Cream Cheese Veggie Dip

The best homemade cream cheese Veggie Dip recipe is quick and easy to make with cream cheese, sour cream, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, and fresh herbs. It is irresistible as an appetizer or snack for parties and potlucks. This simple and flavorful veggie dip is ready in 5 minutes. Serve this classic dip with carrots, celery, bell peppers, or any of your favorite veggies. Low carb, keto, and gluten-free.

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Why this is the best cream cheese veggie dip

It's so simple! You probably already have all the ingredients, and there are just a couple of steps. It has less than 5 minutes of prep time.

It tastes amazing! This is not a "3-ingredient" recipe that falls flat and can't hold up to fresh veggies. It's got a list of ingredients, but that's why it tastes so good. The flavors blend together to make it amazing.

It's got a creamy texture thanks to the cream cheese. This dip is rich and creamy, but don't worry - it's still fairly healthy too!

Kids love it! It's a very family-friendly dip because there's nothing weird or objectionable in it. (Don't try to hide spinach in my kids' veggie dip! They will revolt!)

You can make it ahead. This veggie dip gets better the longer it sits, so feel free to make it a day or two before you need it. It only gets better with time! Store it tightly wrapped in the fridge until it's time to serve.

It's allergy-friendly. As written, this recipe is gluten-free, egg-free (no mayonnaise), and nut-free. It does contain dairy. As always, check the ingredients for the specific products you purchase to ensure they fit with your dietary needs.

It's appropriate for special diets. This is a low-calorie, low-carb food that's great for bariatric and keto diets. As above, check the ingredients for the specific products you purchase to ensure they fit with your dietary needs. You should also calculate your own nutritional information if you have specific needs as mine are just an approximation.

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What you'll need to make cream cheese vegetable dip

EQUIPMENT

You will need basic kitchen tools such as a mixing bowl, measuring cups and spoons, a sturdy whisk, and a spatula for this recipe. Nothing special or unusual is required.

INGREDIENTS

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See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information.

• Softened cream cheese - I typically buy the reduced-fat Neufchatel style cream cheese, and I think it tastes just as good. But feel free to use whatever cream cheese you like.
• Milk - This can be dairy or non-dairy milk, as you prefer. I personally use whole milk but reduced fat would also be fine. I think non-fat milk might taste flat though.
• Sour cream - I prefer the flavor of traditional sour cream, but if you want to reduce the calories and increase the protein in the dip, you could substitute Greek yogurt for the sour cream.
• Onion powder - You want to use granulated onion powder and not dehydrated or slivered onion in this recipe.
• Garlic powder - I love the flavor of fresh garlic, but it can overpower this dip. I use garlic powder here so that I can better control the amount of its potency.
• Fresh parsley - You don't want to use dried herbs in this recipe as they will taste flat even if the bottle is new. You should only use fresh herbs.
• Fresh chives - See parsley note above.
• Finely grated mozzarella cheese - Everyone always says that freshly grated cheese tastes way better than store-bought grated cheese, and I will admit that may be true. But I still buy pre-grated cheese and use it for everything so don't feel bad if you don't want to grate your own cheese. I don't, and the dip tastes great.
• Parmesan cheese - You do not want the powdery "cheese" in a can. You want the actual slivered Parmesan cheese that needs to be refrigerated. You can buy it already grated in the dairy case of the grocery store in the same place as all the other grated cheeses. It usually comes in a plastic tub (like a deli container), but I have occasionally seen it in a resealable bag like regular shredded cheese.

How to make cream cheese veggie dip

1. Soften the cream cheese by leaving it out for several hours before making the dip. I never think to do this however, so I always end up microwaving it for 20-30 seconds at a time in a glass mixing bowl. I microwave it, then I use a sturdy whisk to see if it's soft enough to work with. If it's not (and it usually isn't the first time), then I microwave it again and try again. It's usually good the second time. If you have to microwave it a third time, it might melt and/or cook, so be careful about that.
2. Combine the softened cream cheese with milk.
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3. Whisk until the mixture is smooth.
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4. Add the sour cream and whisk until smooth.
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5. Add the onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, and chives to the cream cheese mixture.
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6. Blend well.
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7. Finally, add the cheeses.
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8. Mix until they are well distributed. You may prefer to switch to a spatula at this point as the cheeses will get stuck in your whisk.
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9. Taste the dip and season with salt and black pepper as desired.
10. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours or until chilled and slightly thickened.
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What to serve with cream cheese dip

This vegetable dip is great with any fresh vegetables: think baby carrots or carrot sticks, celery sticks, bell pepper slices, cucumbers, broccoli florets, cherry tomatoes (or grape tomatoes), cauliflower, zucchini, radishes, sugar snap peas, asparagus spears, or really any other veggie you can think of.

It's also great smeared on bagels or crostini, and it's great served with tortilla chips or crackers.

Tips for the best cream cheese dip

If you must use dried herbs (please don't), you can substitute at a ratio of 1 tablespoon fresh to 1 teaspoon dried. So, use about 2 teaspoons of dried chives and about ¾ of a teaspoon of dried parsley.

This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled if you're serving a crowd or taking it to a party or picnic.

I personally prefer the herbs and seasonings I've listed in the recipe, but you can experiment with a variety of different ones including basil, cilantro, green onions, and thyme.

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Cream Cheese Dip Variations

I like my dip to be on the thin side. If you prefer something that's a little thicker (more like chip dip), simply reduce the amount of milk, or add the milk last, after you've put everything else together and can more accurately tell the consistency of the finished dip.

On the other hand, if you want to make this dip into a dressing, simply add some extra milk to thin it out.

You can use buttermilk in place of regular milk for a buttermilk ranch sort of flavor. If you don't have buttermilk, you can add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar to 1 cup of regular milk, whisk it together, wait 10 minutes, and then measure out of that.

You can add 1-2 teaspoons of a variety of fresh herbs, depending on what flavors you like. I really enjoy dill in this recipe (I especially love Pampered Chef's Dill Mix), or you can also try fresh basil or thyme. I would not use them all at the same time. Pick one.

You can add ¼ cup of crumbled bacon with the cheeses.

You can replace the mozzarella with cheddar cheese or simply add the cheddar in addition to the other cheeses. You can't go wrong with cheese, right?

You can sauté two cloves of fresh garlic (press them first) in a tablespoon of olive oil for about one minute, cool it, and add it to the dip with the other herbs. This would mellow the garlic and give it a nice sweet flavor.

You can sauté half an onion in olive oil until the onion is well caramelized, cool it, then add that to the dip at the end. It will transform the whole dip and taste so good.

You could add ¼ cup of finely diced sun-dried tomatoes.

You could add sriracha or Frank's RedHot buffalo sauce, to taste. Start with a teaspoon and add slowly, tasting often.

You could add ¼ cup of your favorite olives, finely diced. I think green would taste best, but kalamata or black would probably also work.

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How to make cream cheese veggie dip lighter

This is an easy recipe to lighten. Simply replace the full-fat versions of each item with a lower fat and lower calorie alternative. You can use Greek yogurt for the sour cream (or light sour cream), Neufchatel for the cream cheese, 1% milk or unsweetened almond milk, and part-skim mozzarella. I've never seen low fat Parmesan but it may be available somewhere.

The nutritional information below is calculated with the full-fat and full-calorie version of the ingredients, and I don't think the calorie content is that high for a small amount of the dip. If you eat a half-cup, it's going to have a lot of calories no matter how light you make it. Just saying.

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Storing cream cheese vegetable dip

Store this dip in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you have it in a bowl, you can use Press N Seal or plastic wrap to wrap the bowl and keep it in that in the fridge. It will stay good for quite a while, up to 5 days.

You can't freeze cream cheese veggie dip. It will separate and become gross when it thaws.

Try these other delicious cream cheese dip recipes:

• Hot Pepperoni Dip
• Mild Frank's RedHot Buffalo Chicken Dip - My kids go crazy for this dip and ask me to make it for dinner pretty often. It's got all the flavors of traditional buffalo chicken dip, but it's mild so you don't get a runny nose when you eat it.
• Hot Taco Dip
• Cream Cheese Garlic Dip
• Creamy Vegetable Dip - This one has Lipton's Vegetable Soup mix in it, along with water chestnuts and artichoke hearts.
• Cream Cheese Fruit Dip - This one is sweet, not savory like the others.
• Hot Swiss Onion Dip - This one's got a mayo base and no cream cheese, but it's a creamy dip, so I put it on the list anyway.

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