25 Easy Party Dips
These party dips are the ones I actually make, from a skillet of Velveeta and Rotel to a cold everything bagel dip you stir together in five minutes. You’ll find hot dips for parties that hold on low in the crock pot and plenty of cold dips you can make the day before. Most start with pantry staples and travel well to a tailgate or an office potluck.
I can’t host anything without a dip on the menu. Usually two. Dips are by far my favorite appetizer, because everybody can eat as much or as little as they want, and most of them travel just fine when you’re the one bringing something.
My absolute favorite is Everything Bagel Dip. My tennis team makes it all the time, so I’ve eaten a truly unreasonable amount of it. It’s down in the cold dips, along with 24 others I make for game days and the holidays.
Hot ones are first, then cold, then a couple for the holidays. If you need a lot of something specific, my bigger dip roundups are right below.
More Dip Roundups
- Sour Cream Dips (20+ Recipes) – every savory dip I make that starts with a tub of sour cream
- 50+ Cream Cheese Dips – hot and cold dips built on a block of cream cheese
- Skillet Dips – baked and served right in the cast iron
- Easy Dessert Dips – 30+ sweet dips for parties, most of them no bake
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How To Pick Dips For a Party
Mix hot and cold. One hot dip and one cold dip covers most parties. The cold one can sit out while the hot one bakes, and you’re not fighting over oven space.
Let the crock pot babysit. Queso Blanco holds in a slow cooker for up to 4 hours, and I start the Crock Pot Pizza Dip on low before anyone shows up. A dip that holds on low lets you actually talk to people.
Make the cold ones the day before. Deviled Egg Dip, Pickle Wrap Dip, Cowboy Caviar and Chipped Beef Dip all hold in the fridge for days. Chipped Beef holds for a whole week. Party day gets a lot calmer.
Keep the crunchy stuff separate. Toasted panko on Fried Pickle Dip and cracker crumbs on Captain Rodney’s go soggy if they sit. Add them right before serving (or right before baking).
Press the plastic wrap down. On 7 Layer Dip, push the wrap right onto the top layer so the guacamole doesn’t turn brown.
For more insider tips, tricks, and a behind the scenes look, follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, & X.
Hot Dips for Parties
Everything here comes out of the oven, the stovetop or the crock pot. Rotel Dip, Pizza Dip and Lasagna Dip all have crock pot methods, so they can stay warm the whole party.
Restaurant Style Queso Blanco Dip
The white cheese dip from your favorite Mexican restaurant, made on the stove with white American cheese and evaporated milk. Move it to the crock pot and it stays dippable for up to 4 hours.
10 min · Serves 8 · Make ahead up to 5 days, reheat
Cheesy Rotel Dip
Velveeta, Rotel and browned ground beef in one skillet. It’s the hot dip people ask me to bring.
15 min · Serves 8 · Crock pot option
Crock Pot Pizza Dip
Cream cheese, pizza sauce, a pile of mozzarella and pepperoni all go in the slow cooker. The rest of the cheese and pepperoni go on top at the end so it looks like an actual pizza.
1 hr 35 min · Serves 8 · Start up to 4 hours early on low
Spinach Artichoke Dip Bread Bowl
Baked right in a sourdough boule, and the bread you pull out of the middle toasts on the same pan for dipping.
30 min · Serves 8 · Make the filling up to 24 hours ahead
Frito Chili Cheese Dip
Frito pie without the little bags. Cream cheese, chili and cheddar get layered in a skillet and baked until bubbly, then scooped up with Fritos Scoops.
30 min · Serves 12
Crock Pot Lasagna Dip
Yes, there are actual noodles in it. Oven ready lasagna noodles get broken right into the crock pot with the beef and ricotta. Leftovers count as dinner.
2 hrs 5 min · Serves 12 · Assemble up to 3 days ahead
Hot Beer Cheese Dip (Bread Bowl)
Beer cheese baked inside a round loaf that’s sliced so everyone tears off their own dipper. It gets messy. That’s the point.
40 min · Serves 8
Captain Rodney’s Dip
Sweet and spicy Captain Rodney’s Boucan Glaze, bacon and cheddar under a buttery cracker topping, baked until bubbly.
25 min · Serves 8 · Prep a few days ahead, add crumbs at bake
Hooters Buffalo Chicken Dip
Made with the actual Hooters wing sauce, plus canned chicken and ranch, and baked in a 9×13. Put tortilla chips and celery sticks next to it.
30 min · Serves 12
Texas Trash Dip
A warm bean dip with refried beans, green chilies, taco seasoning and a lot of cheese, baked until bubbly. Serve it with tortilla chips.
25 min · Serves 8 · Mix ahead, bake right before serving
Cheesy Cheeseburger Dip
Ground beef and onion simmered in a jar of salsa con queso, topped with cheddar and broiled. Add chopped pickles on top if you want the full cheeseburger effect.
20 min · Serves 8 · Base up to 3 days ahead
Cold Dips for Parties
No oven required for any of these, and most of them get better after a night in the fridge.
Fried Pickle Dip
All the fried pickle flavor, no fryer. Toasted buttery panko on top stands in for the crispy coating.
15 min · Serves 8 · Make ahead, keep the topping separate
Easy Pickle Wrap Dip
The Midwestern pickle wrap (ham, cream cheese, dill pickle) turned into something you can scoop. Four ingredients. Serve it with buttery crackers.
5 min · Serves 10 · Make ahead up to 3 days
Ultimate 7 Layer Dip
Seasoned ground beef on the bottom, or skip it and go vegetarian with the refried beans. Build it in a 9×13 or a trifle dish so everybody can see the layers.
15 min · Serves 12
Deviled Egg Dip
Deviled eggs without piping a single one. A dozen hard boiled eggs go in the food processor with Dijon and a little hot sauce.
5 min · Serves 8 · Make ahead up to 2 days
Chipped Beef Dip
The old school dried beef spread with ranch seasoning and Worcestershire. The post also tells you how to serve it hot.
10 min · Serves 10 · Make ahead up to 7 days
Easy Ranch Dip
Homemade ranch from sour cream, mayo and dried herbs you already have. Park it next to the veggie tray or the wings.
5 min plus 1 hr chill · Serves 8 · Keeps a week
Greek Feta Dip
Feta whipped with Greek yogurt, lemon and fresh dill, topped with cucumbers and tomatoes. It belongs on a mezze platter with pita chips.
5 min · Serves 8
Sour Cream and Onion Dip
Sour cream, dried onion flakes and green onions. My family sneaks chips into it straight from the container, so make extra.
5 min plus 1 hr chill · Serves 8
Hoagie Dip
An Italian sub chopped up in a bowl. Ham, salami, pepperoni and provolone in a tangy dressing, scooped up with toasted French bread. No cooking at all.
15 min · Serves 10 · Chop the meats and cheese ahead
Everything Bagel Dip
My absolute favorite, and the one my tennis team makes all the time. Cream cheese, sour cream and everything bagel seasoning, served with bagel chips.
5 min · Serves 10
Easy 3 Ingredient Chip Dip
Sour cream, mayo and a packet of ranch seasoning. Stir it, chill it, then open the potato chips.
35 min with chill · Serves 8 · Keeps a week
Cowboy Caviar
Black eyed peas, black beans and corn in a lime and red wine vinegar dressing. It tastes even better after an hour or two in the fridge.
10 min · Serves 15 · Make ahead up to 3 days, dress at serving
Christmas and Holiday Dips
Two dips that show up at every holiday party I go to (or throw).
Cranberry Whipped Feta Dip
Salty whipped feta under tart cranberry sauce and chopped pistachios. The Thanksgiving I brought it, people started digging in before I could set it down.
10 min · Serves 8 · Whip the base up to 2 days ahead
Hot Cocoa Dip
Hot chocolate you can dip a pretzel in. Whipped topping, marshmallow fluff and hot cocoa mix, with graham crackers, vanilla wafers and pretzels for dipping.
5 min · Serves 10 · Make the night before
Party Dip Menus
Game Day: Cheesy Rotel Dip, Hooters Buffalo Chicken Dip, Frito Chili Cheese Dip, Hoagie Dip and 7 Layer Dip.
Thanksgiving: Cranberry Whipped Feta Dip, Spinach Artichoke Dip Bread Bowl and Deviled Egg Dip.
Christmas Party: Hot Beer Cheese Dip, Chipped Beef Dip, Everything Bagel Dip and Hot Cocoa Dip.
Best Dippers for Party Dips
For cheesy hot dips: tortilla chips and Fritos Scoops. Celery sticks with the buffalo chicken.
For the bread bowls: the bread itself. That’s the whole idea.
For cream cheese and sour cream dips: buttery crackers, bagel chips, potato chips and fresh vegetable sticks.
For Hoagie Dip and Cranberry Whipped Feta: toasted French bread or crackers.
For Greek Feta Dip: pita chips and raw veggies.
For Hot Cocoa Dip: graham crackers, vanilla wafers, animal crackers and pretzels.
Frequently Asked Questions
I can’t speak for the whole world, but in my house it’s Everything Bagel Dip. It’s three ingredients, it takes five minutes, and my tennis team makes it all the time.
On my blog, the 10 dips from this list that people come back to most are Queso Blanco, Cheesy Rotel Dip, Crock Pot Pizza Dip, Fried Pickle Dip, Spinach Artichoke Dip Bread Bowl, Frito Chili Cheese Dip, Pickle Wrap Dip, 7 Layer Dip, Deviled Egg Dip and Chipped Beef Dip.
For tortilla chips, the cheesy hot ones win at my parties, so Queso Blanco, Rotel Dip and Texas Trash Dip. For potato chips, it’s the cold, creamy ones like 3 Ingredient Chip Dip and Sour Cream and Onion Dip. Frito Chili Cheese Dip only gets Fritos Scoops. Those are the rules.
Cheesy Rotel Dip is the one people ask me to bring. Crock Pot Lasagna Dip is a close second, because every time I take it somewhere, I come home with an empty dish and a few people asking for the recipe.
Party Dip Tips & Tricks
- Check your oven temps before you plan the menu. Spinach Artichoke bakes at 375 and Captain Rodney’s, Hooters and Texas Trash bake at 350, so pair a baked dip with a crock pot or stovetop one instead of two that need different temps at once.
- Set out more dippers than you think you need. Running out of chips with half a bowl of Rotel Dip left is a real tragedy.
- Put a little sign by anything with nuts. Cranberry Whipped Feta has pistachios.
- Bread bowls are the easiest cleanup at the party. You eat the serving dish.
More for the Party Table
- Charcuterie Board – how I build a cheese board for a holiday party
- Easiest Crudités Platter – a vegetable platter that doubles as a dipper station
- Easy Cheese Ball – the classic cream cheese ball for the cracker crowd
- Oven Baked Chex Mix – the party mix that disappears before the dips do
If you love this recipe as much as I do, please leave us a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ five-star review in the comment section below. Thanks!
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