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Chipped Beef Dip is a creamy, savory appetizer made with cream cheese, sour cream, and dried beef. Bake it warm or make it ahead and serve cold. It’s an easy family recipe ready in under 30 minutes.
This Chipped Beef Dip is a recipe my husband grew up on, straight from his mom’s kitchen. She made it for family gatherings for years before she ever wrote it down for me, and when she finally did, I got a handwritten card with her notes scribbled in the margins. It’s a simple mix of cream cheese, sour cream, and salty dried beef that bakes into something warm and savory in about 15 minutes. It’s the kind of old-fashioned appetizer that disappears fast at any get-together.
I started making this dip back in college, and I’ve been making it ever since we got married. In those early years I used Buddig brand dried beef packets from the deli aisle, mostly because they were cheap and easy to find. These days, if I can track down an actual jar of dried beef, I always reach for that instead, the flavor and texture are so much better.
My mother-in-law’s original recipe also calls for 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts, but she told me she’s never actually added them herself, so I leave them out too. This dip is also just as good served cold, so it’s an easy one to make ahead of time.
Erin’s Notes
- Just 5 minutes of prep: There’s no cooking involved before it goes in the oven — just stir everything together and pour it into a baking dish.
- Make it warm or cold: Bake it for a hot, bubbly dip, or skip the oven and serve it cold straight from the fridge. Either way works.
- A true family recipe: This one comes straight from my mother-in-law’s handwritten recipe card, with all her notes intact.
- Budget-friendly ingredients: Everything on the list is easy to find and inexpensive, especially if you use the Buddig-style beef packets.
Ingredient Notes
- Cream Cheese: Use full-fat cream cheese and make sure it’s fully softened to room temperature before mixing, or you’ll end up with lumps.
- Sour Cream: Regular sour cream keeps the dip creamy and adds a little tang.
- Dried Beef: This is the star of the recipe and the one ingredient worth being picky about. A jar of dried beef (usually found near the canned meats) has the best texture. Buddig-style beef packets from the deli aisle are a more budget-friendly, easy-to-find substitute, and what I used for years.
- Onion: Finely chopped yellow or white onion adds a little bite. Chop it small so it blends into the dip instead of standing out in big pieces.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Just a small amount adds a savory, slightly tangy depth of flavor. Don’t skip it, even though the amount is small.
Chipped Beef Dip
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 Tablespoons onion, finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 1/2 ounces dried beef, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F.
- In a bowl mix together cream cheese, sour cream, onion, milk Worcestershire sauce and black pepper until smooth and creamy.8 ounces cream cheese, 1/2 cup sour cream, 2 Tablespoons onion, 2 Tablespoons milk, 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- Add the chopped beef and stir until evenly combined.2 1/2 ounces dried beef
- Pour into a small baking dish and place in the oven for 15 minutes until it is hot.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How To Make Chipped Beef Dip
- In a mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, sour cream, chopped onion, milk, Worcestershire sauce, and black pepper. Stir until the mixture is completely smooth and creamy, with no streaks of cream cheese remaining.
- Add the chopped dried beef to the bowl and stir until it’s evenly distributed throughout the creamy mixture.
- Pour everything into a small baking dish and place it in the oven for about 15 minutes, just until the dip is hot and bubbly around the edges. Serve it warm with crackers, party bread, or veggies.
Recipe Tips
- Choose your dried beef wisely: A jar of dried beef (found near the canned meats) has a better texture and flavor than the small plastic packets of Buddig-style beef sold in the deli aisle. The packets work in a pinch and are budget-friendly, but the jarred version makes a noticeably better dip.
- Serve it hot or cold: This dip is traditionally baked and served warm, but it’s just as good served cold straight from the fridge. That makes it an easy make-ahead appetizer for parties — just mix it up, cover, and chill until you’re ready to serve (bake it first if you want it warm, or skip the oven entirely for a cold version).
- About the walnuts: Some versions of this recipe (including the original handwritten one this recipe is based on) call for 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts stirred in with the beef. They add a nice crunch if you want to include them, but they’re completely optional — this dip is delicious without them too.
- Chop the beef finely: Whether you use jarred or packaged dried beef, chop it into small pieces so it distributes evenly through the dip instead of clumping together.
- Make it ahead: The dip mixture can be made a day in advance and stored covered in the refrigerator. Bake it just before serving, or serve it cold straight from the fridge.
Storage
Store any leftover dip in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. It’s delicious cold, so leftovers are easy to snack on straight from the fridge, or you can reheat individual portions in the microwave until warm.
This dip isn’t a great candidate for freezing, the cream cheese and sour cream base tends to separate and turn grainy once thawed. It’s best made fresh, though the unbaked mixture can be made up to a day ahead and kept in the fridge until you’re ready to bake or serve it.
Definitely. Mix everything together up to a day in advance and store it covered in the refrigerator. Bake it right before serving, or skip the oven and serve it cold.
No. While it’s traditionally baked and served warm, this dip is just as good served cold straight from the refrigerator, which makes it an easy no-fuss appetizer for parties.
Buttery crackers, party rye bread, or toasted baguette slices are classic choices. It’s also good with raw veggies like celery and carrot sticks if you want a lighter option.
