Pizza Dip
This baked pepperoni Pizza Dip is cheesy, savory, and incredibly easy to make. It’s the ultimate appetizer when you want big pizza flavor in a simple, shareable dish.
The Superbowl was a couple weeks ago, and this was a recipe I had been DYING to make. The day of the party, I whipped it up, crossing my fingers that it would turn out as good as I was envisioning it in my head. And it DID!
We served this with crostini, and wow. It tasted like we were serving little individual pizza bites, without taking up too much room in everyone’s stomachs so that they could try all of the other dips, too!
If you love cheese, pizza sauce and a whole lot of flavor, this baked pizza dip delivers all the classic pizza taste you love in a warm, creamy, scoopable appetizer. Loaded with cream cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, pepperoni, and Italian herbs, this pepperoni pizza dip recipe is the perfect party snack for game day, movie night, or casual entertaining.
It bakes up bubbly and golden and pairs perfectly with crackers, crostini, or toasted bread for an easy crowd-pleasing appetizer everyone will devour.
If you’re looking for even more cheesy, hot dips, try my Best Bruschetta Dip or Hot Artichoke Dip!
Why Make This Recipe
- All the Flavor of Pizza, Half the Effort: This recipe has everything you love about pizza, gooey cheese, savory pepperoni, zesty pizza sauce, and classic Italian seasoning, without needing dough.
- Easy Appetizer: With just a few minutes of mixing and about 20 minutes in the oven, this easy baked pizza dip is perfect for last-minute guests and busy party days.
- Perfect for Sharing: Everyone loves pizza and this warm, cheesy dip is sure to be a crowd favorite at potlucks, family gatherings, or your next game day. It also stays scoopable and delicious even as it cools slightly, which is perfect for parties!
Key Ingredients for Pizza Dip
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- Cream cheese: Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature for easy mixing. I recommend full fat for max creaminess but you could use reduced fat if you prefer.
- Sour cream: Trust me, the hint of tang melts perfectly into the cream cheese. If you want a slightly healthier option you could also use plain Greek yogurt.
- Mayonnaise: Mayonnaise is the key to any creamy, scoopable dip. It gives this dip the perfect texture
- Shredded mozzarella: You’ll use mozzarella in the dip and on top. Choose a high quality cheese and I always recommend grating it yourself!
- Grated Parmesan: Grate your own for the best results
- Spices: Oregano, Rosemary, Sage, Salt. You can also add some red pepper flakes for extra heat!
- Chopped pepperoni: You can use any pizza toppings you prefer!
- Pizza sauce: Choose a high quality sauce that you enjoy. You could also use a marinara but I find that the flavor is a bit more mild and marinara tends to be a thinner consistency.
Tools
- Stand mixer or hand mixer: Not necessary but it does make the mixing go much quicker!
- Glass baking dish or oven-safe skillet
How to Make this Recipe
Step One: Mix together the cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise until smooth.
Step Two: Add the cheese and seasonings.
Step Three: Mix in the chopped pepperoni by hand.
Step Four: Spread the mixture into a baking dish or skillet and top with pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, and more pepperoni.
Step Five: Bake uncovered until hot, bubbly, and lightly golden on top. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Use softened cream cheese so the base mixes smoothly without lumps.
- Make sure you mix the base until fully creamy before adding cheese and pepperoni for the best texture.
- A cast iron skillet keeps the dip hotter longer, but any small baking dish works well. Using the cast iron also gets the edges a little crispier!
- Don’t over-spread the pizza sauce. Gently spoon and lightly spread it to keep the layers defined.
- Add red pepper flakes on top to give the dip a spicy kick without overpowering the pizza flavor.
- I’ve also thought about adding hot honey on top of this to add some sweetness and spiciness. Doesn’t that sound delicious?!
Recipe FAQs
This baked pizza dip is delicious with crackers, crostini, sliced baguette, breadsticks, pita chips, or even fresh veggies like bell peppers.
Yes! You can assemble the dip up to 24 hours in advance, cover, and refrigerate. Bake just before serving.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or microwave until warmed through. It won’t look as pretty but it will still taste amazing!
This dip does not freeze well. The dairy in the dip may separate when thawed and no one wants that!
Of course! Top this dip with anything you would top a pizza with. You can add cooked sausage, mushrooms, olives, green peppers or fresh basil on top. Even ham and pineapple if that’s your thing!
A little red pepper flakes in your sauce or over the top of the dip will add just the right amount of heat. You could also add some spicy sausage!
Did you enjoy this recipe for Pizza Dip? If so, check out these other recipes I’ve selected just for you:
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Pizza Dip
Equipment
- Stand Mixer or hand mixer
- Glass baking dish or oven-safe skillet
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 ¼ cup shredded mozzarella, divided
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp dried rosemary
- ⅛ tsp dried sage
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ½ cup chopped pepperoni
- ½ cup pizza sauce
- 10 pepperoni slices, for topping
- red pepper flakes, optional for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a medium bowl, mix together 8 oz cream cheese, ½ cup sour cream and ¼ cup mayonnaise until smooth. I used a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, but you can also use an electric hand mixer.
- Stir in ½ cup of the mozzarella, ¼ cup grated Parmesan, and spices (½ tsp dried oregano, ¼ tsp dried rosemary, ⅛ tsp dried sage, and ⅛ tsp salt). Then hand mix in the ½ cup chopped pepperoni.
- Spread the mixture evenly into a small baking dish or 10.25” cast iron skillet. Spoon the ½ cup pizza sauce over the top and gently spread it out.
- Sprinkle the dip with the remaining ¾ mozzarella and place more full pepperoni slices on top.
- Bake uncovered for 20–25 minutes, until hot, bubbly, and lightly golden on top.
- Let cool for 5 minutes, then serve with crackers, bread, or crostini. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Cream cheese: I recommend full fat for max creaminess but you could use reduced fat if you prefer.
- Sour cream: If you want a slightly healthier option you could also use plain Greek yogurt.
- Shredded mozzarella: Choose a high quality cheese and I always recommend grating it yourself.
- Spices: You can also add some red pepper flakes for extra heat.
- Chopped pepperoni: You can use any pizza toppings you prefer.
- Pizza sauce: Choose a high quality sauce that you enjoy. You could also use a marinara but I find that the flavor is a bit more mild and marinara tends to be a thinner consistency.
- Use softened cream cheese so the base mixes smoothly without lumps.
- Make sure you mix the base until fully creamy before adding cheese and pepperoni for the best texture.
- A cast iron skillet keeps the dip hotter longer, but any small baking dish works well. Using the cast iron also gets the edges a little crispier!
- Don’t over-spread the pizza sauce. Gently spoon and lightly spread it to keep the layers defined.
- Add red pepper flakes on top to give the dip a spicy kick without overpowering the pizza flavor.
- I’ve also thought about adding hot honey on top of this to add some sweetness and spiciness. Doesn’t that sound delicious?!
