Baked Jalapeño Popper Dip with Bacon

This Jalapeño Popper Dip is loaded with bacon, topped with crushed Ritz crackers then baked in the oven until ooey gooey delicious!

The ULTIMATE Jalapeño Popper Dip

When I tell you to go grab your eating pants and strap yourselves in, I truly mean it. This right here is going to cause you one heck of a food coma. Here’s why this is about to be your new favourite dip:

• Flavour – It’s absolutely bursting with flavour on all levels.
• Quick and Easy – Stress free, zero cooking ability required.
• Texture – Luxuriously creamy underneath with a crispy topping.

It’s the ultimate crowd pleaser, perfect for potluck and even better for game day. Heck, it’s perfect to make even you just want some darn cheese, do we really need an excuse to do that? Absolutely not on this blog that’s for sure! Follow me…

Bacon Jalapeño Popper Dip

Where there’s jalapeños, and certainly when there’s also cheese involved, there must be bacon. You’ll want to fry the bacon on a low-medium heat to render out as much fat as possible. This helps the bacon get extra crispy. You can also use the bacon fat (aka liquid golden) to coat the top of the dip, so that goes extra crispy too.

Ritz Crackers

These are an absolute game changer. A lot of recipes just serve these on the side to use as a dunking tool, but here I actually use them as a topping to the dip. AND, just to make matters more intense, I mix the crushed Ritz crackers in with the bacon fat. PURELY because we don’t like waste here at DGBMH 😆

Do I have to use Ritz?

Short answer – no. BUT I do highly recommend crushing something over the top of the dip to give it a nice crunch. Panko breadcrumbs work great if you don’t have Ritz, failing that just regular breadcrumbs work fine.

Baked Jalapeño Popper Dip

Another non-negotiable with this dip – it MUST be baked. How else are you gonna get that gorgeous gooey cheese?! First things first, let’s just quickly discuss the filling.

Jalapeños

Jarred/canned jalapeños are your best bet, just because they’re softer and more accessible than fresh jalapeños. You can use fresh, but I recommend roasting them before hand and reducing the quantity, just  so the spice doesn’t get out of hand!

Cheese

Another key component here. I actually use 3 different cheeses: cream cheese (the base of the dip), Cheddar (packs most of the flavour) and mozzarella (just for the epic cheese pull).

Seasoning

This dip is already bursting with flavour, but to really elevate it consider adding all or some of the following: cumin, garlic powder and black pepper. Optional, but recommended.

Can I make this ahead of time?

I don’t recommend fully cooking it and reheating, but you can certainly prep the whole thing ahead of time. Just tightly cover and store in the fridge, then bring to room temp and bake as instructed.

What to serve with Jalapeño Popper Dip?

• Pita Chips
• Tortila Chips
• Potato Wedges
• More Ritz Crackers
• Veg of Choice

You’ll notice in the video and photo below I dunk pasta in. I make no apologies for this and in fact highly encourage it.

If you’re looking for more Jalapeño Popper Recipes be sure to check out my Crispy Baked Jalapeño Poppers and Jalapeño Popper Loaded Potatoes!

But for now, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this jalapeño popper dip shall we?!

How to make Jalapeño Popper Dip (Full Recipe & Video)

Jalapeño Popper Dip

This Jalapeño Popper Dip is loaded with bacon, topped with crushed Ritz crackers then baked in the oven until ooey gooey delicious!

5 from 6 votes

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Servings (click & slide): 6

Course: Appetizer / Dip

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Calories per serving: 762kcal

Author: Chris Collins

Cost per serving: £1.50 / $2

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Equipment:

• Frying Pan & Wooden Spoon
• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
• Spatula
• Baking Dish
• Large Mixing Bowl

Ingredients (check list):

Dip

• ▢ 12.3oz / 350g Cream Cheese, at room temp
• ▢ 1/2lb / 250g Bacon
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups / 150g Cheddar Cheese, grated
• ▢ 3/4 cup / 75g Mozzarella, shredded
• ▢ 1 cup / 100g Jarred Jalapeño Slices, finely diced (see notes)
• ▢ 1/2 cup / 120g Mayonnaise
• ▢ 1/2 cup / 120g Sour Cream
• ▢ 2 Spring Onions, finely diced
• ▢ 3.5oz / 100g Ritz Crackers, or as needed
• ▢ 1/2 tsp EACH: Cumin, Garlic Powder, Black Pepper (optional)

To Serve

• ▢ Pita Chips
• ▢ Tortilla Chips
• ▢ Potato Wedges
• ▢ More Ritz Crackers

Instructions:

• In a pan over low-medium heat add your bacon and fry until the fat is fully rendered and the bacon is crispy. Remove from pan and dice on a chopping board, leaving the fat in the pan.
• In a large bowl add your cream cheese, bacon, sour cream, mayo, spring onion, jalapeños, cheddar, mozzarella and optional seasoning. Give it a good stir until everything's evenly blended, then place in a suitably sized baking dish.
• Crush your Ritz crackers into the pan of bacon fat, then give them a good stir. Evenly spread over the dip.
• Bake in the oven at 356F/180C for around 20mins, or until golden brown and gooey right through the middle.
• Serve with finger food and enjoy! Just be careful, it'll be scorching hot straight out the oven.

Quick 1 min demo!

Notes:

a) Jarred Jalapeños - Canned/jarred jalapeños are great because they're already soft and also slightly less hot than fresh jalapeños. The 1 cup is measured of drained jalapeño slices, and diced after. Not 1 cup of finely diced jalapeños. This will give you a definite kick of spice. You can reduce to 3/4 cup if you wish.

b) Fresh Jalapeños - You can use fresh jalapeños, I recommend 4-6 (seeds removed for less heat). Best to roast them, peel off the char, then finely dice. You can throw them straight in without cooking, just make sure they're really finely diced (they will be spicier here).

c) Seasoning - These are optional, but recommended. Still tastes great without, they just give the dip a little somethin' somethin'.

d) Ritz - I usually crush them with my hands, just because I like the chunky bits. You can however pound with a rolling pin in a zip lock bag or pulse in a food processor for a finer crumb. You can also use Panko breadcrumbs, just mix them in the bacon fat or in a little butter.

e) Make Ahead - I don't recommend fully cooking then reheating, doesn't come out quite the same. You can prep ahead of time though, cover and store in the fridge. Just bring to room temp before baking. I also recommend saving bacon fat and mixing through the crumbs just before putting in the oven, or they'll go soggy in the fridge. Alternatively can use 1 tbsp butter.

f) Calories - whole dip shared between 6 people with no side.

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Nutrition:

Nutrition Facts

Jalapeño Popper Dip

Amount Per Serving

Calories 762 Calories from Fat 625

% Daily Value*

Fat 69.41g107%

Saturated Fat 23.813g119%

Trans Fat 0.545g

Polyunsaturated Fat 11.9g

Monounsaturated Fat 13.485g

Cholesterol 121mg40%

Sodium 907mg38%

Potassium 408mg12%

Carbohydrates 15.58g5%

Fiber 0.9g4%

Sugar 5.15g6%

Protein 20.01g40%

Vitamin A 1492IU30%

Vitamin C 18.9mg23%

Calcium 369mg37%

Iron 1.46mg8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition is based on the absence of salt unless stated as a measurement in the ingredients. Cost is worked out based on ingredients bought from UK supermarkets, then divided by the number of servings. In both instances these values are just for guidance. Please check out my FAQ Page for more info.

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Looking for more?You'll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook 'Comfy'

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