This Jalapeno Dip Recipe is a fiery blast of creamy goodness oozing with cheesy, tangy, and garlicky flavors with the perfect amount of heat in every scoop! Serve it with tortilla chips, bread, or veggies at your next party, movie night, or during game day tailgating! Made with simple ingredients, and bold flavors. It's a show-stopper every time!
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Made with three types of cheese, sour cream, plenty of garlic, onions, and fresh jalapeños cooked together and then baked until bubbly and golden brown.
This flavorful dip will certainly spice things up at your next gathering and will have everyone scrambling for a scoop. Plus, it couldn't be easier to make!
If you're like us and love spicy food you can also try our spicy shrimp pasta, or this jalapeño popper chicken for dinner.
Looking for more cheesy dips? You might also enjoy our cheesy corn dip recipe, this baked spinach and artichoke dip, this crawfish dip recipe, or this pepperoni goat cheese dip!
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❤️Why we love this recipe
- Easy to make. This creamy jalapeno dip is truly simple to make, it's our new favorite dip and a super easy recipe.
- One skillet recipe. You will only need a skillet to make this recipe. That means fewer dishes to clean up after, and we love that (and we're sure you do too!)
- Perfect for parties. This will be a guaranteed crowd favorite, it's always a huge hit! The combo of the creamy texture and delicious flavor, it's the perfect dip for any event from barbeque parties, holiday parties, potlucks, picnics, family gatherings, and tailgates during football season. We know this crowd pleaser will win everyone over.
- Easy to adjust to taste. You can control how spicy or cheesy you want the dip to be. If you want to increase or decrease the spice level, it's easy to do by either adding more jalapenos for a spicier dip or adding less and more cheese for a less spicy dip!
- Suitable for multiple diets. This recipe naturally is vegetarian, gluten-free, and keto-friendly. You can even make it vegan or low-fat with just a few swaps if you'd like.
🌶️Ingredients
Here are the ingredients we used for this recipe. You can find more information for substitutions below.
- Fresh jalapenos. You can remove seeds and membranes for less spice, or leave them in if you prefer a spicier dip.
- Cream cheese and sour cream. Allow them to sit out at room temperature for a little while if possible so that they come together easier when making the dip.
- Cheese. We used a combination of Monterey jack cheese, and mild cheddar cheese for this recipe. Use freshly grated cheese if possible for the best melty cheese pulls! Pre-shredded cheese has additives that make it clump together a bit more, so it just doesn’t melt as well, so we don't recommend using that.
Visit the recipe card for the full quantities and nutritional information.
✨Substitutions
Here are a few suggestions on additional flavors to try, or simple variations to this recipe.
- Out of fresh jalapenos? If you can't find fresh jalapenos, you can use canned ones instead. Make sure to thoroughly drain the juice so the dip isn't too watery. You can also use pickled jalapenos as an alternative or even canned green chiles.
- Swap the peppers. You can also use poblano peppers, or some serrano peppers for a little spice.
- Spicer. You can always add some cayenne pepper, extra jalapenos, or red pepper flakes for more heat.
- No green onions. If you don't have green onions, you can use chives as a perfect swap. Cilantro or parsley also make good choices.
- Cheese alternatives. Other types of cheese that you can try are mozzarella, parmesan cheese, pepperjack, or Colby jack.
- No sour cream? If you don't have sour cream, you can use mayonnaise as an alternative. Just squeeze a good amount of lemon juice to get the perfect amount of zest. Plain Greek yogurt also works.
- No fresh garlic and onion. If you don't have fresh garlic and onion, use dried versions instead. Take note that a clove of garlic is equivalent to ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder, and a half cup of onion is a teaspoon of onion powder.
✨Variations
- Make it vegan. All you need to do is use plant-based sour cream, butter, and cheese to make this dip available for those on a vegan diet.
- Lower fat. If you'd like, use low-fat cream cheese, sour cream, and cheeses to lighten the dip up a bit.
- Add some herbs. You can amp things up by adding fresh or dried herbs like thyme, rosemary, chives, coriander, cumin, and dill. Make sure not to overdo it though because too much of these can overpower the dip, especially if using dried herbs (which are more potent than fresh!)
- Add a bit of crunch. Sprinkle crushed crackers (like Ritz crackers) or panko breadcrumbs on top before baking for a little crunch.
- No-bake version. If you are in a hurry, you can skip the baking part entirely and shave off at least 25 minutes of your cooking time. Just add all the cheese in small batches until melted and ooey-gooey!
- Jalapeno popper version. Add some crispy bacon crumbles or bits to make this a jalapeno popper version.
🔪Prep work
- Allow the cream cheese to soften at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to 2 hours before starting. Pro tip - if you forgot to let the cream cheese warm up, you can heat it gently in the microwave until it's soft. To do this, remove it from the packaging, add it to a microwave-safe bowl or dish, then heat it in 20-30 second intervals at 50% power until it's nice and soft.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Preheat a large skillet over medium heat.
- Grate the cheese.
- Dice some of the jalapenos, and all of the onion.
- Mince the garlic.
- Cut the remaining jalapeno into rounds.
- Measure the rest of the ingredients.
📋Instructions
To the hot skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add the onions and jalapenos with a pinch of salt. (Image 1) Cook until the onions are softened and translucent. (Image 2)
Next, add the garlic and the white parts of the green onions. (Image 3) Cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Reduce the heat to low, and then add in the sour cream and cream cheese. (Image 4) Stir constantly to combine. (Image 5)
✨Pro Tip: Having room-temperature cream cheese and sour cream really helps everything come together easier, and ensures the cream cheese won't end up lumpy.
Next, add some of the cheese in small handfuls, (Image 6) stirring to melt completely before adding the next handful. (Image 7) Reserve about half of it for topping later.
Adjust the seasonings and add in some more green onions. (Image 8) Stir to combine.
✨Pro Tip: Make sure to shred the cheese yourself for the most melty cheese pulls. Pre-shredded cheese has additives that prevent it from melting properly. We also recommend adding it in small batches over low heat and stirring often to prevent it from clumping up.
Transfer the mixture to a baking dish if necessary, and top with the remaining cheese in an even layer. (Image 9) Layer on thin slices of jalapeno and green onions (Image 10) if desired.
Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until bubbly and golden brown. Top with more sour cream & green onions. Serve with your favorite crackers, pita chips, baguette slices, chips, or veggies. Enjoy!
✨Tips & tricks
- Use room-temperature sour cream and cream cheese. This will help ensure the mixture comes together quickly and easily without any lumps of cream cheese.
- Season as you go. Add a pinch of salt to the veggies to bring out their flavors. Don’t forget to add pinches of salt as you go, tasting along the way.
- Jalapeno heat level. Keep in mind that jalapenos can vary in heat. If you're looking for a milder dip, you can remove the seeds and membranes from the jalapenos. For a more spicy dip, leave them in. You can also adjust the number of jalapeños based on your desired heat level.
- Dice the ingredients well. For a uniform texture and better blending of flavors, ensure that the onion, and jalapenos are diced finely and consistently.
- Adjust the creaminess. If you find your dip too thick and prefer a more creamy dip, you can adjust the creaminess by adding more sour cream, or even a bit of milk or broth. If it's too thin, add more cream cheese or shredded cheese.
- Add the cheese in small batches. Don't dump all the grated cheese into the skillet at once. It's easier to add the cheese in small handfuls instead and stir constantly because this will make the cheese melt faster and reduce the possibility of lumps.
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💭Frequently Asked Questions
Store the leftover dip in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. When reheating, do so slowly on the stovetop or in the microwave, stirring occasionally for even heat distribution. We don't recommend freezing because the consistency will not be the same.
Yes, definitely! You can cook the dip mixture in the skillet first and let it sit in the fridge, covered overnight, or for up to 3 days before baking. This will actually make the dip super flavorful because everything will have more time to meld together. All you have to do is pop it in the oven the following day.
In our opinion, this dip just has a hint of spice, and is mostly creamy and cheesy! However, we chose to leave out most of the membranes and seeds from the jalapenos.
Jalapenos can vary in spice level, so we recommend scaling back the amount, or removing all of the seeds and membranes from the peppers if you aren't looking for a very spicy dip.
Also, keep in mind that a jalapeno with white wrinkles on it is bound to be quite spicy! So keep this in mind when picking them out at the store.
More Recipes To Consider
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📖 Recipe
Jalapeno Dip Recipe
Equipment
- large skillet (oven-safe preferred)
- casserole dish (if you don't have an oven safe skillet)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 4 whole jalapenos diced
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt (to taste)
- 3 whole green onions divided into white and green parts
- 12 cloves garlic minced (about 1 head)
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened (one block)
- 8 ounces sour cream
- 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper (to taste)
- 8 ounces mild cheddar cheese shredded and divided
- 8 ounces Monterey jack cheese shredded
- 2 whole jalapenos sliced into rounds
Instructions
- To a hot skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter over medium heat. Add the onions and diced jalapenos with a pinch of salt and cook until softened -about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Next, add the garlic and the white parts of the green green onions. Cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Reduce the heat to low, and then add in 8 ounces of sour cream and 8 ounces of cream cheese, stirring to combine.
- Next, add some of the cheese (about half - or 4 ounces of each cheese) in small handfuls, stirring to melt completely before adding the next handful. Reserve about half of it (about 8 ounces total or 4 ounces each) for topping later.
- Once the cheese is mixed in, adjust the seasonings to taste, then transfer to a baking dish if necessary, and top with the remaining cheese in an even layer. Layer on thin slices of jalapeno and green onions if desired.
- Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until bubbly and golden brown.
- Top with more sour cream & green onions. Serve with your favorite crackers, pita chips, baguette slices, chips, or veggies. Enjoy!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Save This Recipe! 💌
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Notes
-
- Use room-temperature sour cream and cream cheese. This will help ensure the mixture comes together quickly and easily without any lumps of cream cheese.
-
- Season as you go. Add a pinch of salt to the veggies to bring out their flavors. Don’t forget to add pinches of salt as you go, tasting along the way.
-
- Jalapeno heat level. Keep in mind that jalapenos can vary in heat. If you're looking for a milder dip, you can remove the seeds and membranes from the jalapenos. For a more spicy dip, leave them in. You can also adjust the number of jalapeños based on your desired heat level.
-
- Dice the ingredients well. For a uniform texture and better blending of flavors, ensure that the onion, and jalapenos are diced finely and consistently.
-
- Adjust the creaminess. If you find your dip too thick and prefer a more creamy dip, you can adjust the creaminess by adding more sour cream, or even a bit of milk or broth. If it's too thin, add more cream cheese or shredded cheese.
-
- Add the cheese in small batches. Don't dump all the grated cheese into the skillet at once. It's easier to add the cheese in small handfuls instead and stir constantly because this will make the cheese melt faster and reduce the possibility of lumps.
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