Always a crowd-pleasing appetizer, Cincinnati chili dip is a perennial favorite when it’s time to tailgate. A layer of cream cheese and chili is topped with beans and cheddar then served alongside chips. Cold beer optional!

Football season is around the corner, and it’s time to tailgate! To acknowledge the stretch of glutinous Sundays on the horizon, I’ve joined a group of bloggers from all over the country — all of whom are big football fans — to bring you 64 tailgating recipes for a terrific football party. You can check out their fantastic creations at the end of this post!

When the call went out to join this collaboration, my native Ohioan friends had the Browns represented in the blink of an eye. This Ohio girl’s heart, however, is with the Bengals.

Actually, that’s not entirely true. My heart lies with another Ohio team with a name also begins with a “B”, but that’s a story for another time.

Back to the pros. When Cincinnati and food come together in the same thought, I think of Cincinnati chili. I loathed Cincinnati chili day in the school cafeteria when I was a kid. Chili on spaghetti? That made no sense. I was definitely packing my lunch anytime Cincinnati chili showed up on the menu.

As I matured, I discovered Skyline chili. Suddenly, Cincinnati chili didn’t seem so bad. (For those who are not familiar, Skyline is essentially the pros version of Cincinnati chili.)

As the legand goes, Nicholas Lambrinides opened a restaurant overlooking the skyline of Cincinnati in 1949. The restaurant served, you guessed-it, the Lambrinides’ family chili.

What could its secret ingredient (cough…chocolate…cough) be? So yes, Cincinnati chili is actually a kind of Greek chili.

Cincinnati chili is not something you want to eat in a bowl by itself. The chili is essentially a saucy beef, so it’s intended to be served over spaghetti or a hot dog. Today, I’m serving it over cream cheese and calling it a dip.

You can enjoy Cincinnati chili three ways (topped with cheddar), four ways (cheddar plus beans or onions), or five ways (cheddar plus beans and onions). I’m a four-ways girl, so this dip includes beans but no extra onion.

This Cincinnati chili recipe yields more than enough chili for the dip, so plan on having leftover chili if you bake it in an 8 x 8 dish. In a twist of irony, I enjoyed my leftovers over spaghetti for lunch. Enjoy!

Homemade Cincinnati Chili Dip

Yield:

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Inactive Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

This crowd-pleasing appetizer stars a classic Cincinnati chili layered over cream cheese and topped with beans and cheddar.

Print

Ingredients

For the chili

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2, 15-ounce cans tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

For the dip

• 8-12 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups homemade Cincinnati chili
• 1, 15-ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (optional)
• 4 cups grated cheddar cheese
• Tostitos or Fritos or a chip of your choice for serving

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a very large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and browned, about 5–6 minutes.
3. Stir in the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes more.
4. Next add the ground beef and all of the spices - chili powder, cinnamon, salt, oregano, black pepper, ground allspice, ground cloves, ground cumin, ground nutmeg. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is browned, about 6–8 minutes.
5. Drain the fat from the meat, then add the tomato sauce, cup of water, bay leaf, and cocoa powder to the skillet or Dutch oven.
6. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook, partially covered, until thickened, about 25 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.
7. To turn the chili into chili dip, spread the cream cheese in an even layer in an 8 x 8 baking dish.
8. Spread two cups of your chili over the cream cheese layer and then top with the beans, if using.
9. Place the baking dish in an oven heated to 375 degrees and bake for 10 minutes.
10. Remove the dish from the oven and top with the cheddar cheese.
11. Return the dish to the oven for another 5 minutes to melt the cheese.
12. Allow the dip to stand for another 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

A note on the Cincinnati Chili

As written, this recipe yields about twice as much chili than you need for an 8 x 8 baking dish. If you want more dip and less leftover chili, spread two, 8-ounce packages of cream cheese across a 9 x 13 baking dish and top with the extra chili, beans, and double the cheese.

You can also serve leftover Cincinnati chili over pasta, a hot dog, or a baked potato.

A note on the Cincinnati Chili Dip

If you want to enjoy a five-way chili dip (with onions on top), add a white onion to the ingredient list and top the melted cheese layer with diced raw onions.

A note on the measurements

I usually make this recipe with between 1 1/4 and 1 1/2 pounds ground beef.

I kept the amount of cream cheese used for the bottom layer intentionally vague. If you only have an 8-ounce package on hand, there's really no need to run to the store and buy another package. If you have more than one package available and you think you might like a thicker layer of cream cheese, go with 12 ounces.

Same goes for the can of beans. You might want to use them all, or you might want to use 1/2 to 3/4 of the can.

Spicy Mexican Cheese Dip by 2 Cookin Mamas
Salsa Verde by A Dish of Daily Life
Skillet Sausage Dip by A Joyfully Mad Kitchen
Grilled Jalapeno Poppers by A Mind Full Mom
Beer & Brats Bake by A Simpler Grace
Black Bottom Maple Pecan Pie Bars by An Oregon Cottage
Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings by And She Cooks
Blackberry BBQ Sticky Wings by Around My Family Table
Cheesy Pull Apart Garlic Bread by Beer Girl Cooks
Black Bean & Corn Salsa by Body Rebooted
Roasted Garlic BBQ Chicken Wings Recipe by Bread Booze Bacon
Smoky Jalapeno Poppers by Brunch-n-Bites
Loaded Sweet Potato Nachos by Bucket List Tummy
Chicken Spinach & Artichoke Dip French Bread by Cake ‘n Knife
Cuban Sandwich Quesadillas by Casa de Crews
Grilled Asparagus Spears by Celebrating Family
Sweet and Salty Blueberry Popcorn by Club Narwhal
Buffalo Chicken Poppers by Coffee Love Travel
Sea Bass Skewers + Blackbeard Cocktails by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Buffalo Chicken Poppers by Dash of Herbs
Easy chicken roll ups with cream cheese and veggies by Family Food on the Table
Bottled Tailgate Cocktails by Feast + West
The Best Tex-Mex Arrachera Fajitas by Foodal
Loaded Guacamole by foodbyjonister
Cincinnati Nachos by Foodtastic Mom
Cajun Red Beans and Andouille Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms by For the Love of Food
Grilled Shrimp Pizza by Glisten and Grace
Mini Bell Pepper Nachos by Hello Little Home
Slow Cooker Sweet Spicy Meatballs by Honey & Birch
Loaded Tailgate Tots by Life’s Ambrosia
Ricotta & Fig Bites by Living Well Kitchen
Nashville Hot Chicken Wings by Loaves & Dishes
Cincinnati Chili Dip by Love & Flour
{Slow Cooker} BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches by Love Bakes Good Cakes
Tailgate Bloody Marys by Loves Food, Loves to Eat
Sweet Korean Chicken Wings by Macheesmo
Bacon Wrapped Tater Tots by Me and My Pink Mixer
Crab Pretzels by Mom’s Messy Miracles
Hot Bacon Dip by Nik Snacks
Build Your Own Bloody Mary Bar by Off the Eaten Path
Chowder Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers by Order in the Kitchen
Old Fashioned Sweet by Peanut Blossom
Baked Mac and Cheese Cups by Polka Dotted Blue Jay
Texas Toothpicks with Buttermilk Ranch by See Aimee Cook
Pretzel Turkey Meatballs (GF, DF, SF) by Shaws Simple Swaps
Hearty Vegetable Chili by Simple and Savory
Focaccia Pizza by Simplify, Live, Love
Sweet Potato Skins Stuffed with BBQ Ranch Pulled Pork by Sustaining the Powers
Bacon-Wrapped Cheeseburger Bites by The BakerMama
Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad by The Creative Bite
German Potato Skins by The Crumby Cupcake
Old Bay Trail Mix by The Culinary Compass
Meat Lover’s Pizza Bites by The Life Jolie
Raspberry Chipotle Black Bean Dip by The Mexitalian
Grilled Asian Chicken Wings & Shishito Peppers by The Secret Ingredient Is
Blackened Shrimp Tacos by The Speckled Palate
Honeydew Melon Refresher by Two Places at Once
Grilled Sauerkraut Stuffed Brats by West via Midwest
Sausage Apple and Sage Hand Pies by What A Girl Eats

Note: This post is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by the National Football League (NFL) or any of its teams. All opinions and views expressed on our blogs are our own, not that of the NFL and/or any of its 32 teams. Any team names, logos or other symbols referenced are properties of their respective organizations. We are just big fans — and we want to share our love for our teams, the game and the food that brings us all together on game day.

2019: Photos updated and recipe edited for clarity.