32 Easy Party Dips

By Food & Wine
Updated November 06, 2018
Justin Walker
From caramelized onion dip to classic artichoke dip, these party dips are easy appetizers for any occasion.
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Spicy Beer Mustard

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Chef Jeremy Nolen updates German classics at Brauhaus Schmitz in Philadelphia, including this intense mustard for sausages.

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Artichoke Dip with Crispy Shallots

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Chef Michael White’s version of the classic cheesy, warm dip makes great use of frozen artichokes. They’re simmered with garlic and wine, then mixed with cream cheese, Gruyère and Tabasco and baked with a panko bread-crumb topping.

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Cool Ranch Kale Dip

Christina Holmes
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This healthy, fast and supertasty version of a classic ranch dip features kale, labneh and buttermilk.

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

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Beets have a strong presence in the cuisine of almost every ethnic group in Jerusalem, 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.

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Smoky Chipotle and Bacon Guacamole

TODD PORTER & DIANE CU
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This smoky, salty guacamole is a great game-day dip—but you might want to double it if you’re having friends over. Anything with bacon tends to disappear quickly.

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Fried Scallion Dip with Lebneh

MATT ARMENDARIZ
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French onion soup mix combined with sour cream is the quintessential '70s dip. This luxurious upgrade eschews the powdered stuff in favor of crunchy fried scallions. Replacing the sour cream with the Lebanese cheese lebneh creates a dip that’s fairly low in fat; substituting nonfat fromage blanc or drained Greek yogurt would make the dip more virtuous yet.

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Walnut Pesto and Goat Cheese Dip

© William Meppem
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The dip can be refrigerated overnight without the avocados. Bring to room temperature and fold in the diced avocados before serving.

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Garlic Confit

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To preserve sweet and juicy summer garlic, Grace Parisi simmers the cloves with dried red chiles and fresh thyme in olive oil under tender, then packs them in the oil. Mash the garlic confit in butter and spread it on bread or slip it under chicken skin before roasting.

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Crudités with Creamy Pistachio Dip

© Anna Williams
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This dip can be made in advance and refrigerated overnight.

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Hummus with Tahini & Spicy Chickpeas

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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.

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Bayless’s Queso Fundido al Tequila

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This simple, 20-minute dip from chef Rick Bayless combines melted cheese with tomatoes, chiles, onion and a hit of tequila—just the thing to satisfy a sudden craving for something warm, salty and gooey.

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Toasted Pumpkin Seed Dip

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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 healthy vegan accompaniment for vegetables.

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White Bean Dip with Parsley Oil

PHOTO © CEDRIC ANGELES
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To give this creamy bean dip its fresh herbal flavor, Jim German drizzles it with olive oil blended with lovage leaves. Since lovage isn’t always easy to find, a combination of parsley and celery leaves can mimic its flavor.

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Guacamole with Charred Jalapeño and Scallions

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F&W’s Grace Parisi invented this smoky guacamole.

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Caramelized Onion Dip

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Goat Cheese-Edamame Dip with Spiced Pepitas

LUCY SCHAEFFER
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Canned chipotles in adobo sauce give this clever, creamy dip an enticing heat and smokiness. The spiced pepitas (roasted and salted pumpkin seeds) scattered over the dip are addictive and great as a snack on their own.

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Spicy Spinach Dip with Pine Nuts

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You can also use this dip as a condiment for curries, steaks or roast chicken.

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Roasted Fresh Chile Salsa

© LUCY SCHAEFFER
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In its pure simplicity (no additions, no riffs), this salsa is one of Rick Bayless's favorites.

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Roasted-Cauliflower-and-Sesame Spread

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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.

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Warm Piquillo and Crab Dip

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Instead of laboriously stuffing piquillo peppers, spread the crab mixture in a baking dish, top it with slices of the peppers, then cook until warm and melty.

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Brandade de Morue au Gratin (Whipped Salt Cod Gratin)

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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.

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Austrian Cheese Spread with Pumpkin Seed Oil

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Pumpkin seed oil from southern Austria gives this spread its nutty flavor.

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Ginger-Miso Sweet Pea Spread

DAVID MALOSH
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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.

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Whipped Feta with Cucumbers

PHOTO © SETH SMOOT
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The taste of the Mediterranean shines through in this airy feta spread that’s served with olive oil-marinated cucumbers.

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Porcini-and-Pecan Pâté

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Proving that vegetables can be as satisfying as meat, chef Sean Baker calls this mushroom pâté vegan “charcuterie”.

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Smoked Mozzarella Spread with Flatbread Crackers

PHOTO © LUCY SCHAEFFER
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Marcia Kiesel likes to whiz smoked mozzarella in the food processor with sun-dried tomato pesto and olive oil.

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Flatbreads with Cucumber Raita

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Raita, a classic Indian yogurt sauce, pairs well with flatbreads or grilled meat. It’s also delicious on its own.

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Creamy Beet Dip with White Crudités

© David Malosh
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With its psychedelic color, this hot-pink beet dip is fun to serve with white and pale green vegetables like cauliflower and fennel. A little bit of honey and vinegar amps up the beet flavor.

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Chicken-Liver Mousse with Pickled Red Onion

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A good recipe for chicken-liver mousse is critical, says Shawn McClain, “because when a recipe’s bad, it’s really bad.” His version is supremely silky and light, with a lovely hint of apple from Calvados.

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Deviled-Egg Spread

PHOTO © EARL CARTER
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"I can’t have a party without deviled eggs," says Katie Lee. Here, she deconstructs the retro hors d’oeuvre, blending hard-boiled eggs with mustard and mayonnaise so it’s more like an egg salad that she can spread on toasts.

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Curried Tofu-and-Avocado Dip with Rosemary Pita Chips

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To create this tasty dip, Lee Anne Wong blends soft or silken tofu (which has an especially custardy texture) with high-potassium avocado and a little bit of low-fat sour cream and yogurt.

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Herbed Crème Fraîche


Justin Walker
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