This Garlic Bread Cheese Dip has tons of creamy cheeses and roasted garlic – all the flavors of your favorite side dish in a delicious appetizer dip!
Have you seen the new Jumanji movie? My family saw it this past weekend and loved it! I will say that’s it’s not as great as the 1995 original (aff) (Robin Williams just can’t be beat no matter how good the remake) but it was entertaining and hilarious. In the movie all the characters have strengths and weaknesses, and Kevin Hart’s character’s weakness…is cake. In that if he eats cake, he explodes.
If I was a Jumanji character, Garlic Bread would be my weakness. I mean, it has all of my favorite things: Cheese? Check. Bread? Check. Garlic? Check check! And roll all of those things into a delicious dippable appetizer? Well, then all bets are off.
How to make Garlic Bread Cheese Dip
I think one of the things I love about dips is how easy they are to make. A little cheese, a little flavor, and viola! You have an irresistible, creamy concoction worthy of topping your favorite chips, crackers or crostini.
For this dip I wanted the garlic flavor to shine through, and the best way to really get a great garlic flavor is to use fresh garlic. I took it a step further and roasted 4 heads of garlic to add to my garlic cheese dip. This gives the garlic a deeper, yet mild and slightly sweet garlic flavor. It’s amazing just on it’s own but in this Cheesy Garlic Bread Dip it’s perfection.
Roasting garlic is easy and it is so delicious! You can read my tips on how to roast garlic here. This step takes just under an hour, so if you’re pressed for time you can use minced garlic – I’d go with about 6-8 cloves.
The main component of any good cheesy dip is, well, the cheese! I used cream cheese, fresh Mozzarella and fresh Parmesan. Any good melty cheese that you love will do. The cream cheese is combined with sour cream and a little mayo to create the base, then mixed with 4 heads of roasted garlic, a little garlic salt and a lot of fresh minced parsley. The final mix-in is the fresh shredded cheeses.
All of this creamy good is poured into a small baking dish and baked in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes. I baked it just until the edges were golden. Garnish with fresh minced parsley and have some crostini on hand for dipping. This is garlic bread after all! If you forget the crostini, clubhouse crackers make a nice substitution.
Garlic Bread Cheese Dip
Ingredients
- 4 heads garlic roasted (follow directions here)
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
- 2 cups freshly shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup fresh minced parsley plus some for garnish (or 1-2 tablespoon dried)
- Toasted bread crostini or crackers
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a small baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium sized bowl with an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, mayonnaise and sour cream until smooth. Stir in roasted garlic and garlic salt, then stir in cheeses and parsley.
- Pour into a small baking dish.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, or edges are golden brown and cheeses are melted and bubbly.
- Garnish with fresh minced parsley and serve with crackers or toasted bread for dipping.
Here’s another favorite Garlic Bread recipe:
For even more garlic bread recipes, try these:
- Garlic Bread Chex Mix
- Garlic Bread Popcorn
- Parmesan Garlic Herb Quick Bread
I’ve been in search of a good garlic dip recipe ever since I enjoyed one at one of my favorite Restuarant’s. My family who also loves it said this one is pretty dang close and we all loved it just as much. Thank you for sharing. Interestingly the restaurant serves theirs with sliced apples along with bread. You wouldn’t believe how good this dip is with apples! Party in your mouth!
Apples?! I never would have thought to use apples but now I can’t wait to try it!
I’m back at it, making this yummy dip during covid-19 quarantine. Just wondering if you ever got the chance to try it with apples and if so, what you thought of it….
Welcome back! No I haven’t tried it with apples. I personally don’t know that I would like it with all the garlic.
For those of you wanting to make this in a crock pot, add all the ingredients EXCEPT for the shredded cheeses (cream cheese is fine to add) first. Then before serving add the shredded cheeses. I made the mistake of putting everything in at once and it came out oily. I’m almost certain waiting on the cheese will help.
Great tip, thanks!
Is it ok to save it and heat it up later ?
Yes, just prep the dip and don’t bake it. When you’re close to serving time, bake as directed. I would recommend not making more than 24 hours in advance.
It does also do good as leftovers. Just throw it in the oven for about 10-15 minutes or even the microwave will do.
how much does this end up making in the end?
It fits in a small baking dish (quart size).
Can I make this without the mayo? It’s the one thing I forgot at the store!
Yes you could omit the mayo. If you have enough, just add a little more sour cream.
Miracle Whip or real mayo?
Hi Venita, I only use real mayo.
Do you think I could put this in a crockpot to take to a party?
Yes you could use a 2 quart crockpot on the warm setting.
Do you think it can be made in a crockpot? We do app day at work and this would be a hit, but we don’t have an oven.
How small is small baking dish? 2 cup? 4 cup? 8″ square?
An 8-inch baking dish or smaller. Mine was an oval that was about 8×5.
Thanks Kristin, looks like a tasty and easy appetizer to make for a super bowl party. Wishing you and your family an incredible New Year!
Thank you Kathy! Yes, this would be perfect for super bowl!