Cheesy Bacon Jalapeño Popper Dip is by far one of my favorite and most requested recipes! I had the pleasure of catering a party for some friends recently and their guests asked for the recipe, so I thought it was about time I get this posted!
Start with cooking the bacon. My favorite way to cook bacon is in the oven….not in a skillet on the stove. It’s way easier and less messy! Place 8 slices of bacon (or 10 if you’re like me and like to snack on a few pieces), on a foil lined sheet pan and bake until crispy, about 20-30 minutes depending on the thickness of your bacon. When crisp, remove from the pan and let the bacon cool on paper towels. Crumble into small pieces.
Meanwhile, seed and dice the jalapeños. A quick tip on prepping Jalapeños…cut the tip of the pepper and hold by the stem. Then slice down the side so you are cutting off the flesh of the pepper and leaving the seeds behind. When you are done you will have nice clean slices and can discard the core with the seeds intact.
If you like things really spicy, add some chopped pickled jalapeños and a few teaspoons of the pickling liquid from the jarred jalapeños. If you like things less spicy use poblano peppers….still delicious but they bring the heat level down.
Next, dice the green onions and shred the cheddar and pepper jack cheese. I prefer to buy blocks of cheese and shred them myself. You can buy pre-shredded cheese…they just don’t melt as well, but will do the trick if that’s the way you roll!
Place the cream cheese in a large glass bowl. If it is not totally room temperature, microwave for a few seconds until it is very soft. Add the shredded cheeses and mayonnaise to the softened cream cheese and mix thoroughly. Add the jalapeños, bacon, and green onions and stir to combine.
It looks great already doesn’t it! Actually, I’ve used this mixture as is and made it into a cheese ball and it’s stellar that way as well!
Spray a small casserole dish (8-9 inches) or a deep-dish pie plate with cooking spray, and fill with the cheesy mixture. Smooth the top and place in a preheated 350° oven for 30 minutes. 
You can make the dip ahead of time and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve, just leave it out on the counter to come to room temperature before baking…or add an extra 10-15 minutes to your bake time.
While the dip is in the oven prepare the crunchy topping. The topping is optional but is a delicious addition to the dip. Just melt the butter in a small skillet and crush 1 sleeve of Ritz crackers into small pieces. When the butter starts to bubble, add the crackers and cook over medium low heat until the cracker crumbs get nice and golden brown, stirring often.
Place the cooked cracker crumbs in a bowl and allow to cool for a few minutes. Then add the grated parmesan cheese and stir to combine.
The dip is ready to come out of the oven when it is bubbling around the edges and the top is slightly browned. You can serve the dip just like this and it’s delish…but if you like to guild the lily like I do… add the topping to the dip and serve with tortilla chips, corn chips or crackers!
OMG…..can’t wait to dig in! I hope you enjoy this Cheesy Bacon Jalapeño Popper Dip as much as we do. Serve it at your next shindig and let me know how you like it!
Cheesy Bacon Jalapeño Popper Dip
Ingredients
Dip
- 8 slices of bacon, cooked until crispy and chopped
- 2 - 8 oz packages of cream cheese at room temperature
- ½ cup Mayonnaise
- 8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
- 4 oz pepper jack cheese, shredded
- ½ cup diced green onion
- 5 large fresh jalapeños, seeded and diced
- Optional: Pickled jalapeños and pickling liquid
Topping
- 1 sleeve Ritz Crackers
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°. If you haven’t already cooked the bacon that is where to start. Place 8 slices of bacon on a foil lined sheet pan and bake until crispy, about 20-30 minutes depending on the thickness of your bacon. When crisp, remove from pan and let the bacon cool on paper towels. Crumble into small pieces.
- Meanwhile, seed and dice the jalapeños and dice the green onions.
- Shred the cheddar and pepper jack cheese.
- Place the cream cheese in a large glass bowl. If it is not totally room temperature, microwave for a few seconds until it is very soft. Add the shredded cheeses and mayonnaise to the softened cream cheese and mix thoroughly.
- Add the jalapeños, bacon, and green onions and stir to combine. Spray a small casserole dish (8-9 inches) or a deep-dish pie plate with cooking spray, and fill with the cheesy mixture. Smooth the top and place in a preheated 350° oven for 30 minutes.
- You can make the dip ahead of time and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve, just leave out on the counter to come to room temperature before baking, or add an extra 10-15 minutes to your bake time.
- While the dip is in the oven prepare the crunchy topping. The topping is optional but is a delicious addition to the dip.
- Melt ¼ cup of butter (½ stick) in a small skillet. Crush 1 sleeve of Ritz crackers into small pieces. When the butter starts to bubble add the crackers and cook over medium low heat until the cracker crumbs get nice and golden brown, stirring often. Place the cooked cracker crumbs in a bowl and allow to cool for a few minutes. Then add the grated parmesan cheese and stir to combine.
- The dip is ready to come out of the oven when it is bubbling around the edges and the top is slightly browned. Add the topping to the dip, if using, and serve with tortilla chips, corn chips or crackers!