Bubbly, hot cheese dip made with three kinds of cheese and savoury herbs is ready in minutes using the air fryer. This popular appetizer is full of flavour. Just serve with some crusty bread, crackers or veggies and watch it disappear. Perfect for casual get togethers, game-day, or anytime you are craving a cheesy snack.
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Cheese dip is one of my favourite appetizers.
I love dunking a piece of crusty bread in the hot, melty cheese.
The nice thing about cheese dip is that it is incredibly quick and easy to make. And by using the air fryer to bake it instead of the oven, it cooks in less than half the time.
When baked in the oven it usually takes 20-30 mintues, but when done in the air fryer that time is cut to 8-10 mintues.
This cheese dip is super easy to customize depending on your taste preference and the leftovers, if there are any, are great the next day spread on a bagel or used as filling for stuffed chicken breast.
Why We Love This Recipe
It’s easy – This is one of the easiest appetizers you will ever make. All you need to do is mix a few ingredients, scoop the dip into a dish and bake.
It’s quick – This dip is perfect when you need a quick snack or appetizer. It only takes about 5 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
It’s delicious – Hot cheese dip is always popular. There is something about the hot, melty cheese that people love. This dip has tons of flavour from the combination of herbs and cheese and can be easily customized to suit your taste.
Ingredients
This delicious cheese dip is made with simple ingredients. Feel free to change any of the spices and herbs to suit your taste.
- Cream cheese – Either full fat or light works well.
- Mayonnaise – You can use full fat or light, but be sure to use mayonnaise and not salad dressing, such as miracle whip.
- Sour cream – Either full fat or light is fine. This may also be substituted with Greek yogurt.
- Cheddar cheese
- Mozzarella cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Dried dill
- Dried chives
- Dried parsley
You can use any blend of cheeses you like, but be sure to use freshly shredded. Store-bought shredded cheese contains additives that affect how the cheese melts and can cause the dip to have a gritty texture.
Instructions
What I love about this recipe is how simple it is.
Start by mixing the cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream and herbs in a bowl. Then stir the cheese into the mixture.
Scoop the dip into a 2 cup oven safe baker or two 1-cup bakers. Then place the dishes into the air fryer basket. I like to divide it into two dishes as then I can place one at either end of the table.
Pro Tip – I love using mini cast iron baking dishes in my air fryer. They fit perfectly, are safe to use, and can be used for so many dishes.
Set the air fryer to 320°F and cook the dip for 8-10 minutes until hot, lightly golden and slightly bubbly.
Pro Tip – Be careful not to over bake the cheese dip. Dip that is overcooked, or cooked at too high of a temperature, will cause the oil to separate from the cheese and mayonnaise. It will result in oily pools and gritty dip. Cook it just long enough that the cheese is melted, the dip is slightly bubbly around the edges and the top is lightly golden brown.
Substitutions & Additions
There are so many ways you can customize this cheese dip to suit your tastes.
- Swap the cheddar, mozzarella and parmesan for different cheese. Monterey or pepper jack works well, as does asiago and romano.
- Use different seasoning. Replace the seasonings in the recipe with a package of ranch dressing, onion soup mix, or any other dip seasonings you like.
- Use a clove of fresh garlic instead of garlic powder.
- Add a few dashes of hot sauce to spice it up.
- Add ½ cup cooked, diced bacon.
- Add a can of shrimp or crab.
- Add some drained, chopped artichoke hearts.
Get creative and have fun! There are endless flavour combinations you can create.
Serving Suggestions
I highly recommend serving this dip warm with some crusty bread, such as sliced baguettes or sourdough loaf.
You could also choose to serve it with warm flatbread or pita chips, crackers or tortilla chips.
If you want to try and keep things healthier, or low-carb, you can serve it with a platter of veggies.
Leftovers, once the dip is allowed to cool, works well as a cream cheese spread on bagels, or it can be used to stuff chicken breasts.
There are so many ways to use this tasty dip.
FAQS
Oily cheese dip is usually caused by cooking the dip either too long or at too high of a temperature. When cooked to long or too hot the oil in the cheese and the mayonnaise will separate and you will notice pools of oil on the edges and top of the dip. Make sure to cook it just long enough so that it is hot and slightly golden brown on top.
Gritty cheese dip is caused by either using bagged shredded cheese, which contains additives, or cooking the dip too long causing the oil in the cheese to separate. Make sure you are using freshly shredded cheese and don’t over cook it.
More Air Fryer Appetizers
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Printable Recipe
Air Fryer Hot Cheese Dip
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- ¼ Cup mayonnaise
- ½ Cup sour cream
- 2 oz (½ cup) cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 oz (½ cup) mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1 oz (¼ cup) parmesan cheese shredded
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoon dried chives
- ½ tsp onion powder
Instructions
- In a medium-size bowl, mix the cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise and the seasonings until well mixed.
- Add the shredded cheese and stir to combine.
- Scoop the dip into an oven-safe 2 cup baker or two 1 cup bakers.
- Place the dip into the basket of the air fryer.
- Set the air fryer to 320°F. Cook the dip for 8-10 minutes until hot, slightly bubbly around the edges and lightly golden.
- Carefully remove the dishes from the air fryer (use potholders, the dishes are hot) and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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