Dippity-do

April 18, 2018 10:31 AM

Show to me all of the dips!

We're throwing our daughter a surprise 18th birthday party on Friday. Yay! Her boyfriend is getting her out of the house by taking her out to dinner, and due to the hour of the party (8:00pm) we won't need to serve a dinner-like meal. But we do want to serve munchies, and her favorite munchies of all time are DIPS. She LOVES dips.

I'm already doing homemade caramelized onion dip, hummus, buffalo chicken dip, guacamole, and spinach dip. What else should I make? I am taking the day off work on Friday so assume I've got all day and all the culinary skills one needs to properly make dips. And clearly, there is no theme other than "DIP."

And of course we'll have cake.

posted by cooker girl to Food & Drink (47 answers total)

Seven layer dip!
posted by Grandysaur at 10:34 AM on April 18, 2018

Muhammara! So yummy. You can used jarred peppers to simplify the recipe a bit.

And I love Greek Goddess dip.
posted by brookeb at 10:37 AM on April 18, 2018

Crab and artichoke dip! Delish.
posted by ejs at 10:41 AM on April 18, 2018

Pimento dip - grated medium cheddar, grated smoked cheddar, mayo, cream cheese, Mama Lil's peppers (for punch), otherwise just a jar of pimentos, salt, pepper and some Frank's Hot Sauce if you like spicy. So good and makes great sandwiches the next day.
posted by lois1950 at 10:49 AM on April 18, 2018

Tzatziki and/or baba ghanoush.
posted by terretu at 10:49 AM on April 18, 2018

I sometimes make an easy cream cheese + pureed chipotle + lime + cilantro whirred in food processor (or mashed up) which is always inhaled quickly, or maybe a Greek version would be better. This blue cheese dip has always been a hit, too. Skordalia? Bagna cauda? Baba ghanoush or ful meddames? I hope you post a list of what makes the final cut...this is a great idea! Cook's Illustrated this issue has some vegan cashew dips if you need something along those lines.
posted by OneSmartMonkey at 10:50 AM on April 18, 2018

OH! I forgot the beer cheese! I'm also making beer cheese, to dip soft pretzels into.
posted by cooker girl at 10:52 AM on April 18, 2018

Instead of cake, what about dessert dips?
posted by hydra77 at 10:54 AM on April 18, 2018

I count cheese balls as dips...

Bacon Jalapeno Cheese Ball

Skor Cheese ball
posted by Ftsqg at 11:11 AM on April 18, 2018

Maybe some fondue?
posted by rabbitrabbit at 11:13 AM on April 18, 2018

We were at a party this weekend and both my wife and I freaked out over a dip, to the point that the chef came over and said "I am so glad to see someone 'appreciating' this," which we understood meant "holy crap you are eating a lot of that dip."

Turns out it was just sour cream + Hidden Valley Fiesta Ranch seasoning. But it blew our minds.

And maybe a homemade salsa verde - par-boiled tomatillos, cilantro, onion, salt, and jalapeno blended together until mostly smooth - would be a nice counterpoint to all the creamy stuff?
posted by AgentRocket at 11:13 AM on April 18, 2018

Thai peanut dipping sauce.

Curried Mayonnaise has been a hit at when I've made it for parties. I don't usually use a recipe, just curry and cumin in Kraft mayo till it's nice and strong, but here's a recipe for reference: Curried Mayonnaise.
posted by rekrap at 11:16 AM on April 18, 2018

I made a shrimp scampi dish from the Damn Delicious blog for a New Year's Eve party once. Threw in some canned crab and fake lobster to give it extra oomph paired with crostini and hearty pita chips. It got devoured in minutes...so good.
posted by IndigoOnTheGo at 11:18 AM on April 18, 2018

Caramel dip for apples (I had one at a restaurant once that incorporated tamarind into the caramel and it was delicious).

Also, frosting to dip cake and fruit in. Plus plain yogurt + brown sugar + lemon as fruit dip.
posted by snaw at 11:26 AM on April 18, 2018

For dessert: Cannoli Dip (recipe shows dipping with chocolate chip cookies, but I've used broken up waffle cones or waffle cookies)
posted by sarajane at 11:32 AM on April 18, 2018

Pickle roll up dip

ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese
dill pickles, chopped, juice reserved (or dill relish, sweet doesn't really work)
dried beef, chopped (I usually get the hormel kind in the jar)

Quantities of mix-ins are variable, and I just keep adding until it looks like there's enough pickles and meat.
Mix everything together and adjust consistency by adding pickle juice a little at a time. It tastes best if you let it rest in the fridge for a couple hours before serving
posted by ArgentCorvid at 11:34 AM on April 18, 2018

100% would call fresh salsa a dip. A++ would eat again.
posted by DarlingBri at 11:39 AM on April 18, 2018

Maybe more of a spread than a dip, but I take a block of cream cheese and pour over:
tiny shrimp mixed with cocktail sauce OR sweet chili sauce.
posted by lyssabee at 11:39 AM on April 18, 2018

Turns out it was just sour cream + Hidden Valley Fiesta Ranch seasoning. But it blew our minds.

My favorite dip is Greek yogurt and Lipton onion soup mix.
posted by Faint of Butt at 11:40 AM on April 18, 2018

My friends and I are obsessed with this dip, which is just cream cheese, Jimmy Dean hot sausage, and rotel: Crockpot Sausage Dip

We also like Pumpkin Pie Dip with graham crackers and apple slices for dipping.
posted by saturngirl at 11:45 AM on April 18, 2018

Can't believe no one's mentioned it yet, but Velveeta/Ro-Tel dip. I throw a ton of hot sauce in mine.

Also, this fruit dip, which sounds weird and terrible but is embarrassingly good.
posted by rachaelfaith at 11:55 AM on April 18, 2018

I love a Smoked Salmon Dip.
posted by rdnnyc at 11:55 AM on April 18, 2018

Cream cheese and pepper jelly, served with Ritz crackers. You can mix them up so it’s a “dip,” but I usually just dump the pepper jelly over the block of cream cheese.

Sweet fruit salsa and cinnamon crisps (get flour tortillas, spray with oil, sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar, cut into chips, bake in a single layer at 350 until crisp.)
posted by Weeping_angel at 12:04 PM on April 18, 2018

Crazy feta dip.
posted by evoque at 12:05 PM on April 18, 2018

Half sour cream and half cream cheese, plus cilantro and fresh ginger and salt to taste, whirred up in a blender. A pretty light green and will make people go "what is this??" while eating more of it. Goes with sweet and savory, if you're adventurous.
posted by Mizu at 12:13 PM on April 18, 2018

The midwestern classic, Velveeta and Ro-Tel. Pro-tip: add some sour cream.
posted by kevinbelt at 12:57 PM on April 18, 2018

Dip related media should complement these recipes, no? Playing on loop on the TV, in the background: Who Framed Roger Rabbit? for the "Oh my God, it's DIP!" scene. And, of course, Freak Nasty's "Da' Dip".

Serving Dippin Dots is also a very dorky choice...
posted by enfa at 1:30 PM on April 18, 2018

DIY Chipotle Bitchin' Sauce. I wasn't that impressed wiith the original but throw in those extra 3 ingredients and its damn good. The link will take you to the extra 3 ingredients page with a link to the original recipe. It's, hands down, my favorite dip now. I serve it with raw veggies. There are a few oddball ingredients you may not have in your cupboard but, once you have those, it's just dump it all in the blender easy..
posted by BoscosMom at 1:51 PM on April 18, 2018

I love dip parties!

Seven Layer Dip - https://www.mccormick.com/recipes/appetizer/7-layer-dip
You're gonna have cake, but this sweet fruit dip is a treat - https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/macaroon-fruit-dip
Edamame Dip is a nice protein option https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/edamame-dip-recipe-1952123
Also this Baked Potato Dip is SO GOOD with salty potato chips https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/218324/baked-potato-dip-ii/
posted by vividvoltage at 2:03 PM on April 18, 2018

Miguel's White Sauce. So good, they have cards with the recipe at the restaurant because everyone asks.
posted by Lyn Never at 2:05 PM on April 18, 2018

Clam Dip: throw a can or two of minced clams into sour cream, add raw minced onion, a little Worcestershire sauce and a drop or two of Tabasco, maybe a little lemon juice to taste.
posted by DMelanogaster at 2:22 PM on April 18, 2018

I’m not sure this is the exact same recipe but a relative always makes BLT Dip for summer picnics and it’s a real problem to not eat the whole thing.
posted by stefnet at 2:26 PM on April 18, 2018

Fromage fort is 95% cheese and man, it's so good. If there's any leftover, use it in grilled cheese sandwiches or on top of scrambled eggs.
posted by punchtothehead at 2:43 PM on April 18, 2018

Rotel / Velveeta "Queso" Dip – 8 oz cubed velveeta cheese, one can of Rotel brand tomatoes and green chiles, pureed with a stick blender (most recipes just use the diced tomatoes/green chiles straight out of a can, I like a smoother dip). Super easy to throw in a bowl and microwave. Very important to serve with plain Doritos. This combo is best, other tortilla chips are okay, but these two things together are better than either one alone in my opinion.
posted by blacktshirtandjeans at 3:09 PM on April 18, 2018

Adding to blacktshirtandjeans above, throw in a can of no-bean chili to make it a chili cheese dip. Add the chili after the blending. Add sour cream to taste, or on the side.

I like a black-bean dip. Serious Eats has my go-to recipe, but I never get the amounts exact and always add more raw garlic... which does make it hotter, sometimes eyewateringly so, in a sulfur-heat sense. Since you're making lots of dip, scale it down. No cooking is required, just some food-proc cleanup. Hand blender should work fine, and will probably lightening it up by whipping in lots of air.
posted by Sunburnt at 3:25 PM on April 18, 2018

Oh! Pesto and Sundried Tomato Torte (or torta), which is not a cake or a sandwich but a beautiful slab of cream cheese and butter. It's stretching the definition of dip, but if you use something sturdy like a Triscuit you can technically self-serve the spread with the cracker. I recommend supplying a butter knife.
posted by Lyn Never at 4:19 PM on April 18, 2018

I love this dessert dip for fruit:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup lime juice
grated rind of 2 limes
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
Mix the lime juice, rind, and cream cheese till runny, add whipped cream; chill.

Also, you must play at the party Andy Prieboy's song New York Debut of an L.A. Artist, aka Where'd All The Dip Go?

You'll have it stuck in your head for weeks.
posted by Lunaloon at 4:31 PM on April 18, 2018

Green olive tapenade is my go to.

3/4 cup Sicilian olives
1/2 cup pistachios
One decent handful coriander/cilantro- leaves and stems
Juice and zest of one lime
One clove garlic
Blitz it all up, season if it needs it.
posted by the duck by the oboe at 4:44 PM on April 18, 2018

I get so many compliments on this dip which seriously takes five minutes to make:

16 oz sour cream
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch dip mix (I don't know if there is a real difference between the "dip" mix and the one that is specified for salad dressing, but I have always just gotten the kind for dip)
1 can fiesta corn/Mexicorn
1 can Rotel
handful of shredded cheddar cheese

Mix and let chill. Eat with tortilla chips or fritos!
posted by hetobeto at 5:49 PM on April 18, 2018

Smoked fish dip is so so so much better than the name suggests.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 10:31 PM on April 18, 2018

Chocolate chip "cookie dough" hummus is AMAZING. It tastes like cookie dough but is chickpea based. Sounds insane but tastes so good and makes for a great "try this...now guess what it is" game.
posted by assenav at 11:48 PM on April 18, 2018

This is kind of stretching it as dip, but a brick of cream cheese with a jar of chili sauce is great served with Fritos.
posted by Neely O'Hara at 5:52 AM on April 19, 2018

However many cups of jack cheese, evaporated milk about 1/4 of the way up, a blob of minced jalepenos, chuck in the microwave for 90 seconds, stir and plate and then sprinkle taco seasoning on top.
posted by h00py at 5:58 AM on April 19, 2018

Adding Jimtown olive spread after the duck by the oboe's recipe...

Chopped Olive Salad

12 ounces pimiento-stuffed green olives, halved if large
8 ounces pitted Kalamata olives
1/4 cup drained capers
3 tablespoons pure olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh oregano
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped and smashed with the blade of a knife
4 oil-packed anchovy fillets, chopped (optional)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1. In a food processor, combine the green and black olives, capers, oil, oregano, garlic, anchovies, if you are using them, lemon juice and red pepper. Process with short pulses until the mixture is evenly chopped. Do not over process –some texture should remain. Adjust the seasoning.

2. The olive salad can be used immediately, refrigerated for 10 days, or frozen for up to 2 months. Return almost to room temperature before using.
posted by OneSmartMonkey at 7:45 AM on April 19, 2018

This smoked paprika chipotle sauce is one of the best things for vegetables. Which reminds me I need to make it again soon.
posted by bibliogrrl at 8:23 AM on April 19, 2018

So, because the universe continually throws me curve balls just to test my sunny disposition and natural optimism, I have thrown my back out. And the party is tomorrow.

I've offloaded the dips that are Must Haves because they're Sophie's favorites (Buffalo chicken dip, spinach dip, artichoke dip, guacamole, fresh salsa, beer cheese) to some amazing friends. The others we'll buy at the store (hummus, onion dip). Depending on how I feel in the morning, I'll try one or two of the recipes all of you lovely people suggested that look to be on the easy side. And maybe we'll order some pizza.

The show must go on! Everyone gets favorites!
posted by cooker girl at 8:55 AM on April 19, 2018

You probably threw your back out in surprise over all these fantastic dips. My go-to for veggies is sour cream, mayo, horseradish, and chives. I like it real hot.
posted by Foam Pants at 11:16 AM on April 19, 2018