Macheesmo

Game day appetizers are kind of my thing and if you come over to my house on any fall weekend, you can probably expect to find some dips and snacks on the table. This Pepperoni Pizza Dip is a classic that’s easy to make and always is the first appetizer to disappear on a snack table. 

This dip has all the flavors you might expect from pepperoni pizza, but also some extra veggies to up the flavors. You could even add more vegetables if you want, so be sure to check out the substitution ideas below for ideas. 

By layering the ingredients and baking them, end up with a very cheesy and meaty dip that can be spread on any number of crispy chips or crackers. 

Whatever you use for dipping, the pepperoni pizza dip is legit. Bookmark it for game day.

Pepperoni Pizza Dip Ingredients

This dip is all about the layers. There’s a layer of cream cheese and a layer of melty mozzarella. In between those two is a layer of pepperoni pizza sauce.

But you don’t just want to add some pepperoni to your baking dish. Instead, I like to sautee some onions, green peppers, and pepperoni in a skillet with the pizza or marinara sauce. This makes for a warm, dippable layer that has better flavor than just pizza sauce and pepperoni.

Baking this Dip

I prefer to bake this dip as the edges get kind of crispy. 

I started it with some olive oil in a skillet with diced onions, green peppers, and diced pepperoni. I used about four ounces of pepperoni for this whole dip but saved some in bigger chunks for the topping on the dip.

Cook that for a few minutes until the veggies soften and then add the pizza sauce. Once that’s all combined, remove it from the heat.

While that is getting saucy, spread some cream cheese in the bottom of your baking dish and sprinkle it liberally with Parmesan cheese (optional).

Then layer in the pepperoni pizza sauce that was simmering and top with handfuls of mozzarella cheese. You only need about a cup, but who’s counting really?

Then, just to make my dip pretty, I topped it with some larger pieces of pepperoni.

Bake this whole thing for about 30 minutes at 350˚F and you will have a super-cheesy pepperoni pizza dip!

Making this dip in a slow cooker

If you are looking for a way to keep this dip warm, you can make it in a slow cooker. I would still recommend sauteeing the pizza layer in a skillet together, but then layer your ingredients in a slow cooker and cook it on high heat or 2 hours until it’s bubbly and melted. 

You can keep the dip warm for hours and hours without issue. 

Personally, I like the texture of the baked dip more since the edges get really crispy on the pepperoni, but for ease of serving, I can see why people like the crockpot method. 

Making the Pizza Dip in advance

This pepperoni pizza dip is easy to make in advance. I wouldn’t take any shortcuts on the pizza layer and make sure you cook the vegetables so they soften. 

You can build the entire dip in a baking dish though and store it in the fridge for up to a few days. 

When you are ready to serve, pop it out of the fridge and bake it in a 350˚F oven until the cheese is completely melted and dippable. It will probably need an extra 10-15 minutes if you are baking it straight out of the fridge instead of at room temperature, but the end result will be the same. 

Substitutions and Variations

There are OH so many substitutions you can make on this dip. Here are some ideas!

• Use ricotta cheese instead of cream cheese for a different cheese layer.
• Add other good pizza ingredients like black olives, red bell peppers, or pickled jalapenos. 
• Change up the pepperoni layer with crumbled Italian sausage or mushrooms for a vegetarian version.
• Serve the dip with pita chips, crackers, or even toasted baguette slices.

My Easy Baked Pepperoni Pizza Dip

Pepperoni Pizza Dip

by Nick

Serves:

Serves 4-6

Prep Time:

20 mins

Cook Time:

30 mins

Total Time:

50 mins

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Pepperoni pizza dip perfect for a casual party or game day appetizer. There’s enough to share (or not)! I serve mine with baked pizza crust chips.

Ingredients

1/3 cup diced onion

1/3 cup diced green pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 ounces pepperoni, chopped

1 cup pizza sauce

8 ounces cream cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Dried oregano

Salt and pepper

Pita or Pretzel Chips, for serving

Olive oil

Salt

Instructions

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2) In a large skillet, add olive oil over medium-high heat. Add diced onion and green pepper and cook for a few minutes to soften. Then add most of the pepperoni (reserve some for topping) and pizza sauce. Simmer ingredients together for a minute or two and then remove from heat.

3) In a 1 1/2 qt. baking dish (or 8×8 baking dish) spread cream cheese in the bottom of the baking dish. Top with half of the Parmesan cheese. Then layer in all the sauce and pepperoni mixture. Top sauce layer with mozzarella and sprinkle with extra parm, extra pepperoni, and dried oregano.

4) Bake pizza dip for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees F. Let dip cool briefly before serving. Serve with crispy pizza (or pita) chips.

Nutrition Info

Here are a few other great game day recipe ideas!

• Pepperoni Pizza Stack
• Pizza Scones
• Pizza Roll Crusties
• Grilled Veggie Pizza
• 10 Veggie Layer Dip
• Street Corn Dip from Yellow Bliss Road