Jalapeño Popper Dip

This Jalapeño Popper Dip is ridiculously creamy and cheesy, loaded with bacon and finished with a crispy Ritz topping coated in bacon fat.

Jalapeño popper dip can so easily end up just a bowl of hot cream cheese, which is exactly what I wanted to avoid here. This version loads of crispy bacon, plenty of jalapeño flavour and, most notably, that golden Ritz topping (that just happens to be tossed through leftover bacon fat). Follow me…

Ingredients Notes

The full quantities are down in the recipe card, but I just want to quickly touch on a few of the ingredients:

• For the best flavour & texture – I recommend a cheese combo of cheddar, cream cheese and mozzarella. The cream cheese gives you the classic, creamy base, cheddar packs in the flavour, and mozzarella gives you that gorgeous gooey cheese pull. For the fullest flavour, make sure the cheddar is mature/sharp, and the cream cheese is full-fat.
• For plenty of tang – I use pickled jalapeños from a jar, as opposed to fresh. They cut through all that richness really nicely and soften beautifully into the dip.
• For maximum bacon goodness – streaky bacon works best because it renders out plenty of fat as it cooks. We’ll be using this fat for the crushed Ritz toppings.
• To keep things creamy – sour cream and mayo loosen the cream cheese and stop the dip becoming too thick and heavy.
• For that crispy topping – Ritz crackers are perfect because they’re already buttery and salty, then tossing them through the rendered bacon fat takes them to another level.

Ritz Cracker Topping

The Ritz topping is honestly one of my favourite parts of this dip. The crushed crackers are tossed through the leftover bacon fat, which gives them loads of flavour and helps them crisp up beautifully in the oven. You get that gorgeous crunch on top, then the creamy, cheesy dip underneath. It’s just too darn good.

Rendering the bacon fat

Gently frying the bacon is an important step, not only to efficiently crisp up the bacon, but also to extract the bacon fat. Don’t raise the heat too high, otherwise it’ll cook without rendering out the fat.

Process shots: fry bacon (photo 1), remove (photo 2), add crushed Ritz (photo 3), combine (photo 4).

Baked Jalapeño Popper Dip

Once the topping is sorted, the dip itself couldn’t be easier to whip up. Just combine everything until well mixed, spread it into your baking dish, then scatter over the Ritz topping. The mixture will be quite thick at this point, but it loosens up beautifully as the cheese melts in the oven.

Process shots: combine dip (photos 1&2), add to baking dish (photo 3), add topping and bake (photo 4).

Serving Suggestions

Once out of the oven, the dip will be piping hot, so just beware before you go face-planting it. From there, just grab your favourite dunking tools and tuck right in! Here are some of my favourites:

• Pita Chips
• Tortilla Chips
• Potato Wedges
• Bagel Chips
• More Ritz Crackers
• Veg of Choice (carrots, peppers, etc)

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

• Prep ahead – just make until putting it in the oven, then tightly store in the fridge overnight. I recommend keeping the Ritz topping separate (just leave in a sealed container at room temp), then add it just before baking so it stays nice and crisp. Let the dip sit out for 30 minutes ot so while the oven preheats, then bake as instructed (it may need a few extra minutes if it’s still quite cold).

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)

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