If you’re looking for an easy hot appetizer that will disappear as soon as it hits the table, this Charleston Cheese Dip is a great one to have in your recipe collection. It’s creamy, cheesy, slightly spicy, and topped with crispy bacon and buttery cracker crumbs. Served warm with corn chips, crackers, or bagel chips, it’s the kind of party dip that’s hard to stop eating.
The base of this hot cheese dip combines mayonnaise and softened cream cheese with sharp Cheddar and Monterey Jack. The two cheeses give the dip plenty of flavor while melting into a rich, creamy mixture. Green onions add a little freshness, and just a dash of cayenne pepper gives the dip a subtle kick without making it overly spicy.
A 9-inch pie pan is a particularly handy baking dish for this recipe. The shallow shape gives the cheese dip plenty of surface area for the cracker crumbs to become lightly crisp while the cheese mixture heats through. It’s also a useful size for other baked dips, pies, quiches, and small casseroles.
The preparation couldn’t be much easier. Mix the cheeses, mayonnaise, cream cheese, green onions, and cayenne together, spread the mixture into the baking dish, and top it with crushed butter crackers. After about 15 minutes in a 350°F oven, the dip is hot and bubbling. Then comes the finishing touch: a generous layer of crispy crumbled bacon.
This bacon cheese dip is perfect for game days, holiday gatherings, potlucks, or casual get-togethers. You can set out several different dippers and let everyone dig in while the dip is still warm.
If you need a simple appetizer that delivers plenty of cheesy, savory flavor without a lot of preparation, Charleston Cheese Dip is an easy crowd-pleaser that’s worth keeping close at hand.
Not what you are looking for? Try these other amazing Appetizer recipes:
- Slow Cooker Mahogany Chicken Wings
- Marinated Portobello Mushrooms
- Cheesy Cauliflower Tots
- Mini Buffalo Chicken Balls
Charleston Cheese Dip
- Total Time: :25
- Yield: 10 1x
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- One 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
- 2 green onions, finely chopped
- 1 dash cayenne pepper
- 8 butter crackers, crushed, such as Ritz
- 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- Corn chips, crackers or bagel chips, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, mix the mayonnaise, cream cheese, Cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, green onions and cayenne pepper. Transfer the mixture to a shallow baking dish, such as a 9-inch pie pan. Top the mixture with the cracker crumbs and bake until heated through, about 15 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and top with the bacon. Serve immediately with corn chips, crackers or bagel chips.
- Prep Time: :10
- Cook Time: :15
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Oven