here because you like dips. If that’s so, you’ll want to bookmark the dip recipes below for another day:
The BEST Slow Cooker Taco Dip
Equipment
- 3-quart slow cooker
- large frying pan
- slotted spoon
- cutting board & knife
- can opener
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds lean ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic pressed or minced
- 16 ounces Velveeta original cheese loaf
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 10 ounces Rotel original
- 2 tablespoons Taco seasoning equals one packet of seasoning mix
Instructions
- In a large skillet, add ground beef, onion, and garlic. Cook until meat is browned. Drain any excess grease.
- Add ground beef mixture to a 3-quart slow cooker. Top with cubed Velveeta, sour cream, Rotel, and taco seasoning.
- Set the slow cooker to 2 hours on low. Stir the slow cooker occasionally.
- Once done, serve warm with chips. Keep dip on warm to keep it creamy.
I made this and I loved it! I can’t wait for my partner to try it tonight! I recommend to anyone. It is not hard at all.
Thank you, Abbie for letting us know : )
I took this to a birthday party. It was a hit! It had to be publicly posted.
That’s so good to hear Vickie. Thank you for sharing!
Can this be frozen?
Hi, I would not freeze it myself as it would ruin the texture.
This is a quick and easy taco dip. I usually use 1 pound of Jimmy Dean hot sausage and the other half pound is ground beef. Sometimes I forget to put in the sour cream but it is still delicious! I have another taco dip that I’ve made for years but now this is the recipe I use due to the quick preparation.
This dip is Fantastic! I thin out the dip with chicken stock , no sodium. And heavy cream, tad bit.
Also, I shed block cheese. No Velveeta.
Enjoy:)
Thank you for this, I was wondering the best way to make it without processed cheese and lower sodium!