Million Dollar Dip (Neiman Marcus Dip)
The famous Neiman Marcus dip — cream cheese, mayo, crispy bacon, sharp cheddar, toasted almonds, and green onions folded together in five minutes. Rich, salty, crunchy, and gone before halftime.
Tasted & written by Rachel
Prep
10 min
Cook
—
Total
10 min
Serves
8
The Key
Soften the cream cheese fully before you start. Leave it on the counter for at least 45 minutes — or microwave in 15-second bursts if you forgot. Cold cream cheese won't incorporate into the mayo, and you'll spend five frustrating minutes mashing lumps that never disappear.
Priya brought this to a playdate last fall and I watched six adults stand around the bowl like it owed them money. I asked for the recipe. She laughed. "It's five ingredients and mayonnaise." She wasn't wrong.
Million Dollar Dip — also called Neiman Marcus Dip because Helen Corbitt invented it for the restaurant inside the Dallas flagship store back in the 1950s — is the kind of recipe that makes you suspicious. Too easy. Too few ingredients. No right being this good. But then you toast the almonds and fold everything together and suddenly the bowl is scraped clean and David is using a cracker shard like a shovel.
The balance is the whole game. Full-fat cream cheese cuts through the richness of the mayo so you're not just eating a dressed-up condiment. Sharp cheddar gives it backbone. Toasted almonds — and you have to toast them, raw ones taste like nothing — deliver the crunch that bacon alone can't sustain. And a bare whisper of cayenne in the background keeps your hand moving back to the bowl without you noticing why.
I've made this probably twenty times now. For David's running club. For Mia's school potluck (where a kindergarten teacher asked me for the recipe, which felt like winning an award). For a Tuesday night when I just wanted to eat dip for dinner and nobody was going to stop me. It takes five minutes of active work. The fridge does the rest.
One thing I'll die on a hill about: grate your own cheddar. Pre-shredded cheese has that anti-caking powder coating and it makes the dip feel grainy instead of creamy. Sharp or extra-sharp — the stronger flavor stands up to the mayo better than mild. And toast those almonds. Four minutes in a dry pan. The difference between a good dip and this one.
Mise en place
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup slivered almonds (90g)toasted and roughly chopped
- 1 block (8 oz / 226g) cream cheese, softenedsoftened to room temperature
- 1 cup mayonnaise (210g)
- 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese (226g), freshly gratedfreshly grated
- 6 slices bacon, cooked crisp and finely choppedcooked crisp and finely chopped
- 4 green onions, thinly slicedthinly sliced, whites and greens separated
- 0.5 tsp Garlic Powder
- 0.25 tsp Black Pepper
- 0.125 tsp Cayenne Pepper
The Method
Instructions
- 01
Toast the slivered almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant. Transfer to a plate and let cool, then roughly chop.
Done when:Almonds are golden brown at the edges and smell nutty-sweet. They'll darken fast once they start — pull them 30 seconds before you think they're done.
- 02
Combine the softened cream cheese and mayonnaise in a large bowl. Mix with a rubber spatula until well blended.
Done when:Base is mostly smooth with no large cream cheese lumps. A few small streaks are fine — you're not making frosting.
- 03
Fold in the grated cheddar, chopped bacon, chopped toasted almonds, green onion whites and most of the greens (save some for garnish), garlic powder, black pepper, and cayenne.
Done when:Everything is evenly distributed throughout the cream cheese base. No pockets of dry cheese or clumps of bacon hiding at the bottom.
- 04
Cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let the flavors meld.
Done when:Dip is thoroughly chilled and has firmed up slightly. It should hold a shape when scooped but still spread easily on a cracker.
- 05
Transfer to a serving bowl. Top with reserved green onion greens, an extra scatter of shredded cheddar, and a few bacon pieces. Serve with buttery crackers, toasted baguette slices, or sturdy vegetables.
Done when:Garnishes are scattered across the top with visible color contrast — orange cheddar, green onion, dark bacon bits against the cream base.
Where it goes wrong
Common mistakes
- ✕Using cold cream cheese — it won't blend with the mayo and you'll get lumps that never smooth out
- ✕Using pre-shredded cheddar — the anti-caking coating prevents it from melding into the dip properly
- ✕Skipping the chill time — the flavors haven't married yet and it tastes like a pile of ingredients instead of a dip
- ✕Going heavy on the cayenne — 1/8 teaspoon is background warmth, not heat. More than that and it fights the cheddar.
Context
Compared to the usual
The original Helen Corbitt recipe from the 1950s was simpler — cream cheese, mayo, almonds, onion, and a hit of hot sauce. No bacon, no cheddar. Over the decades, Southern cooks started loading it up, and the bacon-cheddar version became the potluck standard. Some versions go warm and baked (which melts the cheddar into a fondue-like consistency), but the cold version is the classic — and honestly the better party move, since it doesn't need a heat source and holds up for hours on the table.
Glossary
Techniques used
- Neiman Marcus Dip
- The original name for this recipe, created by Helen Corbitt for the restaurant inside the Neiman Marcus flagship store in Dallas. Published in her cookbook, it became a Southern entertaining staple. The 'Million Dollar' nickname came from how rich and decadent it tastes.
- Fold
- A gentle mixing motion — spatula down through the center, sweep along the bottom, turn the mixture over itself. Keeps chunky add-ins intact instead of breaking them down like stirring would.
- Bloom
- When dried spices sit in a moist environment, they rehydrate and release their flavor compounds more fully. This is why the dip tastes better after resting — the garlic powder and cayenne need time to wake up.
Riffs
Variations
Jalapeño Popper Version
Add 2-3 finely diced pickled jalapeños and swap half the cheddar for pepper jack. Bump the cayenne to 1/4 teaspoon. Game day energy.
Everything Bagel
Fold in 2 tablespoons of everything bagel seasoning and serve with toasted bagel chips. The sesame and poppy seeds play well with the almonds.
Ranch Million Dollar Dip
Stir in 1 tablespoon of dry ranch seasoning mix. Leans more savory and herby. Skip the garlic powder since the ranch already has it.
Smoked Gouda Swap
Replace half or all of the cheddar with smoked gouda for a deeper, smokier dip. Pairs especially well with thick-cut bacon.
Q & A
Frequently asked
Can I make it ahead?
It's actually better made ahead. Prepare the full dip up to 2 days before serving. Add the garnishes right before you set it out so the green onions stay bright and the bacon stays crunchy.
Can I bake it?
Yes — spread into a shallow baking dish and bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes until bubbly at the edges. The texture shifts from a cold dip to more of a warm cheese dip. Both are good, different vibes.
Is this the same as Neiman Marcus dip?
Same recipe, two names. Helen Corbitt created the original for the Neiman Marcus store restaurant in Dallas. It got nicknamed Million Dollar Dip because it tastes way richer than five ingredients have any right to.
Can I use turkey bacon?
You can, but the flavor drops noticeably. Turkey bacon doesn't render the same smoky fat. If pork is off the table, double down on the toasted almonds for crunch.
Storage
Airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. The flavor actually peaks on day two.
Reheating
Best served cold straight from the fridge. If you prefer it warm, microwave individual portions for 20-30 seconds — just enough to take the chill off without melting it into soup.
Freezing
Not recommended. The mayo and cream cheese base separates when thawed and the texture turns grainy.
Make ahead
Prepare the full dip up to 48 hours ahead and refrigerate covered. Add garnishes (extra green onion, cheddar, bacon bits) just before serving so they stay bright and crunchy.
Serve with
Buttery round crackers (Ritz are the classic pairing), toasted baguette slices, sturdy tortilla chips, celery sticks, or thick-cut cucumber rounds. For a party, set out a big platter with the dip in the center and dippers fanned around it.