Reuben Dip is a party-friendly rendition of the classic corned beef, Swiss cheese, and sauerkraut sandwich. It's cheesy, savory, and decadent atop rye bread toasts. Whether you whip it up for game day or game night, it's sure to impress!
(This recipe was originally published in October 2017, but was updated with new photos and content in 2023).
Reuben dip combines all of the flavors of a classic Reuben sandwich in a spoonable, spreadable mixture that makes it easy for snacking atop rye toasts. The combination of corned beef, sauerkraut, Thousand Island or Russian dressing, and Swiss cheese on crisp rye bread is a personal favorite.
Transforming the flavors into a dip is not only brilliant, but incredibly easy. Combining mayonnaise, Heinz chili sauce, and pickles make up the Thousand Island dressing portion of the dip.
Chopped corned beef, sauerkraut, and shredded Swiss cheese are the stars. Soft cream cheese acts as a binder to yield a creamy, super cheesy, savory and slightly acidic combination that's maybe even better than the original.
Ingredient notes
- Swiss Cheese: Use any kind of Swiss cheese or even Jarlsberg cheese here. Just make sure you shred it yourself on the large holes of a box grater. Avoid using pre-shredded cheese, which contains anti-caking agents and won't melt as smoothly in the dip.
- Cream Cheese: Reduced fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel) works perfectly fine here and reduces the guilt by a smidgen.
- Corned Beef: I usually get a thicker slice of corned beef from the supermarket deli so I can chop it up for this Reuben dip. If you have homemade corned beef, you can certainly use that as well.
- Sauerkraut: I love the German style sauerkraut from Aldi, but you can use any drained sauerkraut in this recipe.
- Mayonnaise: Light mayonnaise works perfectly fine here! That's what I typically have in my fridge. Use whatever kind you have on hand.
- Pickles: I chop up baby dill pickles because I love their size for snacking and other purposes. Any size dill pickles can be chopped up to use in this recipe.
- Rye Bread: If you can find cocktail rye bread, it will be perfect for serving this Reuben dip! I find it impossible to find, however, so I usually opt for regular sized rye bread, or better yet marble rye. Cut the regular sized slices in half so they are closer in size to cocktail rye, and lightly toast the slices before serving.
How to make it
In a mixing bowl, combine shredded Swiss and cream cheeses and mayonnaise until smooth (PHOTOS 1-2).
Then add drained sauerkraut, chopped corned beef, minced dill pickles, Heinz chili sauce or ketchup, lightly crushed caraway seeds, and black pepper.
Mix everything together until all the ingredients are fully incorporated and homogeneous.
Next, transfer this glorious mixture of cheesy, corned beefy goodness into a baking dish. Pick something pretty if you can since the dip is going to be served right in the same dish.
When you're ready to bake, just preheat your oven and pop it in there until golden and bubbly! It will take about 30 to 35 minutes.
Meanwhile, slice and toast some cocktail rye bread or regular rye bread cut in half if you can't find the cocktail size.
Serve Reuben dip hot with the toasted rye bread on the side. Spread and enjoy!
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Expert tips
If you aren't serving this immediately, you can refrigerate the prepared Reuben dip for up to 2 days before baking.
The baking dish I use is gorgeous and colorful with a 2 quart capacity, which is larger than you'd need for this Reuben dip. The result is a rather shallow layer in my dish, but I like that it has more surface area to get golden and slightly crisp on top. You could easily use a smaller dish, if desired.
Although Reuben dip is best served hot out of the oven, enjoying its ultimate gooeyness, it's also delicious at room temperature after cooling a bit, so it's fine to serve at parties where it might sit out for a little while as folks graze.
Try using leftover Reuben dip as a filling for the most tremendous grilled cheese sandwich! You'll want to use rye bread of course.
Other recipes you may like
- Chile con Queso
- Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Nacho Cheese Sauce
- Kashke Bademjan (Persian Eggplant Dip)
- Spicy Red Lentil Dip
- Fries Quatro Queso Dos Fritos
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also follow me on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Reuben Dip
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (225 grams) Jarlsberg or Swiss cheese shredded
- 4 ounces (115 grams) cream cheese at room temperature
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup (150 grams) drained sauerkraut
- 4 ounces (115 grams) corned beef chopped
- ¼ cup (40 grams) minced dill pickles
- 1 tablespoon Heinz chili sauce or ketchup
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds lightly crushed in a mortar with a pestle or in a spice grinder
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Cocktail rye bread or regular rye bread slices (halved) toasted, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Combine the shredded cheese, cream cheese, and mayonnaise in a medium bowl until smooth. Stir in the sauerkraut, corned beef, pickles, chili sauce, caraway seeds, and pepper until well combined.
- Spread the mixture in an attractive shallow baking dish. (At this point, the dip can be baked immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days before baking.) Bake until bubbly and lightly browned on top, 30 to 35 minutes. Serve the dip hot with the rye toasts.
Notes
- Use any kind of Swiss cheese or even Jarlsberg cheese here. Just make sure you shred it yourself on the large holes of a box grater. Avoid using pre-shredded cheese, which contains anti-caking agents and won't melt as smoothly in the dip.
- If you can find cocktail rye bread, it will be perfect for serving this Reuben dip! I find it impossible to find, however, so I usually opt for regular sized rye bread, or better yet marble rye. Cut the regular sized slices in half so they are closer in size to cocktail rye, and lightly toast the slices before serving.
- Try using leftover Reuben dip as a filling for the most tremendous grilled cheese sandwich! You'll want to use rye bread of course.
- Variation: Reuben Canapes - For a more polished presentation, spread the dip mixture on about 30 slices of cocktail rye bread (untoasted) and arrange them on two large rimmed baking sheets. Bake in a 300°F oven until the topping is melted and a bit crusty and the bread is toasted, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Garnish the canapes with halved cornichons before serving.
- Adapted from Beer Bites
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
Mary Kabakian
What a creative way to take the flavors of a Reuben sandwich and make a fun party dip!