Rotel Sausage Dip Recipe in the Instant Pot
Rotel Sausage Dip uses Velveeta cheese, Rotel tomatoes, cream cheese, and hot breakfast sausage. Learn how to make the best tailgate appetizer recipe in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker! Could also sub ground beef or chicken for the sausage.
Introduction
Here you have it; my absolute, end-all-be-all, favorite recipe on the planet.
I've had gourmet food all over the world. I've had some of the finest delicacies on the planet. But, if I had to choose my last meal right now, it would be Rotel Sausage Dip – that's the honest truth. I could probably take out one of these whole recipes in just a few days. Give me a bag a chips and a big bowl of Rotel Sausage Dip, and I'm set!
What is Rotel Sausage Dip?
This is a football food classic. Rotel Sausage Dip is a cheesy dip that almost always has some kind of easy melt, processed cheese (sometimes Velveeta, sometimes cream cheese, sometimes both) , Rotel (a canned mixture of diced tomatoes with green chilies), and some form of sausage. I use hot breakfast sausage in mine, but Italian sausage or even diced link sausage could be used.
Why the Instant Pot?
And, for you Instant Pot fans, it's totally possible (and actually easier) to make this Rotel dip recipe in the Instant Pot! It's so nice to be able to brown the sausage, marry the flavors of the meat and Ro-tel, and easily melt the cheese in one place. Yes, it's completely ok to make this in the microwave/stove top as well (I've done it many times). You can also 100% make this in the Crock Pot after browning the sausage in a skillet. I've done that plenty of times too. Like a more baked, smokey dip? Make it in a cast iron skillet (a large skillet preferably) on the stove top and broil in the oven for a few minutes to get a little bit of a bubbly, charred thing going (think Chili's skillet queso).
I like to use this Instant Pot method because it allows you to do everything quicker and with less dishes. I'll take that option any day of the week.
Ingredient Substitutions
Not a big sausage fan? No problem. You can use ground beef, ground turkey, rotisserie chicken, or even pulled pork in this Rotel dip – any combination is delicious! I've even made it without meat before…it's still amazing, but something about that hot sausage really sets off the flavor. If you're not a huge spice fan, you can always use regular sausage in place of the hot breakfast sausage (I use Jimmy Dean hot sausage).
As far as veggies – the possibilities are endless! I would definitely keep the Rotel…it's kind of a staple in this recipe. The tomatoes give it a richness and the green chiles have a great little kick of heat. But, you could always add veggies like corn, bell peppers, onions, jalapeño peppers, or even something a little more unconventional like spinach. Beans would be great too – again, that would give it more of a Chili's skillet queso flavor. Just drain and wash any beans (pinto or chili preferably) before adding to the recipe.
Again, the melty cheese is pretty much a requirement to make these kinds of cheese dips as creamy as it's supposed to be. You could use only one of the cream cheese or Velveeta cheese (leaving the other out), but I wouldn't sub those for something like cheddar cheese. However, baking this and topping with cheddar cheese would give it a little bit of a crunchy, smokey top that would be yummy!
Leftover Storage
It's rare that the leftovers make it home when taken to a friends' house. Everybody loves it! But, if by some luck you do have leftovers, they an be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days after. Trust me though, it won't be in the refrigerator for that long. 🙂
Get ready for the most addictive, delicious game day appetizer you'll ever meet. I'm telling you, this Rotel Sausage Dip is the king of all of those cream cheese dip recipes out there. This is an absolute staple if you're doing something like a Super Bowl tailgate party or a dip party. Serve it with tortilla chips or even inside phyllo cups.
This is one recipe I've made so many times that I have the recipe memorized – but I thought I'd write it down for posterity today!
Let's take a look at the recipe.
Video
Rotel Sausage Dip in the Instant Pot
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 oz hot breakfast sausage
- 20 oz Rotel tomatoes (not drained)
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 16 oz Velveeta (easy melt) cheese
Instructions
- Set your Instant Pot to saute mode. Once warm, add sausage. Cook until crumbled and brown; drain excess grease.
- Add both cans of Rotel (without draining) to Instant Pot. Lock on lid and set your pressure cooker (manual) function to 4 minutes.
- Once cook cycle is over and pressure is released, remove lid and stir well. Turn on slow cooker (low) function.
- Add cream cheese and Velveeta, cut into 1" chunks. Stir until cheese is melted and mixed into sausage/Rotel.
- Slow cook dip, stirring occasinally, until ready to serve. Serve with tortilla chips.
Notes
Nutrition Facts
And that's all there is to it – easy peasy! Hope you enjoy this one, friends – I know I did. 🙂
Other Dip Recipes From the Blog
Want to see my whole collection of recipes from the blog? Click here. Or, you can click here for more Instant Pot ideas.
Happy football season, friends!
What is the shelf life for this dip?
Since it has sausage, I’d say no more than 3-4 days in the fridge.