Pepperoni Dip

Cheesy, meaty Pepperoni Dip is an entertainer’s dream! This easy appetizer comes together quickly for a crowd, whether you’re feeding your family, hosting an at-home gameday gathering or even game night! No matter the occasion, this layered cream cheese dip is great for sharing. Makes 8 servings.

A breadstick lifts cheesy Pepperoni Dip out of a pie plate

It’s one of my favorite days of the quarter! It’s Freaky Friday… and as always, I’m thrilled to be sharing this new dip recipe with y’all, as well as introduce you to the lady who developed it in the first place.

I’ve known Michele from West via Midwest for a few years now. She has taken professional cooking classes and received a Sommelier Certification so she could learn how to pair beer and wine with food for any occasion. (Umm, hi. Could we talk about how amazing this is?)

Also, she and I are both about easy entertaining and providing our readers tips and tricks to make delicious dishes to serve to their people for any kind of gathering. (We also both used to stress out over hosting and entertaining. #themoreyouknow)

Michele says, “I believe getting together over food gives us balance in our lives. You can work hard and still have time to spend together over a delicious meal.” And I wholeheartedly agree.

In true Freaky Friday fashion, I had the hardest time deciding what dish I would cook from Michele’s blog because, umm, I wanted to make everything.

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    Should I cook ribeyes on the grill? It is summer, after all, and we’ve been firing up the grill every weekend. Or maybe I should go in a different direction and bake up some Caramelized Onion Roast Beef Sliders? I love those flavors together! Also, I don’t think it would be wrong to make her Watermelon Margarita

    She’s also got a ton of air fryer recipes, which I think are awesome because I’ve yet to really sort out how to use my air fryer.

    In the end, I chose her hot Pepperoni Pizza Dip because, well, I’m a sucker for a baked appetizer that we can share, whether we’re together in person or virtually (and making the same dish to feel like we’re physically together.)

    More delicious dips for sharing: Black Bean Dip | Shrimp Spinach Artichoke Dip | Caramelized Onion Guacamole | Homemade Loaded Queso | Winston’s Garlic Hummus | Pretzel Cheese Dip / Garlic Herb Cream Cheese Dip

    Pepperoni Dip, from above, after baking, on a sheet pan with homemade pizza breadsticks

    So what is Freaky Friday?

    It’s an old-fashioned blog hop.

    A blog hop, for those of y’all who haven’t been around the blogosphere for as long as I have, which is to say for-freaking-ever, is a collaboration between bloggers where everyone shares a post on the same day and we link to one another after our posts are live. 🙂

    Everyone is secretly assigned another blogger, whose website we make a recipe from. We make the recipe, photograph it like it was our own, write a post about it and share it on the selected Friday in the hopes that we help YOU (yes, you, dear reader!) discover new recipes and new bloggers to follow!

    For previous Freaky Friday exchanges, I’ve made Shortbread Brown Butter CookiesBoozy Bacon Pretzel Peanut Butter BarsInstant Pot Macaroni and CheeseCherry Bourbon Slush , Halloween Peanut Butter Chocolate White Chocolate Chip Cookies, a Valentine’s Day Dessert Board and Chicken Pesto Pasta.

    Take A Look At All Of Our 2020 Freaky Friday Summer Recipes:

  • An Affair from the Heart – Blueberry Banana Bundt Cake
  • Aunt Bee’s Recipes –  The Best Ever Chicken Gyros
  • Bowl Me Over – Alabama White BBQ Sauce
  • Hostess at Heart – Old Fashioned Lemon Icebox Pie
  • House of Nash Eats – Smoked Spatchcock Chicken
  • Lemoine Family Kitchen – Lemon Cream Cheese Blueberry Kolaches
  • Lemon Blossoms – Lemon Poke Cake
  • Life, Love & Good Food – Healthy Greek Coleslaw
  • Or Whatever You Do – French Onion Rissoto
  • Sugar Dish Me – Coconut Macadamia Nut Ice Cream
  • Take Two Tapas –  Cherry Cupcakes with Mint
  • West Via Midwest – Buffalo Cheese Dip: Easy Party Dip
  • What you’ll need to make Cheesy Pepperoni Dip

    The Speckled Palate participates in affiliate programs. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases. Please refer to my disclosure page for more information about these affiliate programs.

    Pie dish
    Hand mixer

    For this dip, you’ll also need some mozzarella cheese and cheddar cheese. I suggest purchasing a block of the cheddar and a ball of the mozzarella and shredding them yourself since those will melt much better than pre-shredded cheese. However, if you have the pre-shredded stuff on hand, you can make it work, too.

    You can also make a pizza/marinara sauce for your dip or use the store-bought kind. I used the jarred kind to make it easier on myself and because I didn’t have any marinara sauce on hand at the time we were making this recipe.

    How to Make Pepperoni Pizza Dip

    Prep your ingredients.

    About 30 minutes before putting your dip together, remove the cream cheese from the fridge to soften it. This will make it easier to blend.

    Shred the cheeses, and slice your pepperoni. Since this dip is going to be enjoyed by all, I found that chopping the pepperoni into smaller slices made it an easier way to ensure my kids could eat this dip without issue.

    Put the dip together

    Preheat your oven, and get your 9” pie plate out. You can also use a small Pyrex dish or a casserole if you don’t have a pie plate, though I must say that the pie plate was perfectly sized. Spray it with nonstick baking spray so your dip doesn’t stick (too much!) to the container.

    Use a hand mixer to whip the cream cheese, sour cream, oregano and Italian seasoning together. We want the well combined and creamy because it’s the bottom layer of our dip.

    Spread the mixture in the bottom of the pie plate, then ladle on the pizza sauce. Spread it evenly over the mixture to create the next layer.

    Next, add about half of the pepperoni pieces to create the next layer.

    Combine the mozzarella and cheddar cheeses and sprinkle ‘em on top of the pepperoni.

    Add the remaining pepperoni pieces on top of the cheeses, and bake.

    Serve the dip

    When the dip is bubbly and the pepperoni are cooked, remove from the oven.

    Serve with bread, chips, veggie slices or breadsticks, and enjoy immediately.

    Pepperoni Dip clings to a homemade breadstick, just before eating

    Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips

    Dip always makes me think of entertaining and hosting my people in my home, and for whatever reason, pizza makes me think of gamedays spent at home cheering for our teams.

    This Pepperoni Dip would be the ultimate gameday food to serve because it’s incredibly simple and tastes like pizza. Who wouldn’t adore that?

    Here are some tips and tricks to making this recipe for hosting:

    • Make your dip ahead of time, and stop at the steps to bake it. Simply pop it into the refrigerator covered. Thirty minutes before guests arrive, remove it from the fridge, then bake it as directed.
    • Serve it with crackers, sliced bread, your favorite veggies or even bake up some pizza dough (like I did for these photos), and serve those alongside the cheesy dip.
    • Make variations on the recipe! While we adore the pepperoni in this pizza dip, you could add (cooked) sausage or simply a mixture of cheeses if you’re feeding vegetarians.
    A breadstick lifts cheesy Pepperoni Dip out of a pie plate

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Can I make this cheesy dip ahead of time?

    Yes! Mix the ingredients together, and store them in the refrigerator covered for up to two days before your event. Thirty minutes before you want to bake the dip, remove it from the fridge, then bake as directed.

    Can I double this recipe?

    Yes, you can! Put your math skills to good use and double the ingredients. Just make sure to use a bigger baking dish since a 9” pie plate will be too small to contain double the ingredients.

    How do I reheat this dip if I have leftovers?

    Depending on how much dip is left and how you’re storing it, you could reheat the dip in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the dip is bubbly again.

    We transferred ours to a smaller food storage dish for the fridge, so I reheated it in the microwave in smaller batches, and that worked well. Heat in 30 second increments until the dip is the temperature of your liking.

    Can I use fresh herbs instead of dried herbs?

    You could certainly use an abundance of fresh herbs instead of the dried ones listed here. Since dried herbs are more potent than fresh, plan to double the amount called for, and make sure to chop the herbs finely.

    A breadstick lifts cheesy Pepperoni Dip out of a pie plate with the text 'how to make pepperoni pizza dip'

    Quick tips for making Creamy, Cheesy Pepperoni Dip

    • For the easiest entertaining, make the dip ahead of time and store in the fridge. Thirty minutes before you want to bake it, remove from the fridge, then bake as directed.
    • If you have leftovers, store the remaining dip in your favorite food-safe storage container in the fridge. It’ll keep for an additional week. While the layers won’t be preserved, you can still reheat it in the microwave and have a delicious dip!
    • Not sure what to serve alongside this dip? I highly suggest pairing it with Pepperoni Pizza Rolls (to keep that pizza theme!), as well as a beer cocktail, like a Lemon Shandy or a Spicy Bloody Beer Cocktail.
    A breadstick lifts cheesy Pepperoni Dip out of a pie plate

    Cheesy Pepperoni Dip

    Erin Parker, The Speckled Palate
    Cheesy, meaty Pepperoni Dip is an entertainer’s dream! This easy appetizer comes together quickly and feeds a crowd, whether you’re feeding your family, hosting an at-home gameday gathering or even game night! No matter the occasion, this layered cream cheese dip is great for sharing.
    4.68 from 25 votes
    Servings 8 servings
    Calories 371 kcal
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 25 minutes
    Total Time 35 minutes

    Ingredients
      

    • 8 oz. cream cheese softened
    • 1/3 cup sour cream
    • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
    • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
    • 1/3 cup pizza / marinara sauce
    • 6 oz. mozzarella cheese grated
    • 6 oz. cheddar cheese grated
    • 4 oz. pepperoni sliced

    As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Instructions
     

    • Soften the cream cheese for 30 minutes on the countertop for easy combining.
    • While the cream cheese softens, prep your ingredients. Shred the cheese, slice the pepperoni into smaller bite-sized pieces so it’s easier to eat.
    • Preheat oven to 350°F. Get out your 9” pie plate (or your glass Pyrex dish) and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
    • Using a hand mixer, whip the cream cheese, sour cream, oregano and Italian seasoning together.
    • Spread the cream cheese on the bottom of your pie plate using a rubber spatula.
    • Ladle on the pizza sauce evenly over the cream cheese, and spread.
    • Sprinkle about half of the pepperoni over the top of the cream cheese and sauce.
    • Combine the mozzarella and cheddar cheeses and sprinkle them over the pepperoni to create the next layer.
    • Place the remaining pepperoni pieces on the top of the cheese. You could leave some whole pepperonis on top of the dip for visual effect, but I left them off mine since our pepperoni was really large.
    • Bake for 20-25 minutes until cheese is bubbly, and the pepperoni is cooked.
    • Serve immediately with bread, chips, veggie slices or breadsticks, and enjoy.

    Notes

    Easy entertaining tip: You can make this dip ahead of time. Obviously, you’ll want to stop before you bake it. When the dip has been layered, transfer the pie plate to the refrigerator and cover with plastic wrap. Remove it from the fridge 30 minutes before you want to bake it, then follow the instructions in the recipe card.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1servingCalories: 371kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 15gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 86mgSodium: 694mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3g
    Keyword baking recipe, dips, pepperoni, pizza
    Course Appetizers & Starters
    Cuisine American
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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    About the Author:

    Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her

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    14 Comments

    1. I will eat pizza first before any food – and you went and put it in a DIP! Bless you. This is going to be a new tailgating favorite FOR SURE!!

    2. Oh my! I am drooling over this pepperoni pizza dip! How fun, easy and tasty! This is my kind of party snack.

    3. This is crazy good…. I love the melted cheese with the pizza topping pepperoni! It was amazeballs!

    4. This easy, cheesy dip is a real crowd-pleaser and popular for football parties, pool parties, well, any kind of party! YUM!!!

    5. That cheese! This appetizer looks outstanding, the cheese, the pepperoni… oh! Did I mention the cheese? Boy howdy did you make the tastiest choice here – this looks outstanding!

    6. This is definitely my kind of dip! I love the pepperoni and can totally see serving this at our next party!

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