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Pepperoni Pizza Dip

An Easy, Cheesy Appetizer that Everyone Will Love

Nearly everyone loves pizza, and this decadent dip has all the appeal of pizza in a comforting, over-the-top appetizer that’s made for dunking garlic bread, pita chips, raw veggies, pretzels… just about anything! The base is made with plenty of sour cream and cream cheese, so you know it’s going to be good. From there, it includes all of the yummy elements of a good pepperoni pizza: two kinds of cheese, red sauce, and pepperoni slices.

This is classic, share-able food that will bring a smile to everyone’s face. I’ve made it several times and it’s always such a hit that people just about lick the pan clean. Plus it is so easy and only takes a few minutes to make.

Is Pizza Dip Gluten-Free?

As always, gluten-free depends on the ingredients you use. But in general, if your cheeses, sour cream, pizza sauce, and pepperoni are gluten-free, then this recipe is gluten-free! It’s also low in carbs, especially if you choose sauce without added sugar. Serve this dip with your favorite gluten free bread and dig in.

Overhead shot of a round baking dish of pizza dip, with marinara and sliced baguettes nearby.

What You’ll Need

So, let’s recap those ingredients in a little more detail. Everything here is usually easy to find, and may already be in your fridge or pantry!

Cream Cheese: Let the cream cheese come to room temperature before mixing.
Sour Cream: Sour cream keeps it from being too heavy. The combination of cream cheese and sour cream actually ends up tasting a lot like ricotta cheese.
Mozzarella: Mozzarella gives this dip that classic, stretchy cheesiness. The mozzarella should be shredded. You can shred your own, or buy it pre-shredded.
Parmesan: Parmesan brings tons of flavor to the party, giving the dip a depth of flavor.
Pizza Sauce: You’ll need a jar of prepared pizza sauce.
Pepperoni: Cut the slices of pepperoni in half.

How to Make It

Pepperoni pizza dip is not only creamy, cheesy, and flavorful – it’s fast and easy to pull together. Seriously, you just mix and bake! I love it for a no-fuss appetizer. You can slide it into the oven in seconds, and leave plenty of time for your other tasks.

Prep the Baking Dish and Oven. As always, make sure to preheat your oven before you start baking! It should be set to 350°F. Next, grease a 9-inch pie dish (or other medium baking dish of your choice). Set this aside.
Mix the Sour Cream and Cream Cheese. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the cream cheese and sour cream, until well combined. Spread this mixture into the bottom of your baking dish.
Top with Pizza Ingredients. Now it’s time to layer on the toppings! First, sprinkle half of the mozzarella and parmesan over the cream cheese layer. Then, spread the pizza sauce on top of that. Finally, sprinkle on the remaining cheese, and top with pepperoni halves.
Bake the Dip! Bake your layered pizza dip for about twenty minutes, until it’s hot and bubbly.

A woman's hand lifts dip from a dish with a small slice of French bread.

Easy Tips and Variations

So that’s it! A melty, munchable hot dip with all the flavor of your favorite pepperoni pizza. That’s not all, though. You can tweak this recipe in a lot of ways, to make it your own! Here are some easy ideas to get you started:

Use What You Have: If you don’t have pizza sauce, feel free to substitute tomato sauce, perhaps with some added garlic powder, salt, and oregano. You could also use provolone cheese instead of mozzarella, and pecorino-romano instead of parmesan.
Add What You Love: What are your favorite pizza toppings? Add them here! Instead of just adding pepperoni, you can add sliced black olives, sauteed mushrooms and onions, crumbled Italian sausage, the works!
Season Each Layer: Following the recipe as written will give you a beautifully creamy, rich dip. To add even more flavor, though, you can stir black pepper, crushed red pepper, garlic, herbs, or whatever you like right into the cream cheese and shredded cheese layers.
Add Crunch: To give the dip a little more texture, try topping it with a hearty sprinkling of cracker crumbs or Panko before you bake!
More Pepperoni: Feel free to add extra pepperoni in the other layers, for even more kick! You can also use mini pepperoni, which are easy for scooping up on bite-sized dippers.

My Favorite Ideas for Serving

Pepperoni pizza dip is great with all kinds of dippers, from bread-y favorites to crisp, raw veggies. Here are some of my absolute favorites for dipping into this cheesy dish.

Toasted baguette slices
Garlic bread
Bagel chips
Thin, crisp, breadsticks
Raw celery sticks
Raw broccoli and cauliflower florets
Whole wheat crackers
Tortilla chips
Wide sticks of raw bell pepper

A fluted white pie pan, filled with hot pepperoni pizza dip.

Storing and Reheating Leftover Dip

If you have leftover pepperoni pizza dip, don’t toss it! You can cover the leftovers well with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to three days. Reheat in the oven until piping hot and bubbly. (Note: for food safety reasons, be sure to refrigerate your dip within two hours of serving.)

Make Ahead Instructions

If you’d like to make this in advance, just assemble the dip without baking it, cover, and refrigerate. It can stay in the fridge for up to two days.

When you’re ready to bake, take the dip out of the fridge and let it stand for 10 minutes or so at room temperature before sliding it into the oven.

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