Creamy Baked Jalapeño Popper Dip

Warm, cheesy, melty, and perfectly spicy,  Creamy Baked Jalapeño Popper Dip is the perfect easy, crowd-pleasing, make-ahead recipe for your next party (or regular Friday night).

We had yet another school staff party a few weeks ago, this time celebrating our sweet school nurse and our rock star high school counselor. The Creamy Cheese and Bacon Dip and S’mores Cheesecake Bars I’d made the week before were both huge hits, so I knew I had a lot to live up to.

This jalapeño popper dip is something I’ve wanted to make forever. I love real jalapeño poppers, so I knew there was no way I wouldn’t love an easy dip version. Also, I knew it’d be moderately spicy enough to appeal to a variety of preferences. Besides, who can resist a dish of oozy, melted cheese?

No one, it seems, because this jalapeño popper dip was gone by the end of the day. The secret to taking the dip over-the-top is the crunchy, cheesy topping. Breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese are tossed with melted butter and sprinkled over the cream cheese mixture. The whole thing is baked, resulting in a crispiness that mimics the real fried version.

Creamy Baked Jalapeño Popper Dip

recipe adapted from The Country Cook

Ingredients

2 8 oz. bricks cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I prefer a combination of cheddar and pepperjack)
4 oz. diced jarred jalapeños
7 oz. can diced green chiles
1 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
1 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Instructions

Combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, shredded cheese, jalapeños, green chiles, and half of Parmesan in a large bowl. Mix well. Transfer cream cheese mixture to an 8 x 8 baking dish or to a pie plate. In a small bowl, mix together the remaining Parmesan cheese, panko bread crumbs, melted butter, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle over the cream cheese mixture.

At this point, you can bake the dip or you can refrigerate it for up to three days. To bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until bread crumbs are golden. Serve with corn chips, Town House crackers, or tortilla chips.

Notes

This dip is at its best when it’s warm, but it’s awesome cold, too.

Substitute a half cup of fresh jalapeños for the jarred version, if desired. Remove seeds if you want the dip less spicy.

This dip is not very spicy. If you’re worried about the spice level, increase the amount of green chiles (they aren’t hot) and decrease the amount of jalapeño.

I’ve got more killer dip recipes: check out Cheesy Mexican Corn Dip and Creamy Cheese and Bacon Dip.

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