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This Bread Bowl Dip is a favorite appetizer at parties or game days. The creamy, cheesy dip is baked in the oven right in the sourdough bowl!
The Perfect Party Appetizer
This Bread Bowl Dip is the most addicting appetizer! It is a staple at our family holiday parties or New Year’s Eve game nights. It is cheesy, savory, and perfectly creamy. And because it comes together with only six simple ingredients, you can make it all the time! My favorite part is that the dip is baked right in a sourdough bread bowl, which takes the flavors of the dip the next level. It stays warm long after coming out of the oven, so it’s the perfect addition to any buffet spread.
Ingredients in this Bread Bowl Dip
There are only SIX simple ingredients in this recipe.
- One large round loaf of sourdough bread – you can make your own or use a store bought loaf. It also tastes delicious in a rye or pumpernickel bread bowl.
- Cream cheese – one eight-ounce brick of regular cream cheese. I like to use the regular instead of low fat because it makes the dip creamier.
- Sour Cream – one and a half cups. Use the full fat variety. Everything in moderation, right?
- Cheddar Cheese – two cups, medium or sharp cheddar. This recipe is also delicious with extra sharp white cheddar.
- Worcestershire Sauce – to coin a phrase from Rachael Ray, this sauce has “everything but the kitchen sink” and gives the dip a rich, deep, sightly tangy flavor that can’t be beat!
- Bacon – about three quarters of a pound; just fry up the bacon and tear the slices into bite size pieces.
- Green onions – optional, for garnish.
Tips for the Sourdough Bread Bowl
- It’s easy to find large sourdough bread loaves at your grocery store or bakery. You want it large enough to hold all the ingredients, so look for one that will hold about five cups of filling once hollowed out.
- If you don’t love sourdough bread, find a nice Italian bread round or honey whole wheat. Just make sure it’s crusty on the outside and tender on the inside so it can hold all the cheesy sauce without getting soggy.
- When hollowing out the loaf, don’t remove too much bread. You’ll want to keep the walls of the bowl thick enough to hold the dip.
- Break up the extra bread into bite-sized pieces for easy dipping.
- You will definitely need more bread for dipping than what you hollow out from the sourdough loaf. You may want an extra loaf of bread.
- Garnish the dip with dill weed, chives, extra bacon bits, fresh parsley flakes, or green onions.
What to Serve with this Bacon Dip Recipe
This cheesy bacon dip can be eaten with the bits of sourdough bread along with all sorts of yummy veggies and sides:
- Broccoli
- Carrot sticks
- Celery sticks
- Water chestnuts
- Cauliflower
- Pea pods
- Radishes
- Red or green bell peppers
- Potato chips
- Tortilla chips
- Baguette slices
- Crackers
- Pita chips
Alternatives or Substitutions for Bread Bowl Dip
- Not a fan of cheddar cheese? You can substitute mozzarella and parmesan cheese for this bread bowl dip.
- You can toss in a can of corn (make sure to drain it first).
- Dice a jalapeno into the dip.
- If you don’t have sour cream on hand, you can substitute mayonnaise.
- Give the dip a dash or two of hot sauce for extra kick.
- Season with garlic powder or onion powder.
How to Store Leftovers
You can store leftovers, but it should be consumed within four or so days. Scoop out all of the dip from the bread bowl and place it in an airtight container. Cover the bread bowl with plastic wrap, and store both the bowl and the dip in the refrigerator. Reheat by warming the dip up in the microwave. The bread gets soggy after a few days but this is rarely an issue, as this dip usually gets eaten all up the night it’s served!
Frequently Asked Questions
We love using hearty sourdough bread for this dip, but you can use a crusty Italian bread like focaccia. Another bread you could try is a a French baguette, ciabatta bread, or a crunchy crostini.
Using a serrated knife, cut a circle around the top of the bread bowl with the tip of the knife facing toward the center of bowl. This is somewhat similar to carving the lid on a jack-o-lantern.
To scoop out the insides of your bread bowl, curl your fingertips to tear the bread away from the bottom the loaf, then repeat the process until the inside of the bread is separated from the bottom. Gently lift out the center and tear into pieces for dipping.
The thicker the filling, the less soggy the bread will be. Because this dip is thick and cheesy, you should have no issues with the bread bowl getting soggy.
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More Hot Dip Recipes
From bacon cheese dip to our delicious artichoke dip, we have all sorts of yummy appetizer recipes that hit the spot. Our Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip can be made with or without a bread bowl, and is so yummy! Try a few of our other favorites:
Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Dip
Marinara Dipping Sauce
Crockpot Taco Dip
Chili Cheese Dip
Hot Crab Dip
How to Make Bread Bowl Dip
Bread Bowl Dip
Video
Ingredients
- 1 sourdough round loaf
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 ½ cups sour cream
- 2 cups cheddar cheese shredded, medium or sharp
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 3/4 pound bacon cooked and crumbled
- 2 green onions (optional)
Instructions
- Cut out a circle in the top of the bread and gut out the middle to make a bread bowl (save inside pieces of bread for dipping).
- In a mixing bowl beat cream cheese, sour cream, cheddar cheese, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Pour into the bread bowl.
- Wrap up the whole thing in aluminum foil. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour.
- Remove from oven and stir in the bacon.
- Garnish with shredded cheese, extra bacon and sliced green onions.
- Serve with extra bread pieces from bowl and crackers.
Notes
- The previous version of this recipe called for the bacon to be stirred in prior to baking, but we have found the bacon will stay crispy if it’s mixed in immediately after it’s pulled out of the oven.
- You can add salt and pepper to taste if you want but we have found it is plenty savory with the bacon and cheddar cheese.
- You will definitely need more bread for dipping than what you hollow out from the sourdough loaf. You may want an extra loaf of bread, a sliced baguette, crackers, pita chips or even veggies to dunk along with the bread from the sourdough loaf.
- Garnish the dip with shredded cheddar cheese, extra bacon bits, fresh parsley or green onions.
Nutrition Information
cant get enough of this
I can’t eat cream cheese so is there a way of switching it to use something else in its place other than that the recipe sounds great
You can use creamy Swiss (like laughing cow), Neufchâtel, or you can also use greek Yogurt, but only use half the amount and try to drain off as much liquid as you can. Hope his helps!
Great appetizer for game days in the winter. Easy to make and enjoy.
Very tasty!
6 SIMPLE INGREDIENTS!!!!! that’s it folks and you have yourself a delicious appetizer. They tell you what to serve with it and also lots of questions with answers. Viola
Delicious and fairly easy to make. Just make sure there is no double dipping and perhaps provide toothpicks or small forks to handle the bread.