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Cheesy Bacon Dip has two kinds of melted cheese, a full pound of crispy bacon, and buttery cracker crumbs. A perfect skillet appetizer to whip up for game day or weekend parties.
This baked cheese dip is insanely good, even without the bacon. But then the bacon shows up, and all of a sudden your appetizer is the party MVP.
My advice: Make a double batch, spread it into two pans, and have one waiting in the wings while everyone is inhaling the first. Then eat the second one in the kitchen, all by yourself.
Recipe ingredients:
Ingredient notes:
- Swiss cheese: Or substitute Havarti or Gruyere.
- Buttery crackers: I love Townhouse brand, but any golden, buttery cracker will do.
- Bacon: See my full tutorial on how to fry bacon for an easy oven method.
Step-by-step instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and butter a cast iron skillet or 9-inch baking dish. In a large bowl, add Swiss cheese, cream cheese, mayonnaise, and scallions.
- Spread into the buttered dish and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the dip is golden brown and bubbling.
- Remove from oven and top with crushed cracker crumbs, crisp bacon, and if you have them, even more scallions.
Recipe tips and variations:
- Double it: Or triple it, even. All I know is that it’s always the first thing to go. It’s super easy to tackle the waves of hunger as guests arrive; just refill the empty pan with more dip, bake, top, and send it out. The crowd cheers.Â
- Freeze the bacon:Â I find it MUCH easier to freeze bacon first, before cutting and frying. Then I don’t have to futz with greasy bacon sliding around on a cutting board as I wield a large, sharp (also greasy) knife. If you already have bacon in the freezer (thank you, Costco!) you’re one step ahead of the game. Just chop it up while still frozen and cook.
- Make it spicy: Sure, add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce to the cheese and mayo mixture before baking.
- Make ahead: Mix up the dip a day or two before, store in the refrigerator, then spread it out in the prepared pans when you’re ready to bake.
More delicious appetizers:
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Cheesy Bacon Dip
Cheesy Bacon Dip has two kinds of melted cheese, a full pound of crispy bacon, and buttery cracker crumbs. A perfect skillet appetizer to whip up for game day or weekend parties.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 4 ounces Swiss cheese shredded (see note 1)
- 1/4 cup green scallions sliced, plus more for garnish
- 1/2 cup buttery crackers crushed (Townhouse preferred, see note 2)
- 1/2 pound bacon fried and crumbled (see note 3)
- buttery crackers garlic Melba toasts, or pretzels, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 9-inch pie plate or 10-inch cast iron skillet.
- In medium bowl, add cream cheese, mayonnaise, Swiss cheese, and scallions and stir until combined. Spread into baking dish and bake until golden brown and bubbly, 18 to 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and top with crushed crackers, bacon, and additional scallions if desired. Serve hot with more crackers, garlic Melba toasts, or pretzels.
Notes
- Swiss cheese: Or substitute Havarti or Gruyere.Â
- Buttery crackers: I love Townhouse brand, but any golden, buttery cracker will do.Â
- Bacon: See my full tutorial on how to fry bacon for an easy oven method.
- Double it: Or triple it, even. All I know is that it's always the first thing to go. It's super easy to tackle the waves of hunger as guests arrive; just refill the empty pan with more dip, bake, top, and send it out. The crowd cheers.Â
- Freeze the bacon:Â I find it MUCH easier to freeze bacon first, before cutting and frying. Then I don't have to futz with greasy bacon sliding around on a cutting board as I wield a large, sharp (also greasy) knife. If you already have bacon in the freezer (thank you, Costco!) you're one step ahead of the game. Just chop it up while still frozen and cook.
- Make it spicy: Sure, add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce to the cheese and mayo mixture before baking.Â
- Make ahead: Mix up the dip a day or two before, store in the refrigerator, then spread it out in the prepared pans when you're ready to bake.
Nutrition
Calories: 399kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 16gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 78mgSodium: 727mgPotassium: 206mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 549IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 151mgIron: 1mg
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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Made this dip for two parties in a row. Everyone loved it and wanted the recipe. We even made a batch without bacon for the vegans and it was just as good… Well not really because it was missing the bacon so it was almost as good… LOL Thanks Meggan!
Made exactly as the recipe stated using gruyere cheese. I did mix half the cooked bacon in with the dip. It was hard for the three of us not to eat it all right from the oven. One of the best dips I’ve made. Thanks for the recipe and the substitutions. Will try the hot sauce added in. THANK YOU!!
Sounds really good. Gonna try it.
Can this dip be made the night before then baked before bringing to a potluck?
Hi Diana! I can’t think of any reason why not. You don’t add the bacon or cracker crumbs until after it’s baked, but the base should be just fine in the fridge overnight! Thanks for the question and please let me know if you need anything else.
Can this be made in the crock pot? I have a baby shower to make a dip for and cannot put it in the oven before hand.
Hi Rachel, yes! I need to add directions for that. Just combine the cream cheese, Swiss cheese, mayo, and scallions in a crock pot. I’d heat it on HIGH for 2-3 hours or low for 4 to 5. Once it’s hot, top it with the crumbled bacon and crushed crackers. Done and done! Thanks for the question.
Made this tonight as our last decadent dip before we go to the cardiologist for my husband’s check up tomorrow. It was fantastic.
Tina… !!! LOL! I’m so flattered! I am glad you loved it. It’s really good stuff, and a great meal before seeing the ol’ heart doctor. :D Thanks for sharing!!!
Wow!!!!! Now that is a dip! Pass me the crackers :)
Thank you, Serene! :)