3-Ingredient Rotel Sausage Cream Cheese Dip (Crockpot or Stovetop)

If you're looking for an insanely easy and delicious dip recipe, this sausage cream cheese dip is THE ONE!! Just 3 ingredients + 3 steps to prepare, AND you can choose to make this great dip on the stovetop or in your crockpot. SUPER SIMPLE!

3-Ingredient Sausage Cream Cheese Dip

Never in a million years would I have thought I'd say this... But I'm kind of ready for the college football season to just. be. over.

I've been looking forward to it since last December and my Buckeyes are still in the hunt, but I'm really struggling to really get excited before every football game. I mean, nothing about it feels right -- the cancellations, playing down key players, no fans in the stands, I could go on and on.

So instead I'll just drown myself in this INSANELY easy and delicious sausage cream cheese dip! You know I'm always down for some good game day party food, and it just doesn't get much better than this Rotel dip:

✔ just THREE ingredients (count 'em!!)
✔ super simple 3 easy steps to prepare
✔ make it on the stovetop in a large skillet
✔ or make it a crockpot sausage dip in your slow cooker
✔ as spicy or mild as you want it to be
✔ ready to eat in as little as 15 minutes!

You'd seriously never guess that three such simple ingredients could produce such an addictive and flavorful dip -- even picky eaters will be hooked after the first bite. So grab a BIG bag of thick and hearty restaurant-style tortilla chips and let's make a batch for your next gathering!

Rotel Sausage Dip Ingredients

This Rotel sausage dip is as easy as 1, 2, 3!! It's one of my go-to delicious recipes for parties, potlucks, and/or tailgating before the big game -- pretty much any occasion that calls for copious amounts of dips and finger foods. If I'm being completely honest though, I've even been known to make this easy sausage dip for a quick weeknight dinner...

HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED:

bulk hot pork sausage -- I typically pick up a 1-lb. roll of Jimmy Dean hot sausage. This is not in any way sponsored... I just think this spicy sausage packs the perfect amount of heat, and it isn't excessively greasy after browning. If you prefer a milder dip, then by all means go for regular sausage or even mild sausage.

Rotel tomatoes & chilies -- Rotel is always a classic ingredient in Mexican-inspired dips, so it's a natural fit here. The original variety is pretty mild, but they do also offer an actual mild variety if you prefer absolutely no heat. Me? I just saw they're now offering a Serrano variety, and I am TOTALLY trying that for some extra heat next time I make this hot sausage dip!

cream cheese -- cream cheese on the whole doesn't vary much between brands, so choose whatever your fave is. That said, you could lighten this recipe up slightly by using Neufchatel.

That's it!! In fact, you probably don't even need my help to figure out how to make sausage dip at this point, but I'll still walk you through how to make this easy 3-ingredient dip recipe on both the stovetop and crockpot,so everything is simple and straightforward.

How To Make Sausage Dip In 3 Steps

Yup, THREE ingredients and just THREE steps! See why this is hands down the easiest sausage cream cheese Rotel dip recipe ever?

1| Brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking it up into small pieces as it's cooking. For best results, at this point, you’ll want to drain off any excess grease. However, I’ve found that when I use Jimmy Dean hot sausage, the excess oil is very minimal, so I just skip doing this.

BTW, if you don't already own one of these ground meat choppers, you totally need to pick one up! It makes browning and crumbling ground beef, ground turkey, and bulk sausage so much easier than trying to use a wooden spoon.

2| Now is the time to decide whether you want to continue your prep on the stovetop (fastest) or in your crockpot (best for transporting a hot dip to a tailgate party or potluck). If you're continuing on the stovetop, just leave the browned sausage in the skillet and dump in 2 cans of Rotel.

If you're moving the sausage dip to your crockpot, transfer the browned ground sausage to the crockpot insert, and dump the 2 cans of Rotel in with it.

PRO TIP: I highly recommend using these disposable slow cooker liners for an easy way to minimize your clean up.

3| Cube two 8-oz. blocks of cream and add them to the sausage Rotel mixture. Cook over medium-low heat on the stovetop until fully combined, stirring frequently.

If you're preparing this dip in the crockpot, the cook time will take longer. You can use any heat setting, depending on how soon you plan to serve it. Just turn it down to "keep warm" after the ingredients are fully combined to avoid scorching it.

A Few Quick Tips For Best Results:

• I know I already mentioned this, but do pick up one of these ground meat choppers to make browning the bulk sausage for this simple dip nearly effortless. It's the first thing I reach for when making taco meat, meat sauces, and sausage/ground beef-based dips like this. I use mine several times a week at the very least!
• DON'T drain the Rotel. The little bit of liquid is essential for thinning out this sausage and cream cheese dip enough to be scoopable.
• And speaking of scoopable... This creamy sausage dip is still a very thick dip, so choose some good, sturdy, restaurant-style tortilla chips to serve with it. If you're feeling really ambitious, you could even try making your own homemade tortilla chips!
• DO cube up the cream cheese before adding it for faster melting. Technically you could just throw the whole blocks in and still end up with a creamy dip, but they will take much longer to melt.
• A good alternative to tortilla chips for dipping are the larger scoop-size corn chips. Also celery sticks and/or sliced bell peppers are a great option for your low carb guests.

Best Slow Cooker For Crockpot Sausage Dip

One final note, I searched high and low to find the BEST crockpot for this sausage dip with cream cheese and Rotel (and actually for ALL of my favorite crockpot party dip recipes). My criteria were that it be a small size crock pot, have at least 3 heat settings, and be cute on my countertop...

AND I FOUND ONE THAT IS JUST PERFECT!! At Target (of course).

It's a small 4.5-qt. size, has 3 manual heat settings, and it's part of the Crockpot Designer Series. Love, LOVE the light blue macaron matte finish and adorable modern-vintage design aesthetic. Plus it's super lightweight... AND it's super affordably priced at just $24.99!

In fact, I love it so much that I also bought the coordinating 7-qt. oval programmable version. I use this larger one to make a double batch of this easy dip when I know I'm going to have lots of hungry guests (you know, like for Super Bowl Sunday)... HIGHLY RECOMMEND BOTH!