This Too Easy Tamale Dip is an old recipe from my grandma. It’s a deliciously hearty dip that’s perfect to snack on when you’re watching the big game or your favorite movie.

One of my favorite things to do is go through old cookbooks. I recently found a cookbook from the 1980s that was full of my grandma’s recipes.
My favorite cookbooks are those spiral bound church style cookbooks. You can find all kinds of gems in them. I found one from the church my family attended when I was a child.
I swear my grandma was the heart and soul of that cookbook. I don’t think they would have had much of a cookbook without all her recipes. One I couldn’t wait to try was her tamale dip.
Table of Contents
What do you need to make Too Easy Tamale Dip?
Of course you’ll need tamales. I find the canned beef tamales work best. Plus, the regular style tamales are a bit hard to find at the grocery store lately. Just don’t forget to remove the papers from the canned tamales.
You can use regular tamales from the freezer or refrigerated section of the grocery store. The dip just won’t be as runny without the canned tamale liquid included in this dip.
You’ll also need a can of chili with no beans, a cup of your favorite salsa, as well as a jar of Old English Cheese.
You’ll want to top it with some shredded cheddar when it’s ready to serve.
If you are an onion lover like my teenager, you can also add 1/2 cup of chopped onions to the mixture before baking it in the microwave. I often leave this out as the salsa I use has a lot of onion in it.
What is Old English Cheese?
You might be asking yourself what the heck is Old English Cheese. It’s a jar of cheese spread you can find in the grocery store. I’ve found it at Kroger and Walmart. It will be near the other cheeses that are around the canned goods, like Velveeta and the Parmesan shakers.
I remember both my mom and my grandma always having a jar on hand. They’d use it for all kinds of things from dips to cheese balls. And, they’d always save the empty jars.
My mom still makes a cheese ball during the holidays that everyone raves about using Old English Cheese.

What can you use as a substitute for Old English Cheese?
Walmart is the place I always find Old English Cheese, but if you can’t find it, there’s a couple things you can do.
- You can use a food processor and mix equal parts cream cheese and shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
- You can also use Kaukauna cheese spread, which you can also find at the grocery store.
How to make Too Easy Tamale Dip in the Microwave?
My grandma used to make this in the microwave, but I’ve it’s quicker and easier to make it in the microwave.

Combine all the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl and mix them up. Then, heat for 2 minutes.
Transfer to an 8 x 8 baking dish that’s safe to use in the microwave.

Microwave for 3 minutes. Then, give it a good stir and microwave for an additional 3 minutes.
Sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately with tortilla chips or Doritos.
More Game Day Recipes
- Super Simple Guacamole
- How to make a Microwave Mexican Casserole
- Easy Steak Burrito Recipe
- Microwave Chicken Enchiladas
- The EASIEST Beef Enchiladas in the Microwave

Too Easy Tamale Dip in the Microwave
Ingredients
- 28 oz can of beef tamales (or two 15 oz cans)
- 1 cup salsa
- 5 oz jar of Kraft Old English Cheese
- 15 oz can of Chili with No Beans
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese
- Optional: 1/2 cup chopped onions
Instructions
- Drain a little of the tamale juices. Remove the papers from the tamales.
- Shred the tamales into small pieces in a microwave-safe bowl and add the juice from the can.
- Add the chili, salsa, and Old English cheese. Add the chopped onions if desired.
- Mix up all the ingredients.
- Heat for 2 minutes and stir again until the cheese is more incorporated into the mix.
- Transfer to an 8 x 8 baking dish (microwave safe).
- Heat for 3 minutes. Stir the dip once.
- Heat for an additional 3 minutes.
- Top with 1/2 cup shredded cheese.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 291Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 883mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 4gSugar: 4gProtein: 14g
Any nutritional information on justmicrowaveit.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate.