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This Hot Bacon Dip is creamy, cheesy, and loaded with crisp bacon — the ultimate baked appetizer dip for holidays or game day. It’s easy to make, ready in 30 minutes, and disappears fast!
It’s a family favorite alongside other crowd-pleasing dips like Spinach Artichoke Dip and Jalapeño Popper Dip.
5 Tips for Getting This Hot Bacon Dip Just Right
- Use freshly shredded cheese: It melts smoother than pre-bagged cheese.
- Use softened cream cheese to avoid lumps when mixing.
- Drain excess bacon grease to prevent a greasy texture.
- Cook the bacon until crisp so it stays crunchy in the dip.
- Don’t undercook: Bake at 375°F until it’s golden and bubbly. If you undercook the dip, it won’t get the right crusty edges.
RECIPE WALK-THROUGH
How To Make Hot Bacon Dip
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
Step 1: Cook the Bacon and Prep
Preheat your oven to 375°F. Cook the bacon until crisp, draining any excess grease. Crumble or dice the bacon, reserving about a tablespoon for topping. Thinly slice green onions, and mince the garlic.
- Oven-cooked bacon is an easy way to get crisp, evenly cooked bacon!
Step 2: Mix the Base
In a medium bowl, combine 8 ounces of softened cream cheese, 1 cup of sour cream, and ½ cup of mayonnaise. Stir until smooth.
- Don’t skimp on time softening the cream cheese! It is an important step to get the right texture at the end. We want smooth, not lumpy.
Step 3: Add Flavor
Add 1½ cups freshly shredded cheddar, most of the cooked bacon, green onions, minced garlic, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, a pinch of black pepper, and any desired seasonings (ranch, cayenne, hot sauce). Mix until evenly distributed.
- Pro Tip: Shred your own cheese — it melts creamier than pre-bagged cheese and helps prevent a greasy texture.
- Taste the mixture before baking and adjust seasoning (salt, pepper, spice level) to your preference.
Step 3: Bake
Transfer the mixture into a small baking dish or pie plate. Sprinkle the reserved bacon and green onions on top. Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted, the edges are golden, and the top is bubbling.
- Pro Tip: Place the dish on a baking sheet in case it bubbles over — easy cleanup!
- For an extra-golden brown top, broil the dip for the last 1-2 minutes of baking. Keep a close eye to prevent burning.
Step 4: Serve
Allow the dip to cool for 5 minutes (it will be super hot right out of the oven). Garnish with extra bacon and green onions. Serve warm with crostini, crackers, or chips.
- Pro Tip: Transfer the baked dip to a small slow cooker (on warm setting) to keep it hot for parties or game day.
Variations
- Ranch Bacon Dip: Stir in 1 tbsp dry ranch seasoning for an extra layer of flavor.
- Three‑Cheese Bacon Dip: Use a blend of cheddar, Monterey Jack, and Pepper Jack for meltier, more complex cheesy goodness.
- Spicy Bacon Dip: Stir in chopped jalapeños or ½ tsp hot sauce.
- Slow Cooker Method: Mix ingredients and cook on low for 2-3 hrs.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve with toasted crostini, pita chips, pretzels, thick tortilla chips, or sturdy crackers.
- Fresh pita or a torn-up loaf of French bread are great options for serving with this hot bacon dip!
- Add a festive garnish like chopped chives or extra bacon for the holidays.
- Pair with a veggie tray and other dips for a party platter like Spinach Dip or Buffalo Chicken Dip.
Storage Tips
Storing, Freezing, and Make Ahead
- Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container, eat within 2‑3 days.
- Reheating: Microwave on 50% power or bake at 350°F for 10-15 min until warmed through to prevent the cheese from separating.
- Freezing: Not recommended for this one due to its high dairy content, as the texture may degrade.
- Make‑Ahead: Assemble dip (unbaked) up to 24 hours ahead of time, cover, and refrigerate. Bake just before serving, adding 5 extra minutes to the bake time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use pre-cooked bacon or bacon bits?
Yes, but freshly cooked tastes better, is crispier, and less greasy.
Why did my dip turn greasy?
Likely from using precooked bacon or bacon bits, not fully draining the bacon grease, or using pre-shredded cheese.
Can I double it for a party?
Yes, you can. Bake it in a 9×13-inch dish and add 10 minutes to the bake time.
Can I serve it cold?
You can, but it’s best served hot.
More Hot Cheesy Dips
Cheesy Hot Bacon Dip
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Cream cheese softened
- 1 cup Sour cream
- 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 cups Freshly shredded cheddar cheese
- 8 Slices of bacon cooked and crumbled/diced (reserve some for topping)
- 4 Green onions thinly sliced
- 2 Garlic cloves minced (1 teaspoon)
- 1/2 teaspoon Red pepper flakes
- Pinch Black pepper
- Crackers or crostini for serving
Instructions
- Combine cream cheese, sour cream and mayo in a medium sized bowl until smooth.
- Reserve about a tablespoon of bacon and a tablespoon of green onion for topping.
- Stir in cheese, bacon, green onions, garlic, red pepper flakes and black pepper.
- Pour into a small baking dish or pie plate. Top with reserved bacon and green onions.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and dip is golden and bubbly.
- Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving. Garnish with more fresh chopped scallions if desired.
- Serve with crackers or toasted bread (crostini).
Notes
- Variations and Substitutions
-
- Ranch Bacon Dip: Stir in 1 tbsp dry ranch seasoning for an extra layer of flavor.
- Three‑Cheese Bacon Dip: Use a blend of cheddar, Monterey Jack, and Pepper Jack for meltier, more complex cheesy goodness.
- Spicy Bacon Dip: Stir in chopped jalapeños or ½ tsp hot sauce.
- Slow Cooker Method: Mix ingredients and cook on low for 2-3 hrs.
- Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container, eat within 2‑3 days.
- Reheating: Microwave on 50% power or bake at 350°F for 10-15 min until warmed through to prevent the cheese from separating.
- Freezing: Not recommended.
- Make‑Ahead: Assemble dip (unbaked) up to 24 hours ahead of time, cover, and refrigerate. Bake just before serving, adding 5 extra minutes to the bake time.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
Super easy peasy recipe.
Big hit with the family
Now I’m making it for the second time in less than a week!
That’s awesome Dawn! Thanks for stopping by.
This is such a huge hit at get together there’s never any left great recripe thanks
You are so welcome Rochelle! Thanks for stopping by.
Can you suggest a Mayo substitute? We LOVE this recipe but my friends hates Mayo (super annoying!!).
Sure – you could just add more sour cream or plain Greek yogurt.
Can this be made in the crackpot?
I haven’t tried this one in the crock pot, but I hesitate to recommend it because of the amount of dairy and the bacon – it could get pretty greasy.
This recipe is delicious. My family loves it.
Thank you!
How do you keep it from curdling
I have never had a problem with this recipe curdling. The cream cheese in the recipe keeps it nice and smooth.