Cottage Cheese Queso Dip
Creamy, cheesy, and packed with seasoned ground beef, this 30-minute Cottage Cheese Queso dip delivers all the indulgent flavor of classic queso with a protein-rich twist that will have everyone reaching for more.
Serve warm with your favorite dippers (crudite or chips or pita bread) to get the party started! It’s perfect for a Friday night, World Cup party, Cinco de Mayo, easy snack dinner, or just-because-appetizer!
What is cottage cheese queso?
This rich cottage cheese queso dip (with ground beef) comes together in under 30 minutes with a creamy cottage cheese base, seasoned ground beef, Rotel, and melty grated cheese for irresistible homemade flavor.
Customize the heat with mild or spicy Rotel, swap in Pepper Jack for extra kick, or bulk it up with beans or chorizo. Enjoy it warm with crunchy chips and fresh veggie sticks. It’s perfect for game days, holiday parties, or casual gatherings.
Why you’ll love cottage cheese queso
- A rich, cheesy, protein-packed baked dip that comes together from scratch in under 30 minutes
- Easily adjust the spice level or meaty add-ins with simple ingredient swaps and mix-ins.
- A guaranteed crowd-pleaser that keeps guests happily dipping through holiday parties and backyard get-togethers.
Ingredients needed to make cottage cheese queso
- Olive oil: To brown the ground beef. You can also use avocado oil or another neutral vegetable oil.
- Ground beef: I’ve used lean ground beef, but you can use regular ground beef instead as long as you drain excess grease.
- Taco seasoning: Homemade or store-bought.
- Cottage cheese: Low-fat cottage cheese helps to keep the calories in check, but don’t use fat-free as it will make the dip too runny. I prefer the Good Culture brand.
- Rotel tomatoes: Add mild heat, bright flavor, and chunky texture. Be sure to drain them well to keep the dip thick and scoopable.
- Cheese: Sharp cheddar adds bold, cheesy goodness. For the best flavor, grate it yourself. I’ve also used Mexican grated cheese, but Pepper Jack is a good substitute.
- Nutritional yeast: While optional, the nutritional yeast is great for extra cheesy flavor.
- Salt: To taste
- Cilantro: Chopped for fresh garnish.
- Dippers: Enjoy this cottage cheese queso dip with tortilla chips, protein chips or crudités, such as cucumber slices, celery stalks, and radish slices.
How do you make cottage cheese queso?
Cook the ground beef:
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the ground beef and break apart with a spatula, cooking until no longer pink.
- Stir in 1 Tbsp taco seasoning, then drain excess fat.
- Set the skillet aside (or transfer meat to an oven-safe dish).
Blend:
- In a small food processor or mini blender, combine the cottage cheese with the remaining 1 Tbsp taco seasoning.
- Purée until silky and lump-free.
Bake:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- To the skillet or baking dish with the meat, add the blended cottage cheese, drained Rotel tomatoes, grated cheeses, and nutritional yeast (optional).
- Stir everything together until evenly mixed.
- Bake uncovered for 10 minutes, until hot and bubbling around the edges.
Garnish and serve:
- Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro to taste.
- Serve warm with tortilla chips, protein chips, or fresh veggie dippers like cucumber slices, celery sticks, and radish rounds.
Serving
Tortilla chips are the classic choice for scooping up this creamy, cheesy dip, but there’s plenty of room to mix things up. Ridged potato chips like Ruffles add a salty crunch, while pretzels bring a satisfying snap.
For a lighter, low-carb option, pair this cottage cheese queso dip with fresh veggies like celery, carrots, bell pepper strips, cucumber rounds, or even pickles. You can even turn it into a full crudités platter. Check out these 7 Tips to a Delicious Crudités Platter for inspiration!
Crackers and pita chips offer a sturdy, neutral base, while Fritos Scoops bring bold flavor and the perfect shape for piling on the dip.
Sandy’s tips and substitutions:
- Storage: Store leftover cottage cheese queso dip in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. I don’t recommend freezing this dip as the creamy texture can change.
- Double the recipe: Make a double batch of this cottage cheese queso dip when serving a larger crowd – perfect for your holiday parties and summer gatherings.
- Drain grease: Even with lean beef, there will be some rendered fat. If you don’t drain it, the oil can separate on top of the baked dip and make it greasy.
- Avoid fat-free cottage cheese: fat-free versions have more added water and stabilizers, which break down in heat and turn the dip runny. Stick with low-fat (2%) or full-fat for the thickest, creamiest outcome.
- Rest after baking: The dip will be molten-hot and loose straight from the oven. A short rest allows it to thicken slightly as it cools, so it clings better to chips and veggie dippers without dripping.
Variations:
- Protein swaps: Instead of ground beef, experiment with ground turkey, ground sausage, or shredded chicken.
- Extra heat: Use fire-roasted Rotel tomatoes and green chilies if you want to level up your spice game! It also provides a delicious smokey profile to this dip.
- Rotel: Chunky salsa can be used instead of Rotel, if you prefer.
- Mix-ins: Give this dip added texture and more hearty flavor by including fire-roasted corn, black beans, or chopped bacon.
Discover more delicious dishes that use cottage cheese as the star ingredient. We love Cottage Cheese Pizza, Vegetarian Lasagna Roll-Ups (with Cottage Cheese), and Cottage Cheese Egg Bake.
More Mexican-inspired dips you may want to try:
- Creamy Taco Dip
- Cheesy Corn Chorizo Dip
- Cheesy Enchilada Dip Recipe
- Cake Pan Jalapeno Popper Dip
- Boat Dip Recipe (Rotel Ranch Dip)
Get the Recipe:
Cottage Cheese Queso Dip
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- ½ pound lean ground beef
- 2 Tbsp taco seasoning, divided
- 16 oz low-fat cottage cheese, about 2 cups – I use Good Culture
- ¼ cup Rotel, drained
- ½ cup grated sharp cheddar
- ½ cup Mexican grated cheese, or Pepper Jack
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast, optional, see notes
- Salt to taste
- 1 Tbsp chopped cilantro, for garnish
- tortilla chips, protein chips or crudités, such as cucumber slices, celery stalks, and radish slices – for serving
Equipment
- Skillet
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the ground beef and break apart with a spatula, cooking until no longer pink.
- Stir in 1 Tbsp taco seasoning, then drain excess fat.
- Set the skillet aside (or transfer meat to an oven-safe dish).
- In a small food processor or mini blender, combine the cottage cheese with the remaining 1 Tbsp taco seasoning.
- Purée until silky and lump-free.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- To the skillet or baking dish with the meat, add the blended cottage cheese, drained Rotel tomatoes, grated cheeses, and nutritional yeast (optional).
- Stir everything together until evenly mixed.
- Bake uncovered for 10 minutes, until hot and bubbling around the edges.
- Sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro to taste.
- Serve warm with tortilla chips, protein chips, or fresh veggie dippers like cucumber slices, celery sticks, and radish rounds.
Notes
Sandy’s tips:
- Storage: Store leftover cottage cheese queso dip in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. I don’t recommend freezing this dip as the creamy texture can change.
- Drain grease: Even with lean beef, there will be some rendered fat. If you don’t drain it, the oil can separate on top of the baked dip and make it greasy.
- Avoid fat-free cottage cheese: fat-free versions have more added water and stabilizers, which break down in heat and turn the dip runny. Stick with low-fat (2%) or full-fat for the thickest, creamiest outcome.
- Rest after baking: The dip will be molten-hot and loose straight from the oven. A short rest allows it to thicken slightly as it cools, so it clings better to chips and veggie dippers without dripping.
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
