Hot Bacon Cheese Dip

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This Hot Bacon Cheddar Dip recipe is a family favorite. It’s ridiculously easy to make and perfect for sharing with friends and family. With cream cheese and cheddar, this baked dip recipe is something I serve for the holidays, game day and any other time I need a crowd-pleasing appetizer.

Baking dish with dip on a party table next to crackers and drinks. — Let’s make this easy bacon cheddar dip recipe!

This recipe for Hot Bacon Dip is for people, like me, who love to eat more than they love to cook. It’s one of my favorite easy appetizer recipes to make at home.

This easy baked dip is creamy and full of that bacon flavor that we all adore!

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Why you’ll love this bacon dip recipe

Baked dips are a great idea when you’re having friends and family over. They are comforting and easy to make ahead.

This Bacon Cream Cheese Dip is one of my go-to recipes since everyone I have ever served it to has raved about it.

You really can’t go wrong with bacon and cheese.

Related post: Jalapeno Popper Dip with Cream Cheese and Dried Beef

Serve it with some Ritz crackers, bread or even vegetables to create a filling snack that everyone will love.

For a football party, a family dinner party or even a movie night, this recipe has just 5 ingredients and hardly any prep time making it super low-stress.

It also inspired me to make a cold bacon cheese dip which you may also want to check out if you’d rather have something you don’t have to worry about serving warm.

Ingredients

The hot cheese dip with bacon is crazy easy. But don’t take my word for it. Throw a batch together and let me know what you think! You’ll need:

I’m always looking for ways to speed up recipes. The way I do that for this bacon cheddar dip is to use bacon bits and pre-grated cheddar cheese.

The sharper the cheddar cheese, the worse it melts. But I enjoy the flavor the most with a sharper cheese so I just know the texture won’t be super smooth. You can use a mild cheddar if you prefer.

Although I have made this without the onions in the past, they really do add great flavor. If you don’t have any and don’t want to go to the store, you should still make this recipe.

If you want to make this cheese and bacon dip more gourmet, you can cook your own bacon and grate your own cheese. You could even add some blue cheese crumbles. (Blue cheese and cheddar make my favorite Cheese Ball recipe flavor MAGIC!)

Or you can keep the recipe as is. Either way, you’ll want to shovel this dip into your mouth hole as fast as possible.

Some people love to add hot sauce to their bacon cream cheese dip. But I am not a fan. You do what you feel is best.

How to make baked cheese dip with bacon

Cutting board with 4 green onions laying next to a knife and a bowl holding ingredients.

The trickiest part of making this dip is to remember to leave the cream cheese out to soften. For some reason, I can NEVER remember that part!

The only other prep work is to chop the green onions.

Mixing bowl with ingredients like cheese, sour cream and green onions in it.

Step 1

Put all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix it.

You don’t even need to get out a mixer. Just use a wooden spoon to mix it well.

Aside from the green onions, which you can totally eyeball if you want, you don’t even need to measure anything. You just empty the containers and you’re good to go. So easy.

Baking dish on a cutting board with a cream cheese and cheddar cheese mixture.

Step 2

Spread the bacon cheddar dip into your favorite oven to table dish and bake it until warm and bubbly (about half an hour at 400 degrees).

How to Serve

Dish with bacon cheese dip on a table next to bowls with crackers and baguettes and some drinks.

Serve this bacon cream cheese dip with butter crackers, baguette slices or torn mini baguettes.

You could also serve it with fresh veggies…but really this is a carb-lovers appetizer.

Hard or soft pretzels would also be very tasty.

The dip will cool down the longer it sits out, but the flavor is still there. I have never tried it before but you may even be able to serve this in a mini crockpot so it’s at a better serving temperature throughout a party.

Tips

If you plan on taking this bacon dip to someone else’s house for a game-day party, just make it in a disposable pan so you don’t worry about bringing it home.
I never add any salt because of the bacon but if you taste it and think it needs some, feel free to add it.
If you want to add a little bit of crunch, you could sprinkle on some chopped pecans before baking. That would pair perfectly.
Instead of doubling the recipe for a party, I would make a few single batches, in individual dishes ahead of time. That way when you serve the first, you can pop the second batch into the oven so you always have hot bacon cheddar dip.

Make it Ahead

What’s awesome is this bacon cream cheese dip can be made ahead of time and kept cold in the refrigerator!

Bake it off before your guests arrive. You may need to add on a little more baking time since your ingredients won’t be at room temperature though.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you soften cream cheese quickly?

Place the unwrapped cream cheese on the microwavable plate.
Microwave for 15 to 20 seconds then remove it from the microwave. Use a spoon to mix it as best you can as the center might not be as warm as the outside of the cheese. Add a few extra seconds if you need to soften it a bit more. You don’t want it all the way melted.

Can you save the leftovers?

Yes, you can save leftovers in an air-tight container and keep it in the fridge.

How do you reheat this bacon dip?

In my opinion, the bacon cheddar dip doesn’t reheat well. You can place a portion in a microwave-safe dish and microwave for about 30 seconds, test, stir and add on more time until warm enough for your liking.

A small appetizer plate with a portion of dip on it next to some crackers.

Printable pages on top of an image of kitchen gadgets with text next to it.

Save this and Pin it for later!

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A few more easy dip recipes you might also enjoy!