Crockpot Bacon BBQ Sausage Cream Cheese Dip for Easy Entertaining Tips, FAQ & printable recipe

Tips for success

Low heat is worth the wait. Two hours on low melts cream cheese more smoothly than one hour on high, because the gentle heat gives the cheese time to soften from the outside in instead of setting firm patches against the hot walls of the insert.

If time is short, high heat works in about an hour, but stay nearby and stir at the halfway point. Either way, keep the lid closed — the steam trapped inside is doing half the melting.

Think about the sauce twice: once when choosing it and once at the end. Since barbecue sauce is one of only four ingredients, its flavor carries the dip, so taste it first and pick one that is smoky and moderately sweet.

Then hold a few tablespoons back and swirl them over the top just before serving — the visual of glossy sauce ribbons over the surface makes the dip look as good as it tastes, and the fresh sauce brightens the flavor after hours on warm.

Variations

• Spicy kick: Use hot breakfast sausage instead of plain pork sausage and choose a spicy barbecue sauce. A pinch of cayenne or a few dashes of hot sauce stirred in at the end pushes the heat further without changing the method at all.
• Smoky depth: Choose a hickory-smoked barbecue sauce and peppered bacon for a deeper, campfire-style flavor. Smoked sausage works too, bringing the same result with one ingredient instead of two.
• Sausage only: Leave out the bacon and double the sausage to two pounds for a meatier, heartier dip. The method stays exactly the same, and the dip holds its texture even better on the warm setting.
• Extra saucy: Increase the barbecue sauce to a full cup and reserve a quarter cup for swirling. The dip turns slightly looser and glossier, which suits thinner chips and drizzling over nachos or baked potatoes.

Storage and make-ahead

Fridge

Airtight container, up to 4 days. Reheat gently, stirring often.

Freezer

Freezes for up to 2 months in an airtight container. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating; stir well to bring the texture back.

Reheat

Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each, or slow cooker on low for about 45 minutes. Loosen with a spoonful of barbecue sauce if thick.

Cool any leftover dip for no more than two hours, then transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate. It keeps for three to four days. Reheat gently in the microwave in short bursts, stirring between each, or return it to the slow cooker on low until warmed through.

Everything can be prepared a day ahead. Cook and crumble the sausage and bacon, refrigerate them in separate containers, and keep the barbecue sauce and cream cheese block in the refrigerator.

The next day, layer the cold ingredients straight into the crock and add fifteen to twenty minutes to the cook time to compensate for the chill. The assembled dip can also be fully cooked, cooled and reheated on low before serving, which is useful when the party schedule is unpredictable.

Serving ideas

Serve the dip straight from the slow cooker insert on a trivet, with the lid resting underneath and a sturdy spoon standing in it. The warm setting keeps it at the perfect scoopable texture for hours, so there is no need to reheat anything mid-party.

Set out sturdy dipping partners close by: thick tortilla chips, sturdy crackers, toasted baguette slices, or kettle-cooked potato chips that will not snap under the weight of the dip.

For a fuller spread, put out small bowls of pickled jalapeños, sliced scallions or extra crumbled bacon alongside, so guests can dress their own scoops. The dip also works as a topping: spoon it warm over baked potatoes, slide it into slider buns with a little extra sauce, or drizzle it over nachos. Any way it is served, keep the crock on warm and let people help themselves — it is built for standing around and dipping.

Frequently asked questions

Recipe card

Crockpot Bacon BBQ Sausage Cream Cheese Dip for Easy Entertaining

Prep 10 minCook 2 hTotal 2 h 10 minServes 8

Ingredients

• 1 lb cooked crumbled pork sausage (store-bought or made ahead)
• 6 cooked bacon slices, crumbled (store-bought or made ahead)
• 8 oz cream cheese, one block, softened
• 3/4 cup barbecue sauce, plus extra for swirling

Instructions

1. Take the block of cream cheese out of the refrigerator and leave it on the counter while the other ingredients are gathered. Softened cream cheese melts evenly in the slow cooker instead of staying cold in the middle, so the dip turns smooth on the first stir rather than needing extra time.
2. Break the cooked sausage into small, even crumbles with a spoon or clean hands, picking out any large pieces. Small crumbles distribute through the dip so every scoop gets meat. If the sausage was cooked ahead and chilled, let it sit out briefly so it is not clumped into a cold mass.
3. Crisp the cooked bacon slices or use them straight from the refrigerator, then crumble them into small, irregular pieces by hand or with a knife. Keep a few larger fragments aside; they make an appealing texture on the very top of the finished dip.
4. Scatter the crumbled sausage in an even layer across the bottom of the ceramic insert of the slow cooker. Covering the base fully means the cream cheese will melt down onto the meat and pick it up when stirred, instead of the meat sitting in a single clump on one side.
5. Sprinkle the crumbled bacon evenly over the sausage layer, letting it fall where it wants rather than pressing it down. Keeping the bacon above the sausage keeps its texture distinct; buried bacon softens, while bacon near the top keeps a little bite in the finished dip.
6. Place the softened block of cream cheese in the center of the meats, leaving it whole. As it melts, it spreads outward into the sausage and bacon, and the block form protects it from cooking too fast against the hot sides of the insert. Resist the urge to stir now.
7. Drizzle the barbecue sauce over the whole arrangement, letting it run down the sides of the cream cheese and pool over the meats. Save two or three tablespoons for swirling on top at serving. The sauce melts with the cheese and seasons the entire dip at once.
8. Put the lid on and cook on low for about two hours, without lifting it. Every peek releases heat and adds fifteen minutes or more to the cook. The dip is ready when the cream cheese is fully melted and everything stirs together into a thick, uniform, creamy mixture. The sausage is already fully cooked, so the slow cooker only needs to heat it through to 160°F (71°C) for serving.
9. Stir the melted mixture thoroughly with a flexible spatula, working from the bottom and corners of the insert until the sauce, cheese and meats combine into one thick, even dip. Scrape the sides well, where the cheese tends to set firmer than the center.
10. Switch the slow cooker to warm, swirl the reserved barbecue sauce over the top, and scatter the reserved bacon over it. Serve straight from the insert with the lid off, letting guests scoop at the table. The warm setting holds the dip at serving texture for hours.

Contains: milk

Estimated nutrition per serving

Calories

210

Protein

8 g

Carbohydrates

12 g

Fat

14 g

Sugar

8 g

Sodium

620 mg

Automatic estimate from the ingredient list, not laboratory-verified.