Cincinnati Chili Dip is a Queen City staple during football season and the holidays, and comes together in a snap! Only three ingredients make up this simple dip – Cincinnati chili, cream cheese, and shredded cheddar cheese. Add corn or tortilla chips on the side for dipping.
I’ve had a random bout of homesickness lately. I’m going to actually have to make it a point from now on to visit Cincinnati, whenever I make it back to Ohio. I do have friends still there, and a smattering of extended family, but I really miss my dad living there, and being my excuse to go.
It’s been rather dreary here for the past couple weeks – At least during the work week. Very fall-like, which has me craving Cincinnati Chili. But with work being so busy, I just haven’t had the time to make it myself, like I normally would. I opted instead to buy a 6-pack of Gold Star canned chili online.
My light at the end of the tunnel grows ever closer, though, as far as this Fall Rush stuff goes. And I cannot wait. I need a break. I need time away. I need travel, and new experiences with friends. And I need live music.
I made some Cincinnati Chili Dip with my Gold Star – It’s been awhile since I’ve really done anything with Cincinnati Chili.
And it’s super easy to make. Three ingredients – Chili, mild cheddar cheese, and cream cheese.
If you want to go the route of making your Cincinnati Chili from scratch, it’s a little more complex, but there’s something to be said for homemade stuff. I used to take the shortcut of using a seasoning packet, but I’ve found a from-scratch recipe I like. You can also purchase cans of your favorite brand of Cincinnati Chili like I did this time around (both Skyline and Gold Star offer them online), and make it even easier on yourself.
Add tortilla chips or corn chips, and you’re good to go!
Cincinnati Chili Dip

Ingredients
- 16 oz. cream cheese, room temperature.
- 2 1/2 C Cincinnati Chili*
- 1-2 C shredded mild cheddar cheese
- tortilla or corn chips, for serving
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spread the cream cheese in the bottom of an 8X8-inch baking dish.
Spread the Cincinnati Chili on top of the cream cheese.
Top with the shredded cheese.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until heated through and the chili is bubbly.
Serve with tortilla or corn chips.
Notes
*If using canned chili, 2 10-oz. cans of chili can be used in place of the 2 1/2 C of homemade.
I feel your pain. South Dakota is a very depressing place. The German/American culture embraces loneliness and solitude and the wind just makes it worse. You need a vaction, way far away Rachel. As they said when I lived there, “Go away for a month and don’t come back.” Most have already don it. hehehe
I love Cincinnati chili and this dip sounds wonderful. I’ll try it, soon.
Merry Christmas to all. Ho Ho Ho :)
Merry Christmas, Porter! :)
I agree–A vacation would be ideal. I’m shooting for a good long 2-week trek somewhere come 2017.
Why is it that whenever I Google for a recipe I have to scroll and scroll and scroll thru someone’s personal journal before finally finding the recipe. I suspect it is that the more words the recipe provider can generate, the more space there is for advertising to be inserted. It is why I never “sign up” to “never miss a recipe.”
It is true that a lot of bloggers use ads to make money, and the longer a post is, the more ads will typically be inserted in a post. For a lot of bloggers, it’s either ads, or they would have to require paid subscriptions, as the cost of blogging supplies and groceries can be a lot.
How many people does this recipe serve?
If you make the recipe as-is, I’d say it’ll serve 10-12 people. If you have more folks, I’d double it.
Found this article accidentally. Nice Recipe made this yesterday came out delicious. Thanks for sharing this Rachel