Bacon Cranberry Swiss Cheese Dip is a creamy, crunchy, savory-sweet appetizer that’s perfect for parties and holidays. Try making it today!
Nothing takes a party to the next level like serving up tasty and an addictive Appetizer Recipes for your guests to enjoy. Serve this creamy dip with your favorite crackers alongside other homemade dips, like Queso Dip and Beer Cheese Dip.
Sabrina’s Bacon Cranberry Swiss Cheese Dip Recipe
This delicious holiday appetizer is always a hit at Christmas parties, family gatherings, and potlucks. Its rich, creamy texture and sweet-and-savory flavor make it a guaranteed crowd-pleaser, and it can be made ahead of time, making holiday entertaining easier and less stressful.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon , chopped
- 1/2 yellow onion , chopped
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 6 ounces cream cheese , softened
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp coarse ground black pepper
- 3 cups shredded Swiss cheese
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds , divided
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries , chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Add bacon to a skillet on medium heat and cook until chewy and crispy but pink and cooked through.
- Drain all but 1 tablespoon of bacon grease and add in onions, cooking on medium heat for 5-6 minutes until the onions are translucent.
- In a large bowl add the mayonnaise, cream cheese, mustard, salt, and pepper.
- Whisk well until smooth.
- Add in the cheese, cooked onions, ¾ of the bacon, ¼ cup almonds, and cranberries and stir well.
- Pour into a baking dish and spread evenly, top with remaining almonds.
- Bake, uncovered for 30 minutes.
- Top with remaining bacon and cook 1 minute.
Nutrition
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Chef’s Note
Make sure to set your cream cheese out a little bit ahead of time before you plan on making the recipe. Softened cream cheese will combine better for a smoother texture and consistency than hard cream cheese will.
Table of contents
About this Recipe
Bacon Cranberry Swiss Cheese Dip is a creamy appetizer packed with texture and flavor from cranberries, almonds and bacon bits. The Swiss cheese and bacon bits give the creamy dip a savory, salty flavor, and the ½ cup almonds and cranberries add some varying texture that adds a lot of interest. Meanwhile the onion cream cheese, ground mustard, and mayonnaise make the rich, creamy base that brings it all together for the ultimate treat. If you have a lot of family or friends that you are serving this dip to, you may want to whip up a double batch. It’s easy to throw together, and if you put the delicious holiday appetizer out with a variety of dippers, it’s sure to go quickly. Plus, if you have leftovers, you can just put them in an airtight container to store in the fridge. This dip is fun to enjoy as a quick lunch or snack throughout the week.
Serving Ideas
- If you’re hosting a get-together, put out the Swiss Dip in a spread with other crowd-pleasing finger foods. Bacon Brown Sugar Smokies, Pigs in a Blanket, and Cinnamon Pretzel Bites are always favorites!
- There are lots of different dippers you can try that make a tasty combination with this rich, cheesy dip. We always love trying out different crackers, breads, or fruit slices to see what pairings go best.
- Bread: As far as bread goes, a simple French Bread Baguette tastes great, especially if you toast the slices of French bread so they’re crisp. Some other options are mini naan bread, Garlic Bread, or Simple Dinner Rolls.
- Crackers: Ritz crackers, Club crackers, Wheat Thins, pretzels, or Pita Chips are all great options.
- Fruit: If you want a sweeter dipper, try using sliced fruit like apples, oranges, or pears.
How to Store
- Serve: Due to the dairy in the recipe, you shouldn’t leave it out at room temperature for more than a couple of hours.
- Store: Sealed in an airtight container or covered tightly, you can store Bacon Cranberry Swiss Cheese Dip in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: Though you’ll get the best taste by enjoying it fresh, you can freeze Bacon Cranberry Swiss Cheese Dip for up to 1 month. Make sure to seal it so that no moisture gets in. Let the dip thaw in the fridge and stir the ingredients together. Then reheat in the oven before serving.
Variations
- Cream Cheese: For some variation in the cream cheese blend, try using spreadable chive and onion cream cheese, honey cream cheese, or garden vegetable cream cheese instead of plain.
- Cheese: Along with the Swiss cheese in the recipe, you can add a variety of other shredded cheeses. Provolone, pepper jack, cheddar, mozzarella, or Colby jack could all make flavorful and tasty additions.
- Bacon: If you don’t want to use regular pork bacon bits in the Bacon Cranberry Swiss Dip, you can use turkey bacon or vegan bacon instead.
- Additional Add-Ins: For some extra crunch, mix in other nuts like walnuts, cashews, or pecans. You can also stir in some more fruit, like dried cherries, dates, and currants. To add some extra savory flavor, stir in a garlic-pepper blend. Just 1-2 teaspoons of garlic pepper should add plenty of extra flavor.
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How long can you keep in the fridge?
This sounds delicious! However, my family does not like swiss cheese. What could I substitute? Thanks bunches!
Great question. I did a little research and found that some like Havarti instead of Swiss in some recipes. Though they have a similar taste and fairly similar textures the recipe will have different results. I’d love to hear what direction you decided to go with a substitute as well as how the recipe turned out!