by Jessica | February 23, 2026 4:22 pm
so, you know how some recipes just live rent free in your head forever?
this is one of them.
listen, i was just thinking about the last game night we had at our place. i made three different things. a whole charcuterie board. homemade salsa. this sausage dip.
the board had like $30 worth of fancy cheese on it.
the dip won. by a lot. people were literally scraping the slow cooker with chips when it was gone and looking at me like i had answers.
my neighbor leaned over and whispered “what is in this” and i felt a little bad saying “just three things.” she didn’t believe me. she thought i was keeping a secret. i was not keeping a secret.
first time i made it i used mild sausage because i wasn’t sure how spicy people like things. huge mistake. not enough flavor. go with the hot sausage. trust me. the cream cheese balances everything out anyway so it’s not actually that spicy, it just tastes like something.
mine aren’t ever perfectly smooth. i always leave some sausage chunks which honestly makes it better. more texture.
gets messy. extremely worth it.
why everyone loses their mind over this
hot, creamy, cheesy, sausage-y
easy to make for a crowd
keeps warm in the slow cooker the whole party
three ingredients and some seasoning
nobody will stop talking about it
what you need
short list. very short.
| stuff | how much |
|---|---|
| ground breakfast sausage | about a pound. hot variety. |
| cream cheese | one full block. softened. |
| ro-tel tomatoes | one can. original or hot. |
| shredded cheddar | optional but why wouldn’t you |
| chips or bread for dipping | a lot |
how to make it
first thing. brown the sausage in a skillet. break it up into small crumbles. drain the grease off. this is important, i skipped draining once and the dip was swimming in orange oil. still ate it. regretted nothing. but drain it.
dump the cooked sausage into the slow cooker. cut the cream cheese block into chunks and throw those in too. doesn’t matter if it’s not fully softened, it’ll melt. add the whole can of ro-tel, liquid and everything.
set it to low for maybe 2 hours. stir it every now and then. the cream cheese takes a little while to fully melt in and it looks weird and lumpy for a while. that’s normal. just keep stirring and it comes together.
throw some shredded cheddar on top in the last 20 minutes if you want. adds another layer of cheese pull which is never a bad thing.
switch to the warm setting when you’re ready to serve. put some chips next to the pot and prepare to watch it vanish.
done.
tips & variations
storage (and my labeling problem)
so there’s usually a little left at the bottom of the slow cooker and i scrape it into a container and put it in the fridge.
i never label it. i have said this before and nothing has changed. i found a container last week i genuinely could not identify until i opened it and smelled it. it was this dip. i ate it standing at the fridge at 11pm. zero regrets.
keeps for maybe 3 days. reheat it in a small pot on the stove with a splash of milk to loosen it back up. the microwave makes it a little grainy but it works in a pinch.
the numbers
| thing | roughly per serving |
|---|---|
| calories | ~290 |
| fat | 22g |
| carbs | 5g |
| protein | 14g |
(i always eat more than one serving so multiply accordingly)
questions
can i make this in a regular pot on the stove? yes. just keep the heat low and stir constantly so
the cream cheese doesn’t scorch. slow cooker is easier for parties because it stays warm.
mild vs hot sausage? go hot. seriously. mild is fine but hot sausage makes it so much better. the cream cheese cuts the heat so it’s really not that spicy.
can i prep this ahead? brown the sausage the day before and refrigerate it. day of, just dump everything in the slow cooker. saves a lot of time.
what if it gets too thick? add a small splash of milk and stir. comes right back together.
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