Million Dollar Dip

This legendary Neiman Marcus recipe has been a party favorite for decades, and once you taste it, you’ll understand why. Known as Million Dollar Dip, it’s impossibly creamy and loaded with bacon, cheese, and crunchy slivered almonds. And while it tastes like a million bucks, it’s surprisingly low-cost and easy to make, taking just 10 minutes to whip up and serve.

This simple appetizer works for any potluck, holiday get-together, or game day spread, and pairs perfectly with a tray of bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers or a bowl of buffalo chicken dip. You can easily double it to feed a crowd and make it ahead of time for stress-free and simple party prep.

Who Created Million Dollar Dip?

Million Dollar Dip is also known as the Neiman Marcus dip, as the department store started serving this addictive creamy dip in their restaurant, the Zodiac Room, in the 1950s. It was developed by celebrity chef Helen Corbitt as a rich and decadent dip that matched the feel of the high-end luxury department store.

While most Neiman Marcus cafes have since closed, this copycat recipe features the same flavors and textures as the original, with crunchy almonds, savory, crispy bacon, and a creamy cheese and mayonnaise base, just waiting to be scooped up and enjoyed.

How to Make Our Million Dollar Dip

Ingredients

Process

1. Place cream cheese, mayonnaise, and sour cream into a mixing bowl and stir together until fully combined. 
2. Add all but 2 tablespoons of cheese, all but 1 tablespoon almonds, all but 3 tablespoons crumbled bacon, 2 green onions, garlic powder, and black pepper.

3. Fold together until fully combined.
4. Pour dip into a serving dish. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

5. Remove dip from refrigerator, uncover, and top with some cheese, almonds, reserved bacon, and remaining green onion
6. Serve with butter crackers, crudité, crostini.

Make Ahead and Storing Instructions

Make Ahead

To make the entire dip up to 24 hours ahead of time: Make the dip through step four, covering the mixture tightly with a lid or plastic wrap and storing it in the refrigerator. Just before serving, add the reserved cheese, crumbled bacon, almonds, and green onions on top.

To prep the bacon: You can cook and crumble the bacon up to three days in advance. Make it in the oven or on the stove, let it cool, then store it in an airtight container with a paper towel in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Storing

Store leftover dip in the refrigerator for up to four days. The texture will become softer as it sits, but the flavor will continue to build and develop as it sits, making it even better the next day.

Light Variations for Million Dollar Dip

This dip is naturally very rich and decadent with full-fat mayonnaise, sour cream, cream cheese, and cheddar (plus a hefty sprinkle of bacon). Here are a few ways you can lighten it up without sacrificing flavor:

• Replace the regular cream cheese with 1/3-less fat cream cheese
• Use reduced-fat sour cream or swap the sour cream OR mayonnaise for non-fat plain Greek yogurt (don’t swap both, just one)
• Reduce the amount of bacon to just 4-5 slices or use turkey bacon instead
• Use reduced-fat cheddar cheese or swap some of the cheddar for a lower-fat cheese like shredded mozzarella or Swiss

What to Serve with Million Dollar Dip?

To round out this indulgent appetizer dip, serve it with:

• Butter crackers or water crackers
• Parmesan-crusted crostini
• Fresh veggies: carrot sticks, bell peppers, celery sticks. sugar snap peas, cucumber spears
• Endive leaves
• Garlic bread
• Pretzel buns/bites
• Flatbread chips
• Rye bread
• Bloomin’ onions

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