Pepperoni Pizza Dip is a delicious way to feed guests at your next party! Made with cream cheese, mozzarella, marinara sauce, and pepperoni!

Who doesn’t love pizza? This delicious Pepperoni Pizza Dip is a fun spin on a traditional homemade pizza. Skip the hassle of making a crust and bake the cheese and sauce in a shallow pan. Then serve the dip with breadsticks, garlic bread, or sliced Italian bread. It’s perfect for a party or a game night treat! All the flavor and fun of pizza, with less work!

What You Need for This Recipe

Cream Cheese
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
Marinara sauce
Diced tomatoes
Pepperoni

How to Make Pepperoni Pizza Dip

The first step to making this amazing pizza dip is melting the cheese. Preheat your oven to 350 Fahrenheit. Add about 1/2 tsp of olive oil to a round glass baking dish to keep the cheeses from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Next, add 8 ounces of cream cheese to the pan. The cream cheese will melt faster if you cut it into small cubes before baking. This also makes it easier to stir and incorporate into the dip. Next, add about 4 ounces of shredded mozzarella cheese. And an ounce of grated Parmesan cheese. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Choosing the Right Cheese

Mozzarella cheese can be purchased pre-shredded in the refrigerated section of most grocery stores. However, this cheese is less flavorful and doesn’t melt as easily as fresh mozzarella. So check out the cheese selection near the Deli counter of your local grocery store! They typically have a variety of fresher cheeses available. This includes fresh mozzarella. Buy an 8-ounce ball of fresh mozzarella, then grate it at home with a standard cheese grater. Not only will fresh mozzarella take this pizza dip to the next level, but it will also elevate any homemade pizza or pasta dishes too!

As the cheese is melting, prepare your sauce! For pizza dip, you can use any jarred pizza or marinara sauce. Since we typically have marinara sauce on hand, I decided to use that for my recipe. I also wanted this pizza dip to have a little texture, so I added diced tomatoes. I strained a 16 ounce can of diced tomatoes using a mesh strainer. Then, I squeezed the tomatoes to get rid of as much excess moisture as possible. I want a thick dip, not soup! Some of my tomatoes were a little larger than I preferred, so I cut them into smaller chunks with a pairing knife.

The Difference Between Pizza Sauce and Marinara Sauce

Want to know the biggest differences between pizza sauce and marinara sauce? First, pizza sauce is typically less flavorful. It’s made with tomato paste, olive oil, basil, salt, and pepper. Whereas marinara has more robust ingredients like onions and garlic. It’s also made with crushed roasted tomatoes versus tomato paste. Pizza sauce is also thinner than marinara. This makes it easier to spread evenly over the pizza crust. Also, pizza sauce is typically sweeter and less acidic thanks to the tomato paste.

Since I use a marinara sauce for my dip, I add a little sugar to up the sweetness. First, check the ingredients of your marinara sauce to be sure it didn’t already contain sugar. I typically use Rao’s Homemade Marinara Sauce, which doesn’t have any added sugar. Add half of a teaspoon of sugar directly into the marinara sauce. Then, stir in the diced tomatoes. Pour the sauce into the melted cheese and stir. Keep stirring until all of the cheese is well mixed into the sauce.

Serve with Breadsticks for an Extra Kick!

Top the cheese and sauce mixture with the rest of the shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Then sprinkle a bit of parsley over everything. Lastly, top the pizza dip with Hormel pepperoni. Pepperoni pizza is my favorite, so I couldn’t make a pizza dip without it! Bake the dip in the oven for an additional 5-8 minutes. It’s done when the cheese is completely melted on top. Serve this dip with warm breadsticks, garlic bread, or sliced Italian bread. Many grocery stores carry frozen breadsticks or garlic bread options. These can be baked alongside the dip to ensure everything is fresh and hot when served.

What To Do With Leftovers

Store pizza dip leftovers for 24 hours in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The top layer of cheese may harden and be difficult to dip. I suggest removing it and melting fresh cheese over the top. Or try serving the leftovers over a bowl of pasta for a quick and easy meal!

This pepperoni pizza dip is absolutely delicious! It has all of the best parts of pizza in a simple to make form. Try it at your next gathering! And while you’re at it, check out these other delicious dip recipes: Buffalo Chicken Dip, Texas Caviar Dip, Layered Greek Dip, and 5 Layer Dip.