Hot Reuben Dip
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All the flavors of a classic Reuben– corned beef, sauerkraut, and melty Swiss– baked into a warm, cheesy dip that’s perfect for parties or scooped up with toasted rye bread for dinner.
TRUST ME: I’M A REUBEN EXPERT
As someone who considers herself a Reuben connoisseur, you can trust that this Reuben dip recipe has passed every test you’d expect a connoisseur of my expertise to proctor. Not only that, but it may help to know that I’m also a classically trained biologist (before THIS was my full time job), so experimentation is another specialty of mine.
All joking aside, I really do love Reubens. Not only have I been known to eat sauerkraut straight out of the container first thing in the morning, I’ve also received cans of it in my Christmas stocking, and if there’s a Reuben on a menu, there’s a very strong (read: basically guaranteed) chance I’m ordering it.
Hands down: your Reuben is how I will judge your restaurant. So channeling all of that Reuben love into a warm, cheesy, shareable dip? That’s where things get really good.
This hot Reuben dip takes everything you love about the classic sandwich (corned beef, sauerkraut, creamy dressing, melty Swiss) and turns it into an easy baked appetizer that’s perfect for sharing. I’ve served this dip everywhere from bachelorette parties to holiday gatherings, and it’s always one of the first dishes to disappear.
Toast up some rye bread, slide this into the oven, and suddenly you’ve got an irresistible snack that can very easily double as dinner (ask me how I know).
GRAB THESE 5 Ingredients
This dip uses simple ingredients inspired directly by the classic sandwich. Here are some things to note about the ingredients before you go gathering or shopping.
CREAM CHEESE: the creamy base that holds everything together. Be sure you’re using full fat block cream cheese for this recipe.
THOUSAND ISLAND (OR RUSSIAN) DRESSING: both of these dressings work, but they have slightly different flavor profiles. Choose your preference!
SAUERKRAUT: you’ll want to be sure this is drained well so the dip stays creamy and not watery. If my can is particularly wet, I will gently squeeze it in a towel. You can also use fresh bagged sauerkraut if you prefer.
CORNED BEEF: you’ll want to chop this into bite-sized pieces. I usually ask for “thinly sliced” from the deli.
SWISS CHEESE: I prefer to buy this in squares and then chop it, but you can buy it pre-shredded or shred some from a block yourself. There’s actually no wrong way to do this, so just use your preference.
RYE OR MARBLED RYE BREAD: for dipping (highly recommended).
How to Make Reuben Dip with Cream Cheese
Combine all of the ingredients: in a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients (reserving half of the cheese) then stir it together until everything is thoroughly combined.
Pour into a dish: pour the mixture into your casserole dish of choice (I like a 9″ cast iron skillet for this), drizzle with a little more Thousand Island dressing, and sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly on top of everything.
Bake: bake the dip for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese starts to bubble. Remove from the oven and allow to cool about 10 minutes before serving with your desired dippers.
What to Serve with Reuben Dip
Looking for the classic way of serving? Serve it with sliced rye or marbled rye bread, which you can toast if you want to make them a little hardier for dipping.
Honestly, though… This dip is mega flexible. I’ve seen (and personally approved of) it being eaten with white or wheat bread, pretzels, rye crackers, tortilla chips, Doritos (yes, this happened at a bachelorette party, there may have been some imbibing involved there)…
Whatever chewy or crunchy vehicle you can find to deliver this ultra-cheesy, ultra-‘krauty (is that a word?) deconstructed sandwich to your mouth is fair game.
MY Best Reuben Dip Recipe Tips
If you don’t have a 9-10″ cast iron skillet or pie plate, I recommend using a casserole dish that’s approximately 7” x 11” as 9” x 13” is a little too large for this size of a batch. If you want to double the recipe, the latter would work great!
I prefer to chop or shred my cheese myself, but pre-shredded will work just fine. You’ll get more of a cheese pull from cheese that you shred or chop yourself.
You can use Thousand Island or Russian dressing for this dip, but know that traditional Reubens are made with Russian dressing which has some spice/kick to it.
Turn this dip into Rachel dip by replacing the corned beef with turkey.
More of my favorite dips for your dipping enjoyment: quesadilla sauce, jalapeño cream cheese dip, and Philly cheesesteak dip.
Hot Reuben Dip Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 ounces (113g) cream cheese softened to room temperature
- 6 Tablespoons Thousand Island or Russian dressing plus more for topping
- 1-14.5 oz can sauerkraut drained
- 8 ounces corned beef chopped
- 8 ounces Swiss cheese1 divided
- rye bread sliced for dipping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF (204ºC).
- In a large bowl, combine the the cream cheese, dressing, drained sauerkraut, chopped corned beef, and half (approximately 1 cup) of the shredded Swiss cheese. Stir with a spatula or large spoon until thoroughly combined.4 ounces (113g) cream cheese, 6 Tablespoons Thousand Island or Russian dressing, 1-14.5 oz can sauerkraut, 8 ounces corned beef, 8 ounces Swiss cheese1
- Pour the mixture into a 9-10" cast iron skillet2, drizzle with a little more Thousand Island dressing (if desired) and sprinkle remaining cheese evenly on top of everything.
- Bake the dip for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese starts to bubble. Remove from the oven and allow to cool about 10 minutes before serving with crackers, bread3, or veggies. Dip may also be served cold. Leftovers can be kept in the refrigerator, covered, up to 3 days. Dip freezes well, up to 3 months. I prefer freezing unbaked dip, thawing it in the refrigerator overnight, and then proceeding with the baking instructions.rye bread
Video
Notes
- Swiss cheese: I like to start with slices and chop them into small pieces, but you can also use pre-shredded or shred from a block yourself. Any of these ways will work just fine.
- Skillet: you can realistically bake this in a square baking dish, pie plate, or a rectangle casserole dish. I do not recommend using anything larger than a 7″ x 11″ baking dish. If you’re doubling the recipe, a 9″ x 13″ dish works great.
- Bread: I like to serve this dip with marble rye bread, which I sometimes toast for a hardier dipper.
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
This looks really good, hmm, for our New Year’s Eve buffet I think. The Dutch are also sauerkraut (zuurkool) eaters. The traditional way to prepare it is: boil some mashing potatoes, warm the kraut in a separate pan. When potatoes are done and kraut is warm, drain both. Add kraut to the potatoes, add some butter and a splash of milk and mash all together. If necessary add a bit more milk. Serve with either a boiled kielbasa type sausage or a large meatball. And mustard, don’t forget the mustard, its essential 😉
To make it less sharp for the kids we sometimes mix a bit of applesauce into their portion. Eet smakkelijk.
Thanks, Melisa! I visited Columbus, Ohio a few months ago and ate a similar dinner at an authentic German restaurant. It was so delicious, I’d go back just to get that meal again!
Ok, it’s official. We MUST have been separated at birth or something. I freaking LOVE sauerkraut (thanks to my German heritage and Pennsylvania Dutch roots). THIS REUBEN DIP LOOKS INCREDIBLE, Lynn! Definitely happening for football season this year. Move over buffalo chicken dip — ‘kraut’s in town!!!
Oh my gosh, Leahhhhh, why am I not surprised?! Sauerkraut is my jam. But I still do love the buffchix dip– can we please have both?! 🙂
We eat a sort-of sauerkraut at our Danish family dinners too! Usually red cabbage that has been stewed with vinegar, apple,and something else (usually my grandmother makes it or we buy big jars of it). I LOVE IT! Especially with mashed potatoes (that’s basically my Christmas dinner meal).
I cannot wait to try this dip (minus the corned beef, sorry…) on my family. They are going to love it. I mean…look at that cheese…..ahhhhh…….
Yes, sauerkraut and mashed potatoes is a great combination!! No worries about leaving out the meat, Amy! The cheese and the ‘kraut are definitely the stars of the show 😉