Bacon Horseradish Dip

October 26, 2018
Love store-bought bacon horseradish dip?  Give this homemade version a try!  It's a very tasty riff on the store-bought favorite.
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Bacon Horseradish Dip Image


One of my favorite guilty pleasures is store-bought dip.  You know the ones you get in the little plastic tubs in the grocery store refrigerator section?  Yes, those are the ones I love!

It's a huge treat to me to get a container of dip and a bag of potato chips and dip away to my heart's content.  But it's a treat I indulge in only on very rare occasion ... because when it comes to chips and dip, I have absolutely zero self control.  I just can't stop myself from dipping and nibbling away.

And do you want to know which dip flavors are my favorites? - French onion and bacon horseradish dip.  Oh man, I just can't resist either one.

While I was snacking away, I grabbed the dip container and took a little read through the ingredients list.  As I was reading I thought to myself, "Hey, I can totally recreate this."

Well, the other day while I was grocery shopping, I decided to get myself my favorite guilty pleasure treat.  So I grabbed a tub of bacon horseradish dip and bag a chips ... and fully enjoyed my chip-and-dip snacking heaven when I got home.

While I was snacking away, I grabbed the dip container and took a little read through the ingredients list.  As I was reading I thought to myself, "You know what? ... I can totally  recreate this."

So I set off on the adventure of creating a homemade bacon horseradish dip recipe, riffing on my store-bought favorite.

Bowl of Homemade Bacon Horseradish Dip Image

Dip container ingredients list in hand, I grabbed out what I needed from my pantry and fridge.

Truth be told, the ingredients in this dip are pretty simple and straightforward - your basic creamy base of sour cream and mayo, bacon, lots of horseradish, a small touch of brown sugar, and some liquid smoke.

Liquid smoke and brown sugar are critical to creating the "right" flavor of this dip, but both were a little touchy to work with in finding the right amounts.

But while the ingredient list is pretty simple, getting the right combination of amounts to create fabulous flavor indeed took some doing.

I found that liquid smoke and brown sugar are critical to creating the "right" flavor of this dip, but both were a little touchy to work with in finding the right amounts.

The amount of each can really make or break the flavor - not enough and you get a kind of "flat" dip that lacks in depth of flavor ... while too much easily becomes harsh and overpowering.

Bacon Horseradish Dip Ingredients Image

But after several tries and tweaks, I was very happy with the result.  And according to my family taste-testers, this homemade bacon horseradish dip version is even better than its store-bought inspiration!

So let's talk a little bit about a few of this dip's ingredients and the choices I made about them when creating this recipe ...


1. Horseradish

I used prepared horseradish because of its ease and convenience.  

If you're not familiar with prepared horseradish, it comes in a jar like you see in the photo below and can usually be found in the seafood section of the grocery store.  Usually, jars of it will be stocked alongside the shrimp and fish selections.  Occasionally, I've also found it in the dairy/refrigerator section.

It took more horseradish than I thought it would for the horseradish flavor to truly come through in the dip.  I ended up using a full 1/4 cup + another 1 tablespoon.

I do think some brands of prepared horseradish are stronger-flavored than others, so I recommend adjusting the amount of horseradish to suit your own personal tastes.  Possibly, start "small" with the amount and add in more as needed.  

You can always add in more ... but you can't take it out once it's in there.

Jar of Prepared Horseradish Image

2. Bacon

You'll see that this recipe calls for imitation bacon bits.  Those are the really crunchy kind of reddish ones that come in a jar.  Now while you may be skeptical of them, they really do work best in this dip.

I tested making the dip with imitation bacon bits vs. home-cooked crumbled bacon vs. prepared real bacon pieces that are sold in packages right alongside the imitation bacon bits at the grocery store.  

Much to my surprise, imitation bacon bits worked best ... producing the best texture and best bacon flavor.

I fully expected real bacon to work better, but it became this weird chewy texture once it sat in the creamy dip ingredients.  And surprisingly, it's bacon flavor wasn't as pronounced.  

So using imitation bacon bits for this dip recipe is highly, highly recommended.

Much to my surprise, imitation bacon bits worked best ... producing the best texture and best bacon flavor.


3.  Liquid Smoke

Liquid smoke is a flavoring agent that comes in a little bottle.  It truly is made from smoke, and imparts smokey flavor into foods without the use of a grill or fire.  Its got a pretty strong taste, and a little goes a very long way when adding it to recipes.

Since a little goes a long way, I was actually quite surprised how much liquid smoke I ended up putting in this recipe to give the bacon horseradish dip the "right" flavor.

I started with just a couple of drops ... and through my recipe test iterations, ended up using a full 1/4 teaspoon before I felt the dip's flavor was "right."  

Definitely adjust to your personal taste, though, if you'd like the dip less smokey.

Homemade Bacon Horseradish Dip Image

4. Brown Sugar

A small bit of brown sugar beautifully amps up and balances out the flavor of this dip.

But when I say a small bit, I truly do mean a small bit.  This recipe calls for just 1 and 1/4 teaspoon of brown sugar ... to which you might be thinking, does that tiny bit really make a difference in the dip's flavor?

The answer is a definite yes.

That small touch of brown sugar brings out a rich depth of flavor in the dip.  But as I found out in my testing, much more than that?  Not so good.  The dip easily becomes overly sweet.

A small bit of brown sugar beautifully amps up and balances out the flavor of this dip.


Though it did indeed take several tests and tries to figure out the "right" flavor, I'm thrilled with the result of this homemade bacon horseradish dip.  It's a very tasty riff on my store-bought favorite.

It's definitely worthy of being my new chip-and-dip guilty pleasure!  And one with which I'll happily dip away.

Check out these other super tasty dip recipes:
Dipping a Chip in Homemade Bacon Horseradish Dip Image
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dip, dip recipe, bacon horseradish dip, game day
Appetizers & Snacks
Yield: 12-16 servings

Bacon Horseradish Dip

Love store-bought bacon horseradish dip? Give this homemade version a try! It's a very tasty riff on the store-bought favorite.
prep time: 10 Mcook time: total time: 10 M

ingredients:

instructions:

How to cook Bacon Horseradish Dip

  1. Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, bacon bits, and horseradish; stir until well mixed. Stir in brown sugar, liquid smoke, and salt until well combined.
  2. Chill for at least 4 hours to allow flavors to meld.
  3. Serve with chips and/or crackers for dipping.
TRACEY'S NOTES
  1. *I tested this recipe using imitation bacon bits, home-cooked crumbled bacon, and prepared real bacon pieces sold in packages right alongside the imitation bacon bits. In my opinion, imitation bacon bits produced the best texture and best bacon flavor.
Created using The Recipes Generator


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3 comments

  1. This is great! This week's Friday Frenzy had TWO horseradish recipes and I am over the moon excited! Pinned!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have absolutely zero control when it comes to chips and dip too, Tracey! I know I'd find your Bacon Horseradish Dip hard to resist. Pinning and shared on the Hearth and Soul Facebook page. Thank you for sharing, and for being a part of the Hearth and Soul Link Party. Hope you are having a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is a great dip that we will love! Hope you are having a great week and thanks so much for sharing your awesome post with us at Full Plate Thursday!
    Miz Helen

    ReplyDelete

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