Dips are easy to make, don’t require too many ingredients or take much time, and are a satisfying comfort food whether served piping hot or refreshingly cold.
The problem with many dip recipes, however, is they’re often extremely calorie dense and relatively devoid of nutrition. It doesn’t have to be this way though!
These 7 healthy dip recipes keep ingredients like butter, cream, and cheese in check while also including enough nutrient-dense foods to make even the “cleanest” of eaters happy.
Enjoy!
Picture & recipe courtesy of The Healthy Family & Home
What do you get when you combine spinach dip with creamy guacamole? This killer recipe.
With basic seasonings of onion, garlic, and lemon, it couldn’t be simpler to make in a food processor, and it’s tasty enough to replace the classic crock pot dip that’s more greasy cheese than healthy greens.
Serves 4
Ingredients
5 cups raw spinach
1 large avocado
½ yellow onion
1–2 cloves garlic, freshly crushed
½ tsp. pink Himalayan salt
Juice of 1 lemon
Pinch of cayenne (optional)
Instructions
1. Put all ingredients into a food processor, and pulse until well-combined. The resulting dip will be creamy with no chunks of spinach.
Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)
Calories: 123
Protein: 2 grams
Carbs: 8 grams
Fat: 10 grams
Picture & recipe courtesy of Ciao Veggie
This doesn’t take long to whip up in a single skillet. And unlike most party dips that are prepared in the oven, you don’t even have to cut up the ingredients before they get tossed in the pan.
The result is a pared down version of a must-have appetizer: creamy, cheesy artichoke dip. It goes well with warm pita or assorted veggies, but it’s sure to make anything even more delicious.
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 jar (14 oz.) artichokes, rinsed and patted dry
6 garlic cloves
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
3.5 oz. feta cheese
Handful of fresh basil
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Lightly cover the bottom of a small skillet with olive oil, add in the artichokes and whole garlic cloves. Use the rest of the oil on top and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Cover with tin foil and bake for 1 hour, or until the garlic cloves become soft.
4. Remove from the oven and mash up the artichokes and garlic cloves using a fork. Be sure to get all of the garlic cloves mushed and mixed around.
5. Stir in the feta cheese and basil leaves.
6. Re-cover and bake for another 15 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and give the mixture another stir. Be thorough to incorporate the feta cheese, which will be nice and creamy.
8. Go to work!
Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)
Calories: 179
Protein: 7 grams
Carbs: 13 grams
Fat: 12 grams
Picture & recipe courtesy of The Kitchn
Love crab dip? You’ll enjoy this unique take on a buttery, seafood-studded dip as well.
Serves 8 (2 cups)
Ingredients
4 Tbsp. butter
1 bunch green onions (white parts only), chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
2–3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened or cubed
3 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 tsp. creole seasoning (such as Tony Chachere’s)
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper, or more to taste
1 package (12 oz.) crawfish tail meat, thawed and drained
Kosher salt to taste
Louisiana-style hot sauce, for serving
Instructions
1. In a medium skillet, melt the butter over moderate heat. Add onions and bell pepper and cook until softened, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for another minute.
2. Stir in the cream cheese, mayonnaise, creole seasoning, and cayenne; whisk until smooth. Reduce heat to low. Add the crawfish tail meat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
3. Serve immediately with toasted bread slices and hot sauce (not included in nutrition facts). Garnish with the green tops of the onions, if desired.
Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)
Calories: 198
Protein: 13 grams
Carbs: 3 grams
Fat: 15 grams
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Picture & recipe courtesy of My Whole Food Life
Chances are you’ve had the popular dip made from sour cream and the kind of French onion seasoning that comes powdered in a packet.
Swap the junk food dip for this made-from-scratch vegan version, which not only tastes great but even replicates the creaminess with cashews.
Serves 10
Ingredients
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3–4 yellow onions, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. sea salt
2 cups raw cashews, soaked overnight
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
1. Heat olive oil in a sauté pan, and add the onions. Stir after a minute, add the garlic and salt, and allow the onions to caramelize. Cover the pan, and cook them over medium-low heat. Check on them and stir every once in a while. Once the onions have caramelized, remove from heat to set aside.
2. Drain and rinse the cashews. Add them to a blender to process for a couple minutes, just long enough to get them started. You may have to scrape down the sides a few times.
3. When the onions have cooled, add them to the blender with the Worcestershire sauce. Blend until mostly smooth. Store in the fridge for up to a week.
Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)
Calories: 164
Protein: 4 grams
Carbs: 11 grams
Fat: 13 grams
Picture courtesy of Serious Eats
No party tray is complete these days without salsa. But there are two possible routes to take: the salty, flat-flavored kind from a jar, or homemade salsa using fresh produce from the farmers’ market (or at least the nearby grocery store).
When you’re looking for a unique salsa recipe, nothing says Mexican-American cuisine like a dish from Chef Rick Bayless. Get more inspiration from his cookbook Mexican Everyday.
Serves 12
Ingredients
8 oz. (about 4 medium) tomatillos, husked and rinsed
½ small red onion, diced
1 or 2 canned chipotle chiles en adobo, seeded and finely chopped
2 small seedless oranges
Instructions
1. Set a medium (8-inch) nonstick (or foil-lined) skillet over medium-high heat. Lay in half of the tomatillos cut-side down. When they are browned, 3 or 4 minutes, flip and brown the other side. Remove from the pan and cool.
2. Scoop the remaining tomatillos into a food processor and pulse several times until evenly chopped—no pieces should be bigger than 1/4 inch. Scrape into a medium bowl. Scoop the onion into a strainer, rinse under cold tap water, shake off the excess and add to the bowl along with the chipotles. Without washing the processor, process the roasted tomatillos until smooth. Stir into the fresh tomatillo mixture.
3. Using a small knife, cut the peel from the oranges. Cut sections (supremes) from the oranges by cutting between the white membranes to release segments with no white pith or membrane. Cut each segment into 3 or 4 pieces and stir them into the tomatillo mixture. Taste and season with salt, usually 1/2 teaspoon. Cover and refrigerate.
Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)
Calories: 16
Protein: < 1 gram
Carbs: 3 grams
Fat: < 1 gram
Picture & recipe courtesy of The PennyWiseMama
This dip is a great way to turn a piece of fruit into a well-rounded snack. And with the irresistible flavor of cinnamon peanut butter, it might even help those who struggle with eating enough fresh produce to enjoy it more.
Want a bonus? The cottage cheese packs protein, but you can add even more by mixing in a scoop or two of protein powder (try chocolate).
Serves 6
Ingredients
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
2 Tbsp. peanut butter (or 4 Tbsp. PB2)
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
3 tsp. low-fat milk
3 medium apples, cored and sliced
Instructions
1. Combine cottage cheese, peanut butter, cinnamon, and milk in a blender or food processor. Continue until the dip is lusciously smooth.
2. Serve immediately with apple slices or fruit of choice (such as bananas or strawberries). Cover and chill any extras for up to 24 hours.
Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)
Calories: 114
Protein: 7 grams
Carbs: 15 grams
Fat: 4 grams
Picture & recipe courtesy of Cupcakes & Kale Chips
One simple trick to lighten dip is to swap out the full-fat sour cream or mayo with something lower in fat. Greek yogurt dips, for example, offer just as much creaminess with a lot less fat – and therefore a lot fewer calories!
Enjoy it with veggie sticks, use it on BBQ chicken, or add a dollop to a salad for a thick, creamy ranch dressing.
Serves 11
Ingredients
1 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. onion powder
¼ tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried parsley
½ tsp. dried dill weed
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Combine yogurt, vinegar, olive oil, and all seasonings in a bowl. Mix until thoroughly combined.
2. If there’s time, let the ranch dip sit in the refrigerator for at least a couple hours to allow the flavors to develop.
3. Stir again before serving.
Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)
Calories: 33
Protein: 2 grams
Carbs: 3 grams
Fat: 2 grams
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Many companies use shipping and handling fees to increase their profit margins, but here at Legion, we hate profits, so our shipping is free!
Okay, so we do dig on profits, but we also go in for happy customers, and free shipping works like gangbusters. So, if you’re outside the USA, your order ships free when it’s over $199.
Why the restriction on international orders? Unfortunately, shipping abroad is very expensive, and if we didn’t require a minimum order size, we’d lose a lot of money. But! We're also hustling to improve our international logistics and will be passing our savings along to our international customers.
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