Clams casino dip is the PERFECT party dip! This dip recipe is a take on baked clams, with bacon and buttery crackers on top. With lots of melted cheese, bacon, and clams, it will disappear in the blink of an eye!

If you look at my index of appetizer recipes, you’ll see that I’m a fan of dips, especially for holiday entertaining. With so many parties to attend, it’s nice to have a quick and easy recipe that I can make for my guests. Because I’m in love with melted cheese, hot dips are my preference. And where there are hot dips, dippers like chips, crackers, and bread are sure to follow. Those are the rules in my carb-loving world, my friends.

That is where my clams casino dip recipe and some of my favorite flavors of Town House crackers come into the party picture.

What is clams casino?

Classic clams casino is a fancy appetizer featuring fresh clams baked in the shell with bacon fat, crispy pieces of bacon, and a topping of breadcrumbs. In other words, clams casino is HEAVEN in a shell. 

Turning a delicious appetizer into an delightfully warm dip doesn’t take much effort, my friends. It’s as simple as baking the ingredients, minus the clam shells!

I’ve mentioned before that I’m not very good at channeling my inner Martha Stewart or Ina Garten when it comes to hosting parties, but that’s why I love easy dip recipes. Not much effort is required to put them together, and they’re always crowd favorites.

Recipe Notes

• High sodium ahead! If you don’t use canned clams, I’m here to warn you about how salty they can be. When you make the clam dip, be sure to rinse the clams before you start mixing everything together. Your blood pressure will thank you.

If you’re lucky enough to live in an area with fresh clams, you can absolutely use them instead of canned clams. Of course, if you make this clam dip with fresh clams you should make extra, because I’ll be asking for an invite to your party!

• This is baked clam dip so it is meant to serve warm. If you want a cold dip with clams, my friend Kim has you covered with her recipe for clam dip with cream cheese.

What are your favorite party dips? Use the comment section below to share your party ideas with me! 

Oh, and if you like this clams casino dip recipe, will you please rate the recipe? I really appreciate the feedback!

Other hot dip recipes

• Warm Cheesy Spinach Dip with Bacon
• Easy Buffalo Chicken Dip + 15 more game day appetizers
• Easy Creamy Hot Artichoke Dip Recipe

Clams Casino Dip

A take on baked clams casino, this hot dip recipe features clams, bacon, and lots of cheese. It’s topped off with buttery crushed crackers.

4.58 from 19 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 8

Calories 186 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ⅔ cup cracker crumbs (use a buttery cracker, such as Townhouse or Ritz)
• ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 12 ounces canned chopped clams drained and rinsed
• 8 ounces bottled clam juice
• 6 slices bacon cooked and crumbled (1/3 cup cooked bacon pieces)
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice (juice of 1 medium lemon)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha or hot sauce of your choice
• 5 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese divided
• ½ teaspoon ground sweet paprika

Instructions

 

• Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a small bowl, combine the cracker crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the clams, clam juice, bacon, lemon juice, garlic powder, pepper, hot sauce and 4 ounces of mozzarella cheese. (Reserve 2 Tablespoons for sprinkling on top of the dip before baking.)
• Transfer ingredients into a 9-inch deep dish pie plate or similar small casserole dish and use a spoon or spatula to spread evenly. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture over top of dip. Top dip with remaining mozzarella cheese and then sprinkle paprika over the top.
• Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until hot, bubbly, and golden.
• Serve warm with crackers, chips, or raw veggies.

Nutrition

Serving: 3tbspCalories: 186kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 9gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 482mgPotassium: 87mgSugar: 1gVitamin A: 280IUVitamin C: 3.2mgCalcium: 148mgIron: 0.6mg

Tried this recipe? Mention @itsyummi or tag #itsyummirecipe!