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Transform classic jalapeño poppers into a crowd-pleasing dish with this recipe for jalapeno popper dip. The creamy filling, spicy jalapeños, gooey cheese, and crispy topping all come together for a dip that’s easy to make and a guaranteed hit at any party.

Why You’ll Love This Jalapeño Popper Dip

This jalapeno popper dip is a fantastic appetizer to serve for special occasions or bring to a potluck or cookout. Similar to buffalo chicken dip or artichoke dip, it’s a dip that’s designed for a hungry crowd that’s looking for something delicious. Plus, it’s incredibly easy to throw together, affordable, and can be made well in advance. What’s not to love?

Tips

You can modify the heat level of this jalapeno dip with the jalapeno seeds. If you’d like to bring the heat down a level, then remove the seeds entirely. However, if you want to kick the heat up, then add the seeds into the dip.
This dish is incredibly easy to make ahead of time. Simply prepare everything as instructed until all of the ingredients, except for the panko topping, are spread into your baking dish. At this point, instead of baking, wrap or cover the baking dish and refrigerate. When you’re ready to serve, add the panko topping and then bake and serve.

Ingredients

Jalapenos – Diced jalapeños are what you’ll need for this recipe. Canned jalapenos work best.
Bacon bits – Cook and crumble your own fresh bacon or look for the bags of bacon crumbles at your grocery store.
Cream cheese – A block of full-fat cream cheese is one of the secrets behind this dip’s creaminess.
Sour cream – Full-fat or light sour cream will work for this jalapeño dip recipe.
Dijon mustard – A bit of Dijon mustard adds a nice bit of tang to the dip. Avoid a grainy mustard option to keep the texture smooth.
Cheddar cheese – You’ll want plenty of shredded cheddar cheese to make the jalapeño popper dip as gooey as possible.
Panko breadcrumbs – When added together with a bit of butter, salt, and pepper, these breadcrumbs give the dish a nice crispy topping. Be sure to grab Panko instead of regular breadcrumbs for an extra crunch.

Substitutions

Jalapeño poppers are filled with classic flavors, but there’s still a little wiggle room with this jalapeño dip. Here are a few substitutions:

Bacon – You can easily swap the bacon for another meat like pancetta or chorizo. To make this a vegetarian dip, you can even skip the bacon all together.
Sour Cream – To lighten the dish and add some extra protein, try substituting the sour cream for Greek yogurt.
Cheddar Cheese – If you can’t use cheddar cheese, then look for another cheese that will melt well. Pepper jack, Colby-jack, and Monterey jack are all great alternatives.

How to serve Jalapeno Popper Dip

There are really no wrong ways to serve this easy dip. Opt for crackers, tortilla chips, bagel chips, or a bit of fresh bread. It also pairs well with celery sticks for a lighter option. If you’re serving this for a party, I recommend serving the jalapeño popper dip with a variety of dipping options.