If you love a hot, cheesy dip loaded with hearty ingredients, you need to try this Southwestern Beef and Cheese Dip!
This easy hot dip combines seasoned ground beef, melted Mexican-blend cheese, salsa, sweet corn, tangy sour cream, and crispy bacon. It’s rich, cheesy, hearty, and absolutely made for scooping up with tortilla chips.
And there’s something about a warm skillet of cheesy beef dip sitting on the table that makes everyone gather around for “just one more” chip.
This recipe makes enough for about 8 people, making it a great choice for game day, parties, potlucks, or a casual get-together with friends.

This warm dip is delicious with ground beef, tomatoes, lots of cheese, corn, and bacon – perfect to serve with tortilla chips or some crusty bread.

Why You’ll Love This Southwestern Beef Dip

Loaded with flavor: Ground beef, salsa, corn, cheese, sour cream, and bacon all bring something delicious to the party.
Perfect for game day: It’s a warm, hearty dip that’s made for sharing.
Easy to customize: Use mild, medium, or hot salsa depending on how spicy you like your dip.
Great for keeping warm: Transfer the finished dip to a slow cooker and keep it on the warm setting while everyone digs in.
More than just queso: The ground beef and bacon make this dip extra hearty and satisfying.

Ingredients You’ll Need

cheese (we used a Mexican cheese blend but a combo of cheddar cheese and pepper jack cheese would be delicious)
corn
salsa
ground beef
sour cream
beef bouillion
bacon

How to Make Southwestern Beef and Cheese Dip

Cook the Bacon

Start by cooking the bacon for the dip. I like to cook my bacon in the oven but you could cook it in a large skillet that you use afterward to make the dip.

If cooking your bacon in the oven you can start the rest of the dip. Cook the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat.

Brown the Ground Beef

As it’s cooking add the seasoning.

Add the Salsa

Then add the salsa. Depending on how spicy you want your dip to be you can pick the salsa with the heat you like. I went with a medium-heat salsa that the whole family could handle.

Add the Corn and Sour Cream

Next comes the corn. I used canned corn that I drained, but you definitely could use frozen corn too. Stir everything together.

Add the Cheese

Then add the sour cream. This will give the dip a little tang.

Of course, you need some creamy texture in the dip and cheese does just that! As the cheese melts into the hot dip, give the crispy cooked bacon a rough chop into bite-sized pieces.

Add the Bacon

Then add the bacon to the dip and mix it in to disperse. You can serve it hot with some tortillas chips, pita chips, or chunks of crusty bread. This dip is very filling and could even serve as a meal if you wanted.

I like to pour the dip into a crocker pot/slow cooker and the setting to warm so people can enjoy it when they want.

What Kind of Cheese Should I Use?

I usually use a Mexican cheese blend, but you have options.

A combination of cheddar and pepper jack is delicious too.

The cheddar adds plenty of classic cheesy flavor, while pepper jack gives the dip a little extra kick.

You can also experiment with your favorite cheese blend as long as it melts well.

Southwestern Beef and Cheese Dip

Who doesn't love a good dip recipe? Get the most delicious Southwestern beef and cheese dip. It's super easy to put together and perfect for game watching.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Serving Size 8 people

Equipment

frying pan

Ingredients

3 cups cheese grated, preferably a Mexican cheese blend
½ can corn drained
1 cup salsa whatever spice level you like
1 lb ground beef
2 tbsp sour cream
2 tbsp beef flavor bouilion seasoning
5 slices bacon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place bacon slices on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake 20-25 minute until crisp.
Add your ground beef to a frying pan and begin cooking over medium heat. Sprinkle beef flavor bouillon seasoning over the beef and stir.
Once the beef is cooked, turn to low heat and add the salsa, Mix in salsa.
Add the drained corn and sour cream and stir again.
Add the cheese and stir frequently until it's completely melted.
Chop bacon into bite-sized pieces and add to the dip and stir.
Serve hot with tortilla chips.

Beans

Another option to add to this dip would be beans. Most of the family doesn’t like beans, but adding a can of rinsed, drained beans to the ground beef would add some great additional texture and flavor to this beef and cheese dip. Here are a few suggestions:

chili beans
kidney beans
black beans

Adding the Heat

If you like your dip really spicy you could easily add some spicy to this dip. Here are some suggestions:

chili powder – add a tablespoon or two to the ground beef once it’s browned
jalapeno pepper – add a finely diced pepper to the ground beef, and leave the seed in for more heat
hot sauce – add as many dashes of hot sauce as you like at the end of making the dip. I would recommend stirring the hot sauce in and tasting it before adding additional hot sauce if you like