Easy Cheesy Baked Pizza Dip (game day appetizer!)
This baked pizza dip is the perfect game day or holiday party recipe!
This layered dip is topped with ooey-gooey cheese and tastes just like a delicious pizza.
Plus, it takes just 5 minutes to prepare!
I love serving this margherita pizza dip with fresh cut veggies, pita chips, or even garlic bread bites! This is the ultimate appetizer to make for a crowd, movie night, or as a game day snack during football season! Plus I love how easy it is to prepare and that you can make this ahead of time.
why you’ll love this easy baked cheesy pizza dip
- It takes just 5 minutes to prepare this oven baked dip and then 20 minutes to bake!
- This pizza dip is made with simple ingredients like cream cheese, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and spices.
- It’s a great appetizer for sharing and a huge hit with guests!
- You don’t have to worry about making pizza dough with this dip recipe, instead we’re focusing on the savory tomato sauce and lots of gooey cheese!
- This make ahead dip can easily be customized! I love adding pepperoni, mushrooms and sliced bell peppers.
Ingredients needed to make this game day appetizer
Cream Cheese: you’ll want the cream cheese to be soft before you start this recipe. If you don’t have time to soften it, add a couple tablespoons of warm milk to help make it spreadable. Alternatively, you can use a hand mixer or stand mixer to whip the cream cheese with the yogurt to get that spreadable texture that we want.
Greek Yogurt: if you don’t have Greek yogurt on hand, feel free to use sour cream or mayonnaise instead!
Marinara Sauce: you can use pizza sauce if you prefer, or if you’re a heat seeker try a spicy jarred tomato sauce.
Cheese: we’re using a combo of mozzarella and parmesan cheese. The cheesier this is, the better!
Spices: the spice blend of garlic powder, dried thyme, dried oregano, salt and chili flakes (or red pepper flakes) are flavorful pizza seasonings perfect for this dip
Toppings: fresh tomatoes, basil and dried oregano bring the major pizza flavour!
How to make this oven-baked pizza dip
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 400°Fahrenheit.
Step 2: In a 9-inch pie plate (or a similar sized square/rectangular baking dish or cast iron skillet), combine the softened cream cheese, greek yogurt and spices. Spread on the bottom of the dish.
Step 3: Spread 1 cup of tomato sauce on top of the cream cheese mixture.
Step 4: Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella and shredded parmesan cheese on top of the sauce layer.
Step 5: Then, sprinkle over the chopped tomatoes (or any other toppings!) and ½ teaspoon of dried oregano.
Step 6: Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and starting to turn brown. If it isn’t as bubbly as you would like, you can broil on low for 1-3 minutes towards the end of the cooking time.
Step 7: Garnish with fresh chopped basil and enjoy with baguette slices, pita chips or your favorite cracker!
Expert tips for making this easy pizza dip recipe
- I love this easy appetizer because you can customize it to your liking! Add your favorite pizza toppings like pepperoni slices, mushrooms, onions, olives or green peppers as toppings to this baked pizza dip.
- If you want to use toppings that retain a lot of moisture, like mushrooms or pineapple, I recommend cooking them beforehand or patting dry with a paper towel.
- Make sure the cream cheese is softened before you start making the dip, otherwise it will be difficult to spread it on the bottom of the dish.
- I prefer using marinara sauce for this dip, but feel free to use pizza sauce!
Common questions
How can I make this ahead of time?
Assemble the dip as instructed, then cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. When ready to bake, take it out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before baking.
I didn’t soften my cream cheese! What should I do?
If you didn’t remember to take your cream cheese out of the fridge ahead of time, I’ve got a few tricks! You can either mix it with a few tablespoons of warm milk to help make it spreadable, or whip the cream cheese with the Greek yogurt in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer to get that spreadable consistency.
What can I serve this with?
Serve this pizza dip with fresh vegetables, bagel chips, pita chips or crostini!
How to store
Store the leftover pizza dip in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container or cover the leftover dip with plastic wrap. Reheat leftovers in an oven-safe baking dish at 325F until warmed through.
More irresistible dips to love from the blog
Easy Cheesy Baked Pesto and Sun-Dried Tomato Dip
Easy Sun-Dried Tomato Dip Recipe (perfect chip dip!)
Easy Cheesy Baked Pizza Dip
Ingredients
- 1 250g cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup greek yogurt
- 3/4 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp chili flakes
- 1 cup marinara / tomato sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
For the toppings
- 1/3 cup cup chopped baby tomatoes (or your choice of additional toppings - see notes for suggestions)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- garnish with fresh basil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- In a 9 inch pie plate (or similar sized cast iron skillet, square or rectangular baking dish) combine softened cream cheese, greek yogurt and spice blend. Spread on the bottom of the dish.
- Spread the 1 cup of marinara / tomato sauce on top of the cream cheese mixture.
- Sprinkle over all of the shredded mozzarella cheese and shredded parmesan cheese.
- Sprinkle over the fresh chopped tomatoes (or other desired toppings) and ½ tsp dried oregano.
- Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and starting to brown. If needed, you can broil on low for 1-3 minutes at the end of the cooking time to achieve desired bubbly cheese topping.
- Garnish with fresh chopped basil and serve warm!
Notes
- Want to make this ahead of time? Assemble the dip as instructed and then cover and refrigerate for 1-2 days before baking. When you’re ready to bake the dip, make sure to remove from the fridge for at least 30 minutes before baking according to the instructions.
- If you don’t have time to soften the cream cheese, use a couple tablespoons of warm milk to help make it a spreadable consistency. Alternatively, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to whip the cream cheese with the yogurt for a spreadable texture.
- Substitutes for greek yogurt - try sour cream or mayonnaise.
- You can easily add additional toppings! Try pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, olives, bell peppers or other favorite toppings!
- Store in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
