Which one of y’all doesn’t love cheese? I’m guessin’ none! My recipe for Smoked White Queso Dip is super simple and can be prepped in 15 minutes. This is a great, mostly hands-off recipe that is going to be the runaway hit at your next big party or tailgate. Just get those ingredients into a pan and get it going on the Traeger Ironwood 885. After a couple hours, add chips and your hungriest friends!
The Ingredients
This Smoked White Queso uses four kinds of cheese for the ultimate, cheesy queso experience! Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- White American cheese. Use one pound of diced white American cheese from a block or have it cut by your deli. Avoid using shredded cheese from a bag. These cheeses contain starches and preservatives that prevent the cheese from melting properly. Trust me on this one!
- Pepper jack cheese. Use a half pound of diced pepper jack cheese from the block or have it cut by your deli. Again, you want to avoid using any pre-shredded cheese from a package.
- Velveeta Queso Blanco. Use the one pound (16 oz) block of Velveeta Queso Blanco (White Queso). Dice it the same size as your pepper jack and white American cheeses.
- Rotel tomatoes. I chose the Rotel Mexican Style Lime & Cilantro Diced Tomatoes. If you don’t care for those flavors, you can pick a different variety of Rotel and your smoked queso will still be great.
- Cream cheese. Use a block of cream cheese. No need to dice this cheese, as it will melt quickly on its own.
- Jalapeno pepper. I de-seeded and diced my pepper. If you can handle the seeds, it’s fine to keep them in.
- Cilantro leaves. I used the leaves from one bunch of cilantro, chopped. Again, the cilantro is an optional flavor here. If using, you can add the cilantro in with the other ingredients for smoking or add it after the queso is cooked.
- Garlic Jalapeño Rub. My Garlic Jalapeño Rub is the best-selling all-purpose rub in the nation! That’s because it tastes so dang good! Sprinkle the rub on generously to take the flavors of this Smoked White Queso Dip to the next level. It’ll have your friends begging for the recipe.
- Milk. I typically add about ¾ cup of milk to the queso after it’s been on the Traeger for a bit. This not only helps to smooth out the overall consistency but helps to thin the queso a little. You can add more or less milk depending on the final consistency that you like.
The Smoker Setup
Here’s the main equipment I used and how I set it up. See the equipment and tools section for everything I used to make this Smoked White Queso Dip.
- Pellet grill/smoker. I used a Traeger Ironwood 885 for this recipe. Pellet grills can sometimes be confusing as they can be used for grilling or smoking. Grilling involves cooking at a high temperature for a relatively short period of time, while smoking involves cooking at a lower temperature for a longer period. We’re smoking this queso as opposed to grilling it.
- Royal Oak Charcoal. I used Royal Oak 100% charcoal wood pellets to smoke this queso dip. These pellets lend a beautiful smoky flavor to our finished dip without detracting from the other ingredients.
The Process for Making Smoked White Queso Dip
The detailed procedure for my Easy Smoked White Queso Dip on the Traeger Ironwood 885 pellet grill is covered in my video and recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here’s what the process looks like in general:
- Prep the grill. Prepare the grill with a combination of charcoal pellets and wood pellets. Get it heating to 300º while you prep the queso. For this Smoked White Queso Dip, I used a Traeger Ironwood 885 with Royal Oak 100% charcoal pellets.
- Dump in the Rotel. Kick things off by dumping your can of Rotel tomatoes into a half-size deep aluminum pan. The pan is easy to handle on the grill and makes for easy cleanup after your party or tailgate.
- Add the cheeses, jalapeño, and cilantro. Add the cream cheese, white American, pepper jack, and Velveeta cheeses to the pan. Follow that with the jalapeño and cilantro.
- Sprinkle on the seasoning. Give the pan a very generous sprinkling of my Garlic Jalapeño Rub.
- Get it on the grill. Place the pan of queso ingredients on the Traeger and close the lid. Let the cheeses cook for 30 minutes, then open the lid and stir. The cheeses should be melting nicely at this point.
- Add milk. Add in the milk and stir well. It may not be fully incorporated, but that is okay. Let the queso cook another 1 and ½ hours.
- Remove from the grill and taste! After the time is up, use oven mitts to remove the pan from the Traeger.
The Results
This is a smooth, gooey, cheesy and delicious dip with great smoke and heat!
How to Customize Smoky White Queso Dip
You can change up my Smoky White Queso Dip according to your taste and what you have on hand. This recipe adapts beautifully to a variety of ingredients. Here are a few suggestions:
- Use different cheeses or vary the amounts of cheese(s). Be careful not to overfill the pan if using more cheese than called for in the recipe.
- Swap the Rotel. Try swapping the Rotel for an equal amount of your favorite red or green salsa.
- Add meat. Try adding chorizo or small diced, cooked bacon.
Equipment and Tools
Pellet grill, Royal Oak Charcoal , disposable gloves, long handled spoon, paper towels or oven mitts, 1 half size deep aluminum pan
