Football season is back which means tailgating recipes are back in full swing, and this skillet sausage dip is a must-have for this football season.

September 2021 update: I updated this post with some new tips for serving this skillet sausage dip. I'm showing you how to adjust the spice level and what to pair with this dip when you serve it at a party!

It's officially football season again, y'all.

Admittedly I am the least passionate about football in my house but that's not hard to be when the rest of my family is pretty fanatic about it.

(Actually, I MIGHT be more passionate than my ten-month-old son!)

I'm really only in it for the food. Any excuse to make good food and I'm in! Luckily, every weekend of football season gives me exactly that excuse.

a hand scooping sausage dip onto a cracker

Our schedules during football season completely revolve around when the family teams are playing.

It will be really interesting and fun to see how Greyson develops into a football fan (if he does) and which team he chooses to like!

Luckily my husband and mom like the same team, so it's always a given that we're watching at least that game together.

If they win, we celebrate and if they lose, we each go our separate ways for the rest of the day. I'm telling y'all, it's serious business around here.

When I was in college, I'd have to figure out if my mom's team won before I'd give her a call on Sundays, because I knew better than to call if they had lost.

a bowl of crackers with skillet sausage dip

Table of Contents

Why cast-iron skillet dip is better than crockpot dip

Back to the food, this skillet sausage dip is a variation of a dip I had a few years ago at a Super Bowl party.

Our friend made it in a crockpot and it was absolutely amazing.

But since I'm on a cast iron skillet kick these days, I decided to try making it that way. And it was SO good.

A well-seasoned cast iron skillet adds flavor to your food. There are lots of other benefits to using cast iron in your cooking, as well. They're chemical-free, they last forever and they add extra iron to whatever you are making.

I am really in love with all things cast iron skillet. I don't know what I'd do without mine, because then I couldn't make this Cast Iron Apple Spice Skillet Cake or these Cast Iron Skillet Grilled Steaks.

You can always make this dip in your skillet, and then transfer it to your slow cooker on the "warm" setting for serving.

Feel free to serve your sausage dip in one of these triple warmers alongside your favorite queso and buffalo chicken dip to keep them warm and for easy serving.

How to make skillet sausage dip

This skillet sausage dip is an easy appetizer for a party. Everyone loves a warm dip, especially in the cooler months!

Here's a quick look at how to make it.

Preheat your oven to 375°F. We'll bake this for a few minutes at the end to get it really warm.
Then put your cast iron skillet on the stove over medium heat. Melt a little butter, then brown the sausage. Drain grease and return sausage to pan.
Mix in a little milk and the RO*TEL. Stir really well.
This next part is important: Add cream cheese that's already been cut into cubes, but DO. NOT. STIR. We want the cream cheese to melt and get all creamy in the oven.
Then put the whole skillet in the oven. After 10 minutes, remove the skillet and stir the dip.
Next, add in half of the shredded cheese. We'll use the rest later. Stir it up well. Bake for another 10 more minutes.
Top the skillet with the remaining cheese and bake for just five more minutes. Make sure you're using the top rack for this so the cheese can get really brown.
Take it out of the oven, and now you're ready to dig in! I recommend serving it with bread, veggies, chips or crackers.

There, now we have the perfect game day dip! But this dip is not limited to football. You can also serve it at other parties. It would be delicious as a Thanksgiving appetizer, for a housewarming party or even for a fall baby shower.

What to eat with skillet sausage dip

This sausage skillet dip is always a hit when I make it at parties.

It's not unlike a Rotel & Velveeta sausage dip, but it's so much better because it's made from scratch with real ingredients.

(Some people call it "sausage crack dip," but I've never been a huge fan of that name.)

It goes really well with tons of things you can serve on the side for your guests. Here are a few ideas for what to eat with this dip:

tortilla chips (especially the scoop kind)
potato chips
fritos
crackers
breadsticks
slices of fresh bread
carrot sticks
celery sticks
slices of bell pepper
pretzels (soft or crunchy)

Really all of those things are just a vessel to get as much sausage dip into your mouth as quickly as possible!

If you use veggies, I suppose you could eat this dip for dinner and call it a balanced meal? I won't tell.

a wooden spoon stirring skillet sausage dip

Spicy skillet sausage dip

You can easily customize my skillet sausage dip to be as spicy as you like.

Here are a few ways you can make this dip spicier:

Peppers: The dip can be made extra spicy by adding green chiles or jalapeños.
Sausage: Pick up a spicy sausage to use. Look for "hot" or "spicy" on the package.
Cheese: Add spicy pepper jack cheese instead of half the cheddar.

Or go all the way and use hot peppers AND spicy sausage AND pepper jack cheese. This is YOUR skillet dip!

We make ours milder with a can of RO*TEL with green chiles and it was just spicy enough for an average day where you may not be wanting something overly spicy. Just enough flavor!

a skillet with sausage dip and a kitchen towel

I know you will love this baked sausage dip as much as I do!

Keep scrolling for the recipe and also some other ideas for tailgating food and drinks.