Easy Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza Dip

This is an easy and delicious way to make Pepperoni Pizza Dip that you can serve with crackers, chips, bread, veggies or whatever it is that you like to dip into things.

We are always looking for different ways to make yummy dips that everyone will love and in my opinion, this is a winner. It’s an Italian style Pizza Dip with all kinds of yummy ingredients, different cheeses, tomato sauce, and everyone’s favorite pizza topping….you guessed it, Pepperoni. 

You can feel free to dip into it with your favorite crusty Italian bread, some crackers, some chips,  or anything else that you can think of. 

If you are looking for a low carb dip, it’s already that way but be careful what you dip into it. Use low carb crackers or cut up veggies if you are on Keto.

Enjoy it bubbling hot right out of the oven and if there is any leftover, and that’s a BIG IF,  heat it up the next day because it’s really good the next day too.

What is Pizza Dip?

Pizza Dip is everyone’s all-time favorite food in the form of a dip. It’s a blend of many kinds of cheese, with tomato sauce and topped with the most popular pizza topping…Pepperoni. 

It comes out bubbling hot and creamy, cheesy with pepperoni slices cooked to perfection, with a small pool of grease on top, just like eating a pizza. You can even customize it and put whatever topping you like best!

You can dip your favorite Italian crusty bread into it or chips or crackers too, and is a favorite at parties for sure. The only problem is that you may not make enough and everyone will be looking for more.

What Ingredients are in Pepperoni Pizza Dip? 

Pepperoni – The main ingredient in Pepperoni Pizza Dip.

Tomato Sauce – Either homemade or jar sauce. 

Cream Cheese – This cheese is essential to help make the dip creamy and spreadable.

Parmesan Cheese – What would pizza be without this as one of the cheeses, the same with Pizza Dip.

Mozzarella Cheese – When I think of mozzarella cheese I automatically think of pizza, and this is loaded with it!

Sour Cream – An ingredient to help smooth out all of these cheeses and is usually an ingredient in dips. 

Italian Seasoning – How else can you achieve the Italian flavor without the very popular spices in Italian seasoning? It’s made up of oregano, basil, and thyme.

Garlic Powder – Of course garlic is in an Italian Pizza Dip.

Onion Powder – Last but not least is onion powder, which gives it a lot of onion flavor.

Pre-sliced or Freshly Cut Pepperoni?

When I eat pepperoni with cheese and crackers I always buy it from the deli and I like the Margarita pepperoni in a stick, not pre-sliced Margarita brand, which is different from the stick margarita that’s prepackaged. The real thing in a stick has just the right texture and spicy flavor. I never use pre-sliced pepperoni until now for this recipe.

The reason that the presliced is better for this dip is that it comes really thinly sliced which is the best both inside the dip and also on top of the dip. They are all pretty much the same but I bought Boar’s Head which is known for top quality cold cuts and the price was equal to the others and I thought it was delicious.

If your local deli will slice the stick pepperoni thinly, or if you have a meat slicer at home, then that’s another story and the fresh stuff would be better, but if not the pre-sliced kind works just fine.

Can I Make it Without Pepperoni?

If you don’t like pepperoni or if you for some reason don’t eat meat, yes, you can certainly make this dip without pepperoni and it will still taste really good just like a cheesy dip. 

If you do eat meat then you can also feel free to add sausage or meatballs to your dip.

You could also add some veggies but be careful of the water content in some veggies so that your dip doesn’t get too watery. My suggestion with vegetables is to pre cook them and strain off the liquid before adding them to your pizza dip. 

Is this Dip Spicy?

I think “too spicy” is subjective to your audience. For instance, Stephanie and I have two different views on whether things are too spicy. I enjoy crushed red pepper on food and I prefer hot sausage to sweet sausage and some jalapeno peppers in my homemade salsa…etc. whereas Stephanie likes things slightly milder and she does like hot sausage but only uses a small portion of jalapenos in her salsa.

We both did not feel that this dip was too spicy but did at the same time enjoy the small amount of hot kick that came from the pepperoni. If you like pepperoni on your pizza then you will love this Pepperoni Pizza Dip too.

What Sauce Should I Use?

When I use a sauce for my recipes I prefer to use my homemade sauce. I make a HUGE pot of sauce a few times a year and then freeze the leftovers in small containers so that I can take it out of the freezer on a need be basis, like for a recipe like this pepperoni pizza dip.

But when I don’t have any more sauce in the freezer then I buy a jar sauce from the store. I think it’s entirely up to your taste buds or maybe even price because they vary in cost so much from brand to brand as to which one you use. 

But if I could make a suggestion, keep it on the simple side, more like a marinara sauce that’s not loaded up with meat or cheese. The pizza dip already has so many flavors going on in it that if the sauce is lighter it won’t conflict with the other ingredients.

What Cheeses Can I Put in Pizza Dip?

This recipe already uses cream cheese, parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese. I suppose you could substitute the parmesan for romano or possibly add another Italian cheese such as fontina, but once again the more different cheeses that you add the more overpowering it can become. 

You may have to experiment to see what you like the best even though we feel that these 3 kinds of cheese in here blend together best in taste and texture.

How to Make Pepperoni Pizza Dip

This dip is really easy to make.

Start by getting a bowl and a large spoon and mix together the cream cheese and sour cream until somewhat soft:

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Next add the Onion Powder, Garlic Powder and Italian Seasoning and mix well until smooth:

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Then add the Pepperoni Cuts, Parmesan Cheese, and then ½ the mozzarella. The rest we are going to save:

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Mix it up real good so that all the flavors of everything are well balanced.

Next, spread cheese mixture into your baking dish making sure to fill the corners too.

Then pour the tomato sauce on top of the cheese mixture and spread it out evenly, also making sure it sinks into the corners too.

The next layer is the other half of the mozzarella cheese, spread it evenly over the sauce.

Lastly, lay the pepperoni slices, single layer on top of the sauce not overlapping the slices but fitting as many as you can.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes until the middle is hot and the edges are bubbling. You want to see a slight browning of the pepperoni edge if possible!

The pizza dip is best served hot, right out of the oven, so put it down and get eating!

Best Tips for Pizza Dip

Feel free to add any additional meat or veggies to your pizza dip. I personally like sausage and pepperoni when I eat pizza so feel free to use similar combinations here too.

You can use store-bought tomato sauce if you don’t know how to make sauce or if you’re like me use some homemade sauce, it’s your choice.

Use full-fat sour cream and cream cheese because they are creamier than the low-fat versions.

Feel free to experiment with any fresh spices such as fresh basil or fresh garlic. They are good staples when making any kind of Italian food.

The same is true of fresh cheeses if you have time you can grate fresh parmesan or shred fresh mozzarella. Otherwise, feel free to use pre-shredded versions of both kinds.

If your baking dish is really full and you are afraid it might bubble over then put a cookie sheet underneath your baking dish.

If you want your dip to be a little spicier then add some crushed red pepper to it. If you are like me I use it on quite a number of dishes.

What Type of Pan is Best for Cooking Pizza Dip?

You can use just about any kind of baking dish that you have to make this Pepperoni Pizza Dip, as long as it has sides tall enough to hold in all of your ingredients. We have a couple of favorite go-to baking dishes that we like to use for many of our dips, some of which you can find on our website too.

• Spinach Artichoke Dip
• Buffalo Chicken Dip

You can use a square or oblong glass pyrex type dish, or you can use an oversized pie plate or another ceramic baking dish, or if you have any cast iron pans that go in the oven those work well too.

Can I Make This In a Crockpot?

If you don’t want to turn your oven on in the Summer because it’s too hot in your kitchen, or if you want this dip to cook while you are out running errands or at work, there is a way that you can certainly use a crockpot to make this yummy Pizza Dip.

First thing blend the cream cheese, sour cream, shredded parmesan, and spices together with the cut-up pepperoni and put your mixture on the bottom of the crockpot. Then put the sauce on top of that and spread, then finish your Dip with mozzarella cheese on top.

On your stove fry up your pepperoni slices to crisp them slightly, otherwise, they will be limp in the crockpot and you would lose your crispy pepperoni texture. Layer it on top of your mozzarella and cook on low for an hour or two, depending on how quickly your crockpot cooks.

Even though each of our crockpots can be side by side cooking the same amount of ingredients cooking the same recipe, my crockpot is a little hotter than Stephanie’s crock pot which is a little slower so things cook slightly different.

Toppings and Different Ways to Make Pizza Dip

If you do not like pepperoni then absolutely feel free to substitute the pepperoni with different types of toppings. Be creative and imagine what you would have on top of a regular pizza and it will work as good op top of or inside of your Pizza Dip.

Some meat toppings include:

• Sausage
• Meatballs
• Bacon
• Chicken

Some veggie choices include:

• Mushrooms
• Peppers
• Black Olives
• Onions
• Spinach
• And so forth……..

What to Serve with Pizza Dip

Now that your Pizza Dip is out of the oven and bubbly hot you’re ready to eat it.

If you aren’t watching your carbs, you can dip some french bread or breadsticks or crackers into the Pizza Dip. Potato chips, pita chips, and tortilla chips make for good dipping too. 

If you are looking for low carb options you could use low carb crackers or some parmesan crisps refer them to the recipe on our site or even some celery sticks which would be good with your Pizza Dip.

Is Pizza Dip Low Carb/Keto?

From a low carb standpoint, it’s a nice thing that there is nothing special that has to be done to make this Pepperoni Pizza Dip recipe low carb/Keto-friendly because all of the ingredients, the cheeses and pepperoni are already low carb and also gluten-free.  There are only 5.2 NET CARBS per serving.

Other Diets This Recipe is Good For

It’s always nice when our recipes can fit into as many diets as possible.

• Sugar-free – There are no added sugar or sugar look-a-likes in this recipe.
• Gluten-free – Another winner for gluten-free.
• Nut-free – No nuts in pizza dip.

Can I Make This Recipe Ahead?

If you want to make your Pepperoni Pizza dip ahead of time you could make it a day before you want to eat it. Just assemble the ingredients in the baking dish that you are going to bake it in and cover it and put it in the refrigerator. 

How to Store Pepperoni Pizza Dip 

 I love leftovers and sometimes make extra-large portions of things so that we can have leftovers. If you’re like me you can do the same thing. If you have any leftover Pepperoni Pizza Dip, and that’s a BIG IF, you can just transfer it into an air-tight plastic container and store it in your refrigerator for up to 5 or 6 days.

How to Reheat It

We have reheated our leftover Pizza dip both in the oven and in the microwave and it comes out really well both ways. My suggestion would be that if you have time to heat it up in the oven but if you are at work and want to bring it for lunch then heat it up in the microwave, or if you are home and in a hurry then also use the microwave to reheat it.

Before you are ready to reheat your leftover portion in the oven just take it out of the refrigerator and let it warm up on the counter a little for about 15-20 minutes before you put it into the oven. Reheat it at 350 degrees for about 15 min or until it’s hot.

Can You Freeze Pizza Dip?

If you plan to make your Pepperoni Pizza Dip ahead of time and freeze it, make sure to freeze it before baking because it will hold up better. 

When you take it out of the freezer, let it come closer to room temperature before baking.

If you have any leftover dip and would like to freeze a portion, wrap as tightly as you can. It will be ok when you reheat it but not as good as originally.

More Keto Dips Recipes

If you’re in the mood for some other Low Carb Dips then try our:

• French Onion Dip
• Best Buffalo Chicken Dip
• Spinach Artichoke Dip

They all are Keto-friendly and low carb, and will be a hit at your next party!

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