Creamy Jalapeño Popper Dip (Low Carb, Keto)

Amazingly flavorful and creamy, this chilled jalapeño popper dip turns a classic appetizer inside-out for the ultimate party food. With rich cream cheese, spicy chopped jalapeños, tangy sour cream, and savory bacon, this is one dip you won’t be able to stop eating! Naturally low carb, keto, and gluten free, and super easy to make vegetarian.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

• Have you ever had Publix jalapeño popper dip? It’s in their deli section, and it’s unbelievably, mind-blowingly, amazingly incredible. Not too hot, not too bland. Seriously, like life-changing good. Unfortunately, we don’t have a Publix anywhere near us (c’mon, Memphis) so if I want that delicious dip on a semi-regular basis, I had to figure out how to recreate it in my kitchen. And now my geographical anguish is your culinary gain!
• It’s SO, SO easy to make, and super quick. We’re talking less than 15 minutes. There is a little chill time (30-60 minutes minimum, trust me) but that just gives you time to prep anything else you need before the party gets started!
• Unlike other variations of jalapeño popper dip, this one is served chilled. I love, love, love the way the cool, creamy sour cream & cream cheese pairs with the heat from the jalapeños. OMG. There are so many ways you can serve it, too. If you’re keto, try my bacon chips or hollowed-out jalapeño boats. For you carb-eaters, tortilla chips, buttery crackers, or crostini would all work well!
• Since there’s no breaded topping, you don’t have to worry about anything getting soggy, which means this is a fantastic make-ahead option. One less thing to do before your house is full of people? Sign me UP. Just keep the prepared dip covered in an airtight container in the fridge and garnish right before serving. It’ll keep up to 5 days, but for best flavors, I wouldn’t make it more than 24 hours in advance.

Key Ingredients

Jalapeños – I prefer using fresh jalapeños here both for flavor and texture. They offset the creaminess of the dish with a mouth-pleasing crisp crunch that the canned jalapeños just don’t provide. If sodium’s a concern, that’s another reason to opt for fresh jalapeños rather than canned or jarred ones, too.

Cream Cheese – How do you make cream cheese even better? Whip it! I highly recommend you use a hand mixer with a whisk attachment to whip the cream cheese. It’ll make the cream cheese airy and fluffy, which means it’s even creamier than before.

Sour Cream – For a little burst of tangy flavor. You could also use Greek yogurt instead!

Cheddar Cheese – Cheddar, sour cream, and jalapeños are a match made in food-pairing HEAVEN. Feel free to use mild, sharp, extra sharp, white cheddar, or a mix! If you’re a big fan of spicy foods, add a little pepperjack, too.

Chef’s Tips

• WARNING! If you don’t remove the seeds from the jalapeños before you dice them up, this is going to be a VERY spicy dip! If you’re not sure the best way to deseed a jalapeño, this post from The Kitchn has some great tips.
• Publix uses jalapeño powder in their dip, and I used it in mine. It might not be available at all grocery stores, though, so don’t panic if you can’t find it – it’s optional! I love to include it because it’s just a fun, interesting ingredient that really adds another layer of flavor.
• I always recommend buying a block of cheese and shredding it yourself. It’s super easy to do, and you avoid the unnecessary fillers (and carbs) used to prevent clumping in the prepackaged, pre-shredded cheeses.

More Apps & Dips You’ll Love

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• Irresistible Jalapeño Corn Dip (Slow Cooker Recipe)
• Air Fryer Loaded Potato Skins
• 5 Layer Dip
• 3-Ingredient Sausage Dip (Stovetop or Crockpot)
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Recipe By: Cheryl Malik

5 from 1 vote

Jalapeño Popper Dip

Prep 15 minutes minutes

Cook 0 minutes minutes

Chill 1 hour hour

Total 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Amazingly flavorful and creamy, this chilled jalapeño popper dip turns a classic appetizer inside-out for the ultimate party food. With rich cream cheese, spicy chopped jalapeños, tangy sour cream, and savory bacon, this is one dip you won't be able to stop eating! Naturally low carb, keto, and gluten free, and super easy to make vegetarian.

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8 servings

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Equipment

• Large bowl
• Hand mixer (or whisk)
• Silicone spatula

Ingredients

For the Jalapeño Popper Dip

• ▢ 8 ounces cream cheese softened
• ▢ 1 cup sour cream
• ▢ ½ cup mayonnaise
• ▢ ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ black pepper to taste
• ▢ ¼-½ teaspoon jalapeño powder optional, see Notes
• ▢ ½ cup finely chopped jalapeños seeds removed, see Notes
• ▢ 1 4-ounce can diced green chilies drained
• ▢ ½ cup bacon cooked, crumbled
• ▢ 1 cup freshly shredded cheddar cheese

To Serve (All Optional)

• ▢ diced jalapeños to garnish
• ▢ additional shredded cheese to garnish
• ▢ tortilla chips
• ▢ jalapeño boats
• ▢ celery sticks
• ▢ bacon chips made from this recipe

Instructions

• Add cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic powder, kosher salt, pepper, and jalapeño powder (if using). Use hand mixer or whisk to mix ingredients until completely smooth.
• Gently fold in chopped jalapeños, green chilies, crumbled bacon, and shredded cheddar cheese, folding until combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or lid and chill in refrigerator for at least 30 to 60 minutes. Let stand at room temperature 10 to 15 minutes before serving, then serve slightly chilled, with tortilla chips, jalapeño boats, celery sticks, or bacon chips.

• Jalapeño Powder: Totally optional but highly recommended. It gives the dip an extra flavor (Publix uses it in their jalapeño popper dip!), but the powder can be hard to find. I ordered mine online.
• Jalapeños: If you don’t remove the seeds first, this dip will be VERY spicy! Not sure the best way to deseed a jalapeño? Check out this post from The Kitchn.
• Shredded Cheese: I always recommend buying a block of cheese and shredding it yourself. It’s super easy to do, and you avoid the unnecessary fillers (and carbs) used to prevent clumping in the prepackaged, pre-shredded cheeses.
• Serving Tip: If you serve the dip straight out of the fridge, you might find the cream cheese is too firm. Let it stand at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes, then serve it slightly chilled.
• Make it Vegetarian: Skip the bacon completely or use a vegan bacon.

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Approximate Information for One Serving

Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 375calProtein: 8gFat: 37gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 746mgPotassium: 103mgTotal Carbs: 4gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gNet Carbs: 3gVitamin A: 396IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 156mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition Disclaimers

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

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