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If you love jalapeño poppers, you’ll love this dippable version! Jalapeño Popper Dip is easy to make, deliciously cheesy, and perfect for everything from parties to movie night to game day.
INTRO
JALAPEÑO POPPER DIP WITH PANKO TOPPING
Jalapeño poppers are always a hit at parties. Spicy and cheesy, they’re one of the first appetizers to disappear at any party I’m at.
But the biggest downside to this snack is actually making them.
Having to prep the peppers and the filling and then assembling them? No thanks.
When I’m planning snacks for a family movie night, party, or game day, I like to keep things easy with recipes like my Spicy Taco Cheese Ball, Sweet and Spicy Snack Mix, and French Onion Dip. AKA delicious recipes without any individual assembly required.
My Jalapeño Popper Dip follows this trend. I took all of the flavors of a jalapeño popper and put them into a creamy dip with a crispy panko topping.
The best part? You can have this dip ready to pop into the oven in under 10 minutes.
HOW TO MAKE JALAPEÑO POPPER DIP
This Jalapeño Popper Dip recipe uses 4 different cheeses:
- Cream cheese
- Shredded Mexican-style cheese
- Shredded mozzarella
- And freshly grated parmesan
To make the dip, the cream cheese gets blended together with mayonnaise until nice and smooth.
Then fold in a can of diced green chiles and a can of diced jalapño peppers along with the Mexican-style cheese and the mozzarella.
Spoon all of this into a baking dish before topping with the panko and parmesan and baking until hot, bubbly, and lightly browned.
Even though this dip is best when baked with the crispy panko topping, you can leave off the panko and parmesan and pop the dip into the microwave until hot and bubbly if you’re in a hurry.
CAN YOU MAKE JALAPEÑO POPPER DIP AHEAD OF TIME?
Like all of my favorite snacks, Jalapeño Popper Dip can be made ahead of time.
It’s convenient to be able to assemble the dip several hours or even a day ahead of time and bake it just before serving.
If you choose to go this route, follow the instructions through step 3. Cover the dip and refrigerate.
When you’re ready to bake the dip, sprinkle on the panko and parmesan topping while the oven preheats, then bake according to the recipe directions.
CAN YOU FREEZE JALAPEÑO POPPER DIP?
If you really want to work ahead, you could even freeze the Jalapeño Popper Dip.
Make sure you spread the dip into a freezer-safe dish. I also recommend putting it into a dish that can go straight from the freezer to the oven without shattering.
Just like with refrigerating the dip, leave off the panko and parmesan topping. Cover tightly and freeze until ready to bake.
Once ready to enjoy, remove from the freezer, top with the parmesan and panko, and pop it into the oven. You will likely need to bake the dip for 10-15 extra minutes when baking from frozen.
Keep an eye on the popper dip the last 10 minutes or so of cooking. If it starts to get too brown, lightly cover with foil to prevent it from browning more while the dip finishes baking.
HOW TO SERVE THIS DIP
So what goes with Jalapeño Popper Dip? Anything you can dip, really!
I love to serve it with toasted French bread, tortilla chips, and crackers. I also like to put out some raw veggies – the crunchy, cool veggies are a yummy contrast to the hot, creamy dip.
And, of course, you’ll probably want a nice cold beer or even a frozen mason jar margarita with your popper dip!
Whether you make Jalapeño Popper Dip for a family game night snack or your next party, you’ll love how easy this recipe is to make and your friends and family will love how delicious it is!
Jalapeño Popper Dip
Ingredients
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 can diced green chiles 4 ounces; drained
- 4 ounces canned diced jalapeño peppers drained
- ½ cup shredded Mexican style cheese
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray an oven safe serving dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Using an electric mixer, blend the cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth.
- Stir in green chiles, jalapeno peppers, and Mexican and mozzarella cheeses. Spoon this mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Mix together the Panko and parmesan cheese and sprinkle it over the cream cheese mixture.
- Spray the Panko and parmesan with a quick spray of non-stick cooking spray.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the mixture is hot and the topping is lightly browned.
Notes
- If you are in a hurry, skip the panko/parmesan topping and simply microwave the cream cheese mixture until hot and bubbly.
- To make ahead: prep dip through step 3, cover and refrigerate for several hours or up to a day. Top with panko/parmesan and bake according to directions.
- To freeze: prep dip through step 3, putting the dip in a freezer safe dish that can go straight from freezer to oven. Cover tightly and freeze. When ready to bake, pull from freezer, top with panko/parmesan and bake. You may need to bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, covering lightly with foil if dip starts to brown too much towards the end of baking.
- Serve this dip with French bread, fresh vegetables, tortilla chips, crackers…pretty much anything that pairs well with cheese!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So much to read…just like a novel..
No resemblance to a recipe. I was wondering even if there was going to be one.
Good thing there’s a very prominent “jump to recipe” button at the top of the post, Mark. Have a great day!
Jamie
For anyone asking about fresh jalapeños….I grate them on a microplane and add to other ingredients. Gives it that extra kick!
Great tip! Thanks for stopping by!
Jamie
I’ve come back to this delicious recipe again and again over the last 10 years. It’s my go to for any get together. I’ll be bringing it with us tomorrow for a backyard bbq with friends. Thanks for sharing!
I love hearing that! Thanks so much for sharing, Paige. Happy baking!
Jamie
Can I use fresh jalapenos in this recipe ? how many ? Do I roast them first ?
Hello! I haven’t attempted this recipe with this substitution, so I am not sure of the result. If you happen to give it a try, I’d love to know how it turned out. Thanks so much for stopping by.
-Jamie
In what size dish do you bake the dip?
Hi Jay,
About a 1 1/2 quart dish or a little larger would work. I hope this is helpful.
-Jamie
The made this tonight. I think the dip was good, but couldn’t tell as it was masked by the cup of bread crumbs on top. It made a layer more than half an inch thick (I didn’t use a small dish) and was gross. I would nix the topping all together and do this in a crock pot.