jalapeno cream cheese dip recipe

 Enjoy the flavors of jalapeno poppers without the work with this jalapeno cream cheese dip recipe. This delicious dip comes together quickly in one bowl, making it the perfect easy appetizer for any occasion!

Five years ago I published one of our favorite game day recipes, roasted jalapeno poppers.

It’s an easy recipe I had been making for years for tailgates, holiday parties, even sometimes as a dinner side dish. I had little expectations when I published this particular post; it was an easy and delicious recipe we made all the time and I wanted to share it. 

Little did I know: poppers are popular! 

That jalapeno popper post quickly became one of Off the Eaten Path’s most popular posts, and five years later is one of the most shared and searched posts on my website. 

And since I published that first pepper popper post in 2017, I’ve tried to embrace poppers’ popularity– we’ve got crab stuffed jalapeno poppers, pimento cheese jalapeno poppers, and even Halloween themed bacon wrapped jalapeno popper mummies.

Adding one more popper recipe to the mix today: jalapeño popper dip!

WHAT IS FREAKY FRIDAY?

Freaky Friday is a good old-fashioned blog hop.

What’s a blog hop?

A blog hop is where a group of bloggers get together and make each others’ recipes! Michaela, from An Affair from the Heart, organizes this virtual event 5 times a year…she secretly assigns each of us another blog to cook from…we make the recipes, take photos, write our blog posts, and then on the same Friday, we all reveal our recipes. 

I’ve done quite a few Freaky Fridays now (and have made Cheerwine Bourbon Slushies, Extra Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Wings, Grilled Vegan Guacamole, Fresh Garden Salsa and Beer Margaritas) and today I’m so excited to be back with another Freaky Friday post from our founder, Michaela!

My favorite thing about Freaky Friday is seeing what everyone made…it’s so fun to hop from blog to blog looking at everyone’s posts. And for our readers, there’s a collection of seasonal recipes all in one place, and a great way for y’all to meet some new bloggers!

See all of our 2022 Freaky Friday Fall Edition Recipes

Hosted by – An Affair from the Heart

1. An Affair from the Heart – Pepperoni Pizza Bread
2. Aunt Bee’s Recipes –  Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup
3. The Culinary Compass – Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk
4. Devour Dinner – Instant Pot Chicken and Wild Rice
5. Family Around the Table – White Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Martini
6. Feast + West – Bourbon Caramel Sauce
7. Fresh April Flours – Butterfinger Poke Cake
8. Home Cooked Harvest – Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes
9. Hostess at Heart – The BEST Pumpkin Pie Recipe
10. Kathryn’s Kitchen Blog – Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
11. Life Currents – French Onion Bruschetta 
12. Off the Eaten Path –  Jalapeño Cream Cheese Dip
13. The Speckled Palate – German Pancake
14. Sue Bee Homemaker – Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites
15. Take Two Tapas – Crockpot Pizza Dip
16. The Wimpy Vegetarian – Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts

LET’S MEET MICHAELA!

Michaela is our fearless Freaky Friday leader and she started her blog, An Affair from the Heart, in 2011 as a way to share photos of parties she had planned and hosted. From there, her blog morphed from an entertaining blog to a food blog, where she shares simple and delicious recipes for home cooks to recreate for their families.

Michaela believes “that memories are made in the heart of the home, the kitchen,” and she loves making meals that get her family gathered around the table. She also loves to entertain and throw parties, which is where the inspiration for the name of her blog came from. She’s also the mom of four (plus two dogs) and welcomed her first grandchild to the family this year.

There is no better way to describe Michaela’s website other than droolworthy: it is filled with beautiful photos of decadent desserts (like Air Fryer Apple Pie Egg Rolls, Sweet and Salty Brownies and Lemon Blueberry Crumb Bars), delicious main dishes (I can’t wait to try the Instant Pot Fettuccine Alfredo), and rounded out with recipes for salads, sides, appetizers, dips and more. 

When I saw Michaela’s jalapeno dip recipe on her site (she has some other cheesy dips like Sausage Cheese Dip Philly Cheese Steak Dip, and Hot Taco Five Bean Dip) I knew I had to make it. I made this delicious appetizer for a family get together over Labor Day weekend and everyone raved about it! 

This easy party dip would be great to make for any type of party from a summer pool party to a holiday party, but with football season kicking off this month, I think this would be the perfect recipe for game day, tailgating, or a super bowl party! (and if you’re looking for another easy, cheesy dip, may I suggested this ricotta dip?)

WHAT IS JALAPENO DIP MADE OF?

There is just a handful of ingredients you need to make jalapeno popper dip:

• Jalapeño peppers: fresh jalapenos that you will finely chop (you can buy them at the grocery store, but we used fresh jalapeños that we picked from my father-in-law’s garden!)
• Bacon, cooked and crumbled
• Cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• Green onion, diced
• Sharp cheddar cheese
• Mayonnaise
• And for the topping: crushed Ritz crackers, melted butter and shredded Parmesan cheese (if you don’t have Ritz crackers, bread crumbs would make a good substitute)

This jalapeno cream cheese dip recipe is baked and served as a warm dip, so there are not ingredients like sour cream or greek yogurt which you’d see in a cold dip recipe.

HOW TO MAKE THIS JALAPENO CREAM CHEESE DIP RECIPE

What I love about jalapeno cream cheese dip is that you get all of the flavors of jalapeño poppers in about half the time. Rather than having to stuff jalapenos and then bake them, you can mix everything together in just one bowl before popping it in the oven to bake.

First, you want to prep your ingredients. 

Leave the cream cheese out on the counter so it can soften and come to room temperature.

Finely dice the jalapeno peppers; wear gloves to protect your hands…the worst feeling is rubbing your eyes with your hands after forgetting you just cut a bunch of spicy jalapenos! Depending on your heat preferences, remove the seeds before dicing if you don’t like spicy foods and want less heat in your dip.

Fry up the bacon, let it cool and chop it up. Chop up the green onions, too.

Then, mix everything together! This can be done using a stand mixer or hand mixer, or with a good old fashioned wooden spoon.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth, and then mix in the mayo, cheddar cheese and jalapenos. Stir to combine. Then fold in the bacon and green onions to the cream cheese mixture.

Transfer everything to a baking dish or oven safe dish (I love using our cast iron pans for baked dip recipes). 

Then, mix up the topping by combining the Ritz crackers (you can crush these up by hand or with a food processor), parmesan cheese and melted butter. Spread out on top of the dip.

Then bake for 20 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees (you could also cook this over the grill, which makes it a perfect recipe for a football tailgate). Serve hot with crackers or tortilla chips for dipping!

HOW LONG DOES JALAPENO POPPER DIP LAST IN THE FRIDGE?

The leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. The leftover dip is delicious both hot and cold!