Clams casino dip is a hot cheese dip that’s always a crowd favorite, especially for holiday entertaining. With lots of melted cheese, bacon, and clams, it will disappear in the blink of an eye!
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If you go look at my dip recipe index, 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 quickly to serve to 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.
Speaking of crackers, have you noticed how many different flavors are available in the grocery store? I’m dating myself, but when I was first living on my own, I remember the choices being buttery crackers or salty crackers. The cracker lover in me is happy now because there was entire aisle of cracker varieties available to choose from at Target!
I was really happy when I saw the whole wheat crackers. I knew I wanted to crush those and use them instead of bread crumbs for the top of my dip, but after I put them into my cart, a box of the flatbread appeared in my cart out of nowhere. Who was I to deny them? Two boxes of crackers are better than one, especially since it gave me more dipping options for my clams casino dip!
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.
Note: I haven’t used canned clams in a while, so I forgot how salty they can be. When you make this recipe, be sure to rinse the clams before you start mixing everything together. Your blood pressure will thank you.
Don’t forget to have a lot of crackers and celery available to dunk into this clams casino dip!
Do you love hosting parties? Will you be hosting a big party for New Year’s Eve? Use the comment section below to share your party ideas with me!
Clams, bacon, and lots of cheese go into making this dip. It's topped off with crushed crackers baked up until it's hot and bubbly.
Ingredients
- 16 whole wheat Townhouse crackers, crushed into crumbs (2/3 cup crumbs)
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 12 ounces canned chopped clams, drained and rinsed
- 8 ounces bottled clam juice
- 1/3 cup cooked and crumbled bacon pieces (about 6 slices of bacon)
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice (juice of 1 medium lemon)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha (or hot sauce of your choice)
- 5 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1/2 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.
by Becca
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving Size | |
| Amount Per Serving | As Served |
| Calories 188kcal Calories from fat 84 | |
| % Daily Value | |
| Total Fat 9g | 14% |
| Saturated Fat 5g | 25% |
| Transfat 0g | |
| Cholesterol 43mg | 14% |
| Sodium 506mg | 21% |
| Carbohydrate 7g | 2% |
| Dietary Fiber 0g | 0% |
| Sugars 1g | |
| Protein 19g | |
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs:
| Calories | 2000 | |
|---|---|---|
| Total Fat | Less than | 65g |
| Sat Fat | Less than | 25g |
| Cholesterol | Less than | 300mg |
| Sodium | Less than | 2,400mg |
| Total Carbohydrate | 300g | |
| Dietary Fiber | 25g | |
Thank you so much for visiting me today!
If you make this recipe, I'd love it if you'd share a photo and/or give your feedback over on my Facebook page, Cooking with Chef Bec!
For even more recipe inspiration and holiday entertaining ideas, click here.
Wow! I’ve never tried any version of clams casino before. This dip looks amazing!
Nicole, if you like clams, bacon, and cheese, you’ll be in a little cloud of Heaven with this clams casino dip 😀
This looks great – I might add diced red & green bell peppers
Peppers would be a wonderful addition to the clams casino dip, Diane!
A hot dip with Sriracha? Sign me up. Definitely going to try this at my Book Club meeting next month. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
I hope you enjoy it, Lila!
looks fantastic. I love clams casino!
I also love clams casino, hard to find any kind of consistency when you dine out. I want to make my own do you have a recipe that you would like to share.
Hi Michael,
You’re absolutely right that tasty clams casino is difficult to find when dining out. Truthfully, I think the key to success is to use high quality butter. European butter has a higher butterfat content and is therefore, much richer than standard butter in the United States. I use and recommend Kerrygold butter.
Because fresh clams are all but impossible to find here in Wisconsin, it’s been a very long time since I’ve made clams casino at home. However, this recipe from Fine cooking is very similar to the one I make. I hope you enjoy it! http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/classic-clams-casino.aspx
Seriously good looking clam dip. Would it be wrong of me to forgo the crackers and just use a spoon to eat this like a clam chowder? lol Thanks for sharing this recipe. Happy New Year!
Thanks, Trevor!
Shhh… don’t tell anyone, but I may have done exactly what you’re thinking. What can I say? I ran out of crackers and there was a spoon conveniently sitting nearby. 😉
Pinning this!! And making a trip to the store!
Thanks, Pam! I hope you enjoy the dip recipe!
Oh my gosh, I have almost everything I need to make this already…the rest is on my list for today. Sounds delicious, Becca – I loooove clams casino!
Thanks, Heather! Just be sure to rinse those clams well. This was super delicious, but majorly salty!
All that gooey cheese is calling my name, Becki – a perfect NYE appetizer!
Cheesy goodness rarely disappoints, Melanie. Thanks, and happy new year!
This looks AWESOME, Becca!! What a great NYE appetizer (or football, or anytime)!!
It’s pretty addictive, Kristy. I hope you have a chance to try it sometime! Happy new year!
This is something I wouldn’t think to make but it looks AMAZING! I will be trying this asap!
It’s pure awesome, Amanda. I hope you have a chance to try it! Happy new year, my friend!
I don’t think I’ve ever actually had a clam dip, Becca…but these ingredients sound awesome! I might just need to whip up a batch of this for New Year’s Eve. 🙂 (P.S. You had ME at bacon!!)
YUM!!! This dip looks amazing!!! Didn’t know there was a whole wheat option for those crackers! Thanks for sharing! Cant wait to try this!!
Thanks, Angela! I was really excited to find the whole wheat crackers, too. They’re good!
Oh my – this dip sounds absolutely delicious and I will be serving it New Year’s Eve. Thanks so much for sharing.
Thank you, Susie! I hope you enjoy the dip. Happy New Year!
This looks great. I am sure it did wow your guests.
Wow! This looks so good! I’m off to the shop!!
I hope you love the dip as much as I do, Mary!
This looks delicious. With New Year’s Eve coming up, I’ve been looking for a few recipes dips to try. This would be a big hit at my house. Thanks
It’s super easy to make, Nicky! I hope you love it!
Oh man – this dip looks AWESOME! I love bacon with seafood… and throw in a bunch of cheese?! SO MUCH YES! 🙂
I’m a yes right there with ya, Ashley! So happy that you stopped over. Thank you!