25 Savory Party Dips

Smoked salmon dip with crostini and white wine
Photo: Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell

As far as snacks go, dips are always the life of the party. There are so many different kinds that can be served with everything from crunchy chips and crackers to a variety of breads and veggies. Whether you're looking for a delicious dinner party side or a creamy addition to a charcuterie board, you can't go wrong with these savory party dips. Smoked salmon dip, five-onion dip, and green goddess dip are a few of the recipes here that are sure to please your guests.

01 of 25

Salsa Macha

salsa macha
Jen Causey

This outside-the-box salsa is made from a fragrant blend of toasted chiles, garlic, peanuts, and sesame seeds. Spoon it over Tuna-Avocado Ceviche, grilled fish, quesadillas, tacos, Mexican-style street corn, salad, pizza, or crusty bread.

02 of 25

Za'atar-Spiced Beet Dip with Goat Cheese and Hazelnuts

Za'atar-Spiced Beet Dip with Goat Cheese and Hazelnuts
© Antonis Achilleos

Beets have a strong presence in the cuisine of almost every ethnic group in Jerusalem, chef Yotam Ottolenghi explains. They color pickling juices on the Arab table and form the basis for a soup of Jewish, Iraqi, and Kurdish origin. Ottolenghi purees them for this luscious spread.

03 of 25

Smoked Salmon Dip

Smoked salmon dip with crostini and white wine
Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell

This creamy, smoky dip features flaky smoked salmon two ways: Half is finely chopped to add a pleasant texture to the dip alongside briny pops of capers, and the rest is pureed with the mayonnaise, sour cream, and cream cheese, lending its beautiful color and deepening the flavor.

04 of 25

Jeow Som Dipping Sauce

Jeow Som Dipping Sauce
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer and John Somerall / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis

This sweet, sour, and pungent Laotian dipping sauce from 2020 F&W Best New Chef Donny Sirisavath gets a kick of heat from Thai chiles, ginger, and garlic balanced by bright, fresh lime juice. It's a delicious partner for beefy tri-tip.

05 of 25

Crudités with Creamy Pistachio Dip

Crudités with Creamy Pistachio Dip
© Anna Williams

Salty, creamy, and even a little crunchy, this recipe is the ultimate party snack for when you're looking to go far beyond the average bowl of onion dip.

06 of 25

Hummus with Tahini and Spicy Chickpeas

Hummus with Tahini & Spicy Chickpeas
© CHRISTINA HOLMES

Chef Michael Solomonov makes his signature hummus with an unusually generous amount of tahini — something that distinguishes the hummus of his native Israel from that of other Middle Eastern countries. He tops the dish with warm chickpeas fried with jalapeño, cumin, and crushed Aleppo pepper.

07 of 25

Kashke Bademjan (Iranian Kashk and Eggplant Dip)

Kashke Bademjan
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis

A little thicker and saltier than yogurt, kashk is an Iranian dairy product that gives this aromatic eggplant dip its luscious texture and tart flavor. Floral saffron, fried dried mint, and more kashk dot the top, adding beautiful color.

08 of 25

Sikil Pako (Toasted Pumpkin Seed Dip)

Toasted Pumpkin Seed Dip
© Christina Holmes

Chef Alex Stupak prepares this outstanding Yucatán-style dip by pureeing pumpkin seeds with roasted tomatoes, garlic, and chile. Typically served with tortilla chips, it also makes a nice vegan accompaniment for vegetables.

09 of 25

Guacamole with Charred Jalapeño and Scallions

Guacamole with Charred Jalapeños and Scallions
© Fredrika Stjärne

Former F&W editor Grace Parisi invented this smoky guacamole, then presented three ingenious ways to use it: in a soup, as an hors d'oeuvre, and as a salad dressing.

10 of 25

Caramelized Five-Onion Dip

Caramelized Five Onion Dip
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

A mix of five alliums — shallots, scallions, and sweet, yellow, and red onions — upgrades this classic caramelized onion dip with layers of flavor. Yellow and red onions give it bite, while Vidalia onion and shallots lend a pleasant sweetness. Taking the time to cook the onions low and slow concentrates their flavor, while adding scallions halfway through cooking keeps them just fresh enough to serve with chips, toasted bread, or vegetables like endive, steamed fingerling potatoes, and roasted Broccolini.

11 of 25

Spicy Lamb Meatballs with Green Goddess Dip

Spicy Lamb Meatballs with Green Goddess Dip
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Inspired by merguez, a North African lamb sausage, these meatballs are loaded with cumin, garlic, and paprika for the ideal one-bite nosh. Harissa gives them a fiery heat that's tempered by the herby dip.

12 of 25

Roasted Cauliflower and Sesame Spread

Roasted-Cauliflower-and-Sesame Spread
© Joseph de Leo

Chef Jerry Traunfeld toasts and grinds whole coriander seeds before pureeing them with roasted cauliflower, tahini paste, lemon, and cilantro. At home, use ground coriander from a bottle to season this bright, tangy recipe.

13 of 25

Salsa de Chile Fresco Asado (Roasted Fresh Chile Salsa)

Roasted Fresh Chile Salsa

© Lucy Schaeffer

You can think of this salsa from chef Rick Bayless as a not-too-smooth, fresh version of your typical rusty-orange hot sauce — fresh chiles replace dried ones, and fresh lime juice replaces vinegar.

14 of 25

Crudités with Carrot Dip and Romesco

Crudites with carrot dip and romesco
Sarah Crowder

This recipe is in honor of Devita Davidson, who comes from Detroit, where farmers are super connected to the city. The Eastern Market is one of the oldest farmers markets in the country. This dish is inspired by the farm–city connection, with benne seeds and peanuts bringing it back to Africa.

15 of 25

Brandade de Morue au Gratin (Whipped Salt Cod Gratin)

Brandade de Morue au Gratin (Whipped Salt Cod Gratin)
© Con Poulos

The Provençal dish known as brandade de morue is a great example of how to elevate modest ingredients like salt cod and potatoes — in this case, by whipping them with milk, olive oil, and garlic until luxuriously silky. Serve with slices of toasted baguette.

16 of 25

Ginger-Miso Sweet Pea Spread

Ginger-Miso Sweet Pea Spread. Photo © David Malosh
© David Malosh

As a dairy-free alternative to creamy dips, the recipe here calls for pureeing sweet peas with scallions, ginger, and jalapeño, then seasoning the mix with yellow miso. Serve the spread with different kinds of crackers and breads or sugar snap peas and celery for dipping.

17 of 25

Warm Spinach-Artichoke Dip

Warm Spinach-Artichoke Dip Recipe
Justin Walker

Filled with four kinds of cheese and plenty of tender artichoke hearts, this dip is creamy with a crisp, golden top. Be sure to drain the thawed frozen spinach well to avoid excess water, which can break the cheese sauce.

18 of 25

Fancy Clam Dip

Fancy Clam Dip Recipe
Justin Walker

This classic white clam dip ⁠— filled with cream cheese, crème fraîche, and, of course, canned clams ⁠— is salty, cheesy, and craveable. Some generous splashes of hot sauce and plenty of fresh dill add brightness and cut through the rich, indulgent dip.

19 of 25

Whipped Feta with Cucumbers

Whipped Feta with Cucumbers
© Seth Smoot

The taste of the Mediterranean shines through in this airy feta spread that's served with olive oil-marinated cucumbers.

20 of 25

Four-Layer Caviar Dip

Four Layer Caviar Dip Recipe
Justin Walker

Layers of creamy egg salad, crisp red onion, herbed cream cheese, and salty, briney caviar come together in a beautiful molded dip that serves up an entire caviar platter in one dish.

21 of 25

Kamaboko Dip

Kamaboko Dip
Victor Protasio

In this Kamaboko Dip recipe from chef Sheldon Simeon, tender julienned kamaboko (a pink and white fish cake sold frozen at Asian grocery stores) plays off of crunchy scallions, mayonnaise, cream cheese, and sour cream laced with umami-packed dashi concentrate (hondashi). Alaea salt, a red Hawaiian sea salt enriched with volcanic clay, adds color and an earthy flavor.

22 of 25

Smoked Fish Dip

Smoked fish dip
Greg DuPree

Smoked fish dip is a summer staple on the Georgia coast. This creamy mayonnaise and whipped cream cheese dip, seasoned with lemon juice, mustard, horseradish, and Old Bay, is inspired by Griffin Bufkin's smoked fish dips at Southern Soul Barbeque on Georgia's St. Simons Island. It can be customized with your favorite smoked seafood, found in the refrigerated section of the seafood counter or from local smokehouses.

23 of 25

French 75 Dip

French 75 Dip with Crudite
Photo by Huge Galdones / Food Styling by Christina Zerkis

This plant-based dip offered at the Nashville bar White Limozeen was inspired by its namesake effervescent gin cocktail born out of Paris in the early 1900s. The sauce mimics the delicate flavors of the botanical cocktail by adding juniper berries and lemon to a base of aquafaba, the multi-use liquid in canned chickpeas.

24 of 25

Muhammara (Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Dip)

Muhammara
Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell

Smooth, thick, and layered with flavor, this mildly spicy dip of roasted red bell peppers and toasted walnuts is thickened with finely ground crispy breadsticks. Pomegranate molasses adds a piquancy that plays off the sweetness of the juicy roasted bell peppers, and spicy pepper paste brings just a touch of heat. 

25 of 25

Spinach Maria

Spinach Maria with toasted baguette
Photo by Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

Spinach Maria is made with lots of spinach, Monterey Jack cheese, and crushed red pepper. The cheese sauce is rich with warmth from the cayenne and nutmeg, and the extra layer of melted cheese on top makes it perfectly indulgent. It's great served as a dip with toasted pita wedges or tortilla chips. Customize the sauce however you want by adding more garlic, or chopped hot chiles, pickled peppers, herbs, or even crab meat.  

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