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Introducing your new favorite easy, creamy party dip: Pizza Dip! Like an extra cheesy pepperoni pizza served in a baking dish with bread and veggies for dipping, you and your guests won’t be able to get enough.
This Hot Pizza Dip Recipe is even easier to make than homemade pizza and twice as cheesy! Make a batch for a party, as a special weekend snack, or whenever a pizza craving hits.
Instead of pizza dough, this pepperoni pizza dip is layered with a triple cheesy base that’s perfect for scooping. It’s topped with marinara sauce, pepperoni slices, and extra mozzarella cheese before being baked in the oven until hot and gooey and ready to serve with all of your favorite dippables. Think garlic bread, veggies, crackers… almost anything goes!
The best part is that this dip is easy to customize with all kinds of classic pizza toppings and can even be made a few days ahead of time. That way, you can treat your friends and family to an irresistible dip without stressing at the last minute.
Recipe features
- Think pepperoni pizza in dip form—every scoop is irresistible!
- It’s an ultra-creamy, Italian-seasoned, pepperoni-topped dip you’ll want to bring to every party.
- Just like my pizza toast, skillet pizza, and spinach pizza, it’s perfect for any pizza night!
- Make ALL of your party guests happy by customizing the dip with different toppings, sauces, add-ins, and more.
Ingredients
Cream cheese and cottage cheese – Instead of using pizza dough as the base, we’re using a blend of cream cheese and cottage cheese. The cream cheese makes the consistency thick, tangy, and sturdy, while the cottage cheese makes it scoopable and packs it with over 20 grams of protein. Feel free to use sour cream, mayo, or Greek yogurt as a substitute for cottage cheese if you’d like.
Mozzarella cheese – Pick up a ball of low-moisture mozzarella cheese and shred it yourself for the most mouthwatering melted cheese strings in every bite.
Marinara sauce – This gives the dip that classic pizza flavor, but you can swap it for BBQ sauce, alfredo sauce, homemade tomato sauce, or pesto sauce instead.
Pepperoni – Use regular pepperoni slices or pepperoni cups. If pepperoni isn’t your favorite, check out the other meats and toppings you can add in the Variations section below.
Instructions
Step 1: Make the cheese layer. Mix the cream cheese, cottage cheese, Italian seasoning, and half of the mozzarella cheese together in a large bowl. Transfer to a small baking dish.
Step 2: Assemble. Top the cheesy base with the marinara sauce, the remaining mozzarella cheese, and the pepperoni slices.
Step 3: Bake. Bake the dip until it’s bubbly and gooey. Set it aside to cool.
Step 4: Garnish and serve. Garnish the dip with your desired toppings, then serve with bread and vegetables for dipping. Enjoy!
Tips and FAQs
- Make the cream cheese mixture extra fluffy and scoopable by mixing it with a hand mixer.
- Set the pizza dip aside to cool for at least 15 minutes after baking. That molten melted cheese needs time to cool down and become less liquidy.
Tip
Take the cream cheese out of the fridge 30 minutes before making this recipe. This way, it will be softer and easier to mix with the other ingredients.
Variations
- Instead of pepperoni – Top the pizza with pre-cooked diced ham, chicken, crumbled Italian sausage, BBQ chicken, or pulled pork.
- Add vegetables – Green bell peppers, red onion, mushrooms, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, pineapple, and black olives would all be delicious add-ins!
- White pizza dip – Swap the marinara sauce for my healthy alfredo sauce if you’re a bigger fan of white pizza.
- Topping ideas – Garnish the dip with all of your favorite pizza toppings, like red chili flakes, a drizzle of hot honey, fresh basil leaves, pesto, or parmesan cheese.
Serving suggestions
Surround the pepperoni pizza dip with plenty of dippables. I like pieces of French bread and cut vegetables, like celery and bell peppers, but there are endless options. Serve it with garlic bread, thick crackers, potato chips, or potato wedges.
The dip is super indulgent and filling on its own, or you can pair it with even more party snacks, like sweet potato hummus, flatbread, and buffalo chicken dip.
Can I make pizza dip in a crockpot?
I haven’t tried making pizza dip in a slow cooker but I’m sure it would work well! Mix the base as normal but transfer it to the bottom of a small to medium crockpot, then top it with the marinara, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni. Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.
Pro tip: Keep the crockpot on warm or low heat while you’re serving it at the party. The consistency will be looser, but it will be just as tasty!
Can I make it ahead of time?
Yes, you can assemble the dip in the baking dish as normal, cover it with plastic, and refrigerate it for up to 3 days before baking. Set it on the counter for 30 minutes before baking to let it come down to room temperature.
Storage
Refrigerator: Once it’s cool, either cover the leftover dip in the baking dish or transfer it to an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days. Reheat the dip in the microwave or in a 350ºF oven until it’s warmed through.
I don’t recommend freezing the dip because dairy tends to separate after thawing.
More creamy party dips
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Pizza Dip
Introducing your new favorite easy, creamy party dip: Pizza Dip! Like an extra cheesy pepperoni pizza served in a baking dish with bread and veggies for dipping, you and your guests won’t be able to get enough.
Servings:
Prevent your screen from going dark
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F.
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In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, cottage cheese, italian seasoning, and HALF of the mozzarella cheese together. Then, transfer the mixture to a small baking dish.
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Spoon the marinara sauce overtop, then sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese and parmesan on top. Last, top with the pepperoni.
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Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the dip sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes, which will help the dip solidify a bit/become less liquidy.
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Garnish with fresh basil, red pepper flakes and/or additional parmesan cheese. Serve with french bread or vegetables and enjoy!
Notes
*Calories are per serving and are an estimation.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 272kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 594mg | Potassium: 188mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 815IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 224mg | Iron: 1mg
