My 7 Favorite Dip Recipes.

I love a delicious dip. Here in Charleston, Baba’s caramelized onion dip is a must whenever I have a larger party. Dip is one of my all-time favorite snacks; sometimes, it can even be dinner. (Should it be dinner? Probably not. But can it? Absolutely, yes). Over the weekend, one of my girlfriends came over, and we were feeling lazy, so we ordered a big Greek salad and a trio of dips from one of my favorite Greek restaurants. It was heaven; the perfect “girl dinner.”

But when I’m just hanging out at home with a few friends or having my family over, I like to get domestic and do it myself. Today’s post is a list of favorite dip recipes. They are all tried and tested and so delicious! You can add all sorts of things—chips, fries, onion rings—or you can go healthier with crudites and pita.

A great dip is wonderful for everything from the 4th of July (above photo) to Christmas Parties and, of course, game day (the Super Bowl, etc.!) Here are my favorites!

7 Favorite Dip Recipes

Cottage Cheese Ranch Dip

This cottage cheese ranch dip blew my socks off. I saw Liz making it in one of her reels and thought, “damn, that looks GOOD!” And so I decided to make it for my own Fourth of July party, and wow, I am so glad I did. In this case, cottage cheese takes the place of sour cream. Whoa, I did not know what a food processor can do to cottage cheese. It blew my mind, tastes so good, and makes for one heck of a delightful high-protein snack.

Caro Chambers’ Baba Ghanouj-ish

This dip is like if Baba Ghanouj and hummus and tzatziki got together and had a baby. It is so good. It’s very easy to make (it takes about an hour but a lot of that is just cooking the eggplant) and it’s equal parts healthy and satisfying.

Garlicky Beet Dip with Walnuts

This recipe comes from Alison Roman’s Nothing Fancy cookbook (a forever favorite), but lucky for us, I found it online. I will confess that during the pandemic, I made this and ate it for dinner over the course of two nights a few times. I rationalized that it was essentially just yogurt and veggies, but it still felt slightly savage. It’s so yummy (and beautiful—the swirls of beets and yogurt are very pretty together!).

The Best Homemade Hummus

One day, I was having a friend over for needlepoint and snacks. She happens to be vegan and gluten-free, so I decided to try my hand at making homemade hummus. I used this recipe, and I have to agree—it is the BEST. It is so easy that it’s made me reconsider ever repurchasing store-bought hummus. It’s just so much better homemade and only takes a few minutes to make.

Grossy Pelosi’s Bruschetta Dip

This dip is one of my all-time favorite recipes, but I only just took a picture when I had people over a few weeks ago for an end-of-summer soiree. It is easy and actually pretty healthy (that creamy base is actually Greek yogurt). Thanks to Dan, I now always rub my crostinis with a garlic clove after they’ve cooked (best tip). This is SO good. It’s made easier with a veggie chopper, by the way! It’s from his cookbook Let’s Eat (another forever favorite), but lucky for us, I found it online here.

Labneh Dip With Sizzled Scallions and Chile

Alison Roman never disappoints! This recipe (also from her Nothing Fancy cookbook) is super easy and just… delicious. It’s a high-brow take on ranch dip, and every time I make it, I get a million compliments. It’s definitely worth mastering.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

This spinach and artichoke dip is easy to make and a total crowd-pleaser! It’s perfect for cozy nights in or to bring to a game-day party. For extra credit, you could hollow out a loaf of bread to make a bread bowl. I like that it uses frozen spinach and canned artichokes to keep things super easy!