Turning sandwiches into dips is a pretty guaranteed winning recipe. After all, if a set of ingredients is good between bread, it’ll probably be good baked and dipped. This Baked Reuben Dip follows that strategy and is, in fact, delicious!
This is a rich dip and should be shared with friends, but the flavors just work well together.
If you love a good crispy Reuben sandwich, you’ll love this baked Reuben dip!
What ingredients go in a Reuben?
A reuben is a classic sandwich that is usually made on rye bread and includes corned beef (or pastrami) along with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Thousand Island Dressing. It’s usually cooked on a panini press or griddle until crispy.
The flavors work SO well together. It’s one of my favorite sandwiches, especially in March when corned beef is abundant and the weather is still chilly.
We are going to take all of these basic ingredients and turn them into a dip!
Corned beef or pastrami?
Corned beef and pastrami are very similar cuts of meat. Both are made from cured brisket but pastrami is then coated in pepper and smoked while corned beef is generally boiled or roasted.
You can use either in this dip. If you use pastrami, it’ll have an intense peppery flavor to it. Corned beef is a nice, neutral, salty flavor that I prefer in the dip, but either will work!
Need a drink to go with this dip? Try this Irish Old Fashioned!
Tips for making this Baked Reuben Dip
There isn’t a ton to this dip that makes it difficult. But here are a few tips that can ensure success if you want to try it.
- Make sure to grease your baking dish before baking the dip. This will help the edges of the dip get crispy and release from the baking dish.
- Reserve some of your chopped corned beef to sprinkle on top. This is more of a visual thing than flavor, but it does make the dip look more appealing.
- Many versions of this dip will include stirring the Thousand Island Dressing into the dip. I think that makes the dip a bit too watery so instead I like to drizzle it on top.
What to serve with this dip
This baked Reuben dip is fairly heavy and has lots of meat and cheese baked into it. So I’d recommend serving it with something with a lot of texture, like bagel chips, and also something lighter, like crispy celery sticks or carrots.
All of those items would be great with this dip. If you happen to be serving this alongside other appetizers, look for lighter appetizers to pair with this dip. Maybe this Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad or this Broccoli Crunch Salad!
Substitutions for Reuben Dip
There are some substitutions you can make for this baked Reuben dip!
- Change up the deli meat with pastrami or smoked turkey for a different flavor.
- Instead of Swiss cheese, try Gouda or Havarti cheese.
- Instead of bagel chips, try it with rye chips or tiny crostini.
- Instead of mayo, you can substitute sour cream or yogurt.
Leftovers
This leftover dip stores okay in the fridge for a few days and you can reheat it in a 350˚F oven until it’s bubbly and warm again or you can also microwave a smaller portion of the dip on high for a minute or two until it’s re-melted.
Baked Reuben Dip
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 8 ounces corned beef, chopped
- 8 ounces Swiss cheese, chopped
- ½ cup Sauerkraut
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- Thousand Island dressing, garnish
- Fresh chives, garnish
- Bagel Chips, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400˚F. In a medium bowl, stir together softened cream cheese, mayo, chopped corned beef, chopped Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and mustard. Lightly grease your baking dish (2 qt. or 8×8) and transfer dip ingredients to baking dish.
- Bake the reuben dip at 400˚F for 25 minutes until it's bubbling and browned around the edges.
- Remove and let cool briefly and drizzle with Thousand Island Dressing. Garnish with chives and serve while warm with bagel chips or any crunchy chip.
