40 Party Dips and Spreads for Any Occasion

From game day gatherings to cocktail parties, homemade dips are sure to impress

By
Colleen Graham
Photo of Colleen Graham
Colleen Graham
Freelance writer and cocktail book author Colleen Graham is a seasoned mixologist who loves sharing her knowledge of spirits and passion for preparing drinks.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 12/13/22
Hummus With Tahini

The Spruce

Dips and spreads are among the easiest foods you can offer party guests. These simple appetizer recipes are perfect for entertaining, from cheesy dips or salsa for chips to creamy and other savory spreads for crackers and baguettes. They don't take long to prepare, many can be made in advance, and they're a great snack option for a crowd.

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    Salsa de Aji Picante

    Salsa
    Claudia Totir / Getty Images

    Gameday parties and picnics are the perfect time to bring out a homemade salsa de aji picante. It's a spicy recipe featuring a habanero pepper, chopped tomatoes, onions, and cilantro, and it takes just minutes to prepare.

  • 02 of 40

    Vegetarian Seven-Layer Dip

    Quick Vegetarian 7-Layer Dip for a Party (With Variations)

    The Spruce / Elizabeth Briskin

    A vegetarian seven-layer dip is a fun option for any party. It has everything that ​makes tacos great—beans, salsa, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and lots of cheese—and is simply served in dip form. This version skips the meat and makes a crowd-pleasing vegetarian appetizer.

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    Hummus With Tahini

    Hummus With Tahini

    The Spruce

    Forget the store-bought varieties and make a classic hummus at home. With chickpeas and tahini, it gets a delicious zing from lemon juice and garlic. This dip is sure to outshine any prepared hummus available at the market.

  • 04 of 40

    Guacamole

    Simple guacamole recipe

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

    Guacamole is always a hit, and it is not difficult. You'll spend most of your time cutting up the avocados, chili pepper, onion, and tomato. Mix the veggies with cilantro and Mexican crema or sour cream, and it's ready for your dipping pleasure.

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    Crockpot Beer Cheese Dip

    Crockpot Beer Cheese Dip

    The Spruce / Diana Chistruga

    Whether served in a fondue pot or slow cooker, this crockpot beer cheese dip is excellent for more extended parties. The recipe uses just three ingredients, including your favorite beer (German lager and Irish stouts are great beers for cheese). It's perfect for a variety of dippers, including crackers, chips, bread, veggies, shrimp, or sausage.

  • 06 of 40

    Spinach and Artichoke Dip

    spinach and artichoke dip with chips

    The Spruce / Leah Maroney 

    A favorite of restaurant menus, it's surprisingly easy to make spinach artichoke dip at home. Frozen spinach and jarred artichoke hearts form this creamy dip's foundation, and it includes three types of cheese. Make it on the stovetop or slow cooker, and serve it with crackers, baguettes, or chips.

  • 07 of 40

    Crock Pot Chili Cheese Taco Dip

    Crock Pot Chili Cheese Taco Dip

    The Spruce / Diana Rattray

    The slow cooker is great for party dips. Not only does it cook the food, but it also keeps it warm throughout the event. Simple and satisfying, this crock pot chili cheese taco dip requires just a few ingredients and is ready within an hour.

  • 08 of 40

    Buffalo Chicken Dip

    Homemade Buffalo Chicken Dip
    bhofack2 / Getty Images

    Don't want to mess with hot wings? Buffalo chicken dip is the next best thing. It includes rotisserie chicken, cream and blue cheeses, and hot sauce. This one may become a new favorite.

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  • 09 of 40

    Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Dip

    Broccoli Cheese Dip
    Paul Poplis / Getty Images

    Crock pot broccoli cheese dip is a guaranteed hit for your favorite dippers, and it makes a great potato skin topping. It's easy to prepare with frozen broccoli, boxed cheese, cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, and a dash of garlic powder. Give it an extra zing of flavor with roasted peppers, onions, or Dijon mustard if you like.

  • 10 of 40

    Blue Cheese Spread

    Blue Cheese Dip for Vegetables and Chicken Wings
    LOVE_LIFE / Getty Images

    A simple blue cheese dip is a good choice for a veggie platter. It's also a great dip for hot wings, and you can make it into a thicker spread for crackers and bread.

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    Artichoke Gruyère Dip

    Artichoke Gruyere Dip

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

    The artichoke Gruyère dip is an excellent choice for ​fancier affairs. The recipe is baked and has a rich flavor, though it's lighter than most. It's fabulous with crusty bread bites.

  • 12 of 40

    Creamy Jalapeño Sauce

    Creamy jalapeno sauce and chips

    The Spruce / Diana Rattray

    If you want to spice up your next game night, put out a bowl of this creamy jalapeño sauce. It's made with sour cream, mayonnaise, buttermilk, and dry ranch dressing mix, then flavored with cilantro, garlic, and pickled jalapeños. Use it as a dip for tortilla chips, wings, or poppers.

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  • 13 of 40

    Easy Spinach Dip

    Easy spinach dip recipe

    The Spruce Eats / Anastasiia Tretiak

    This is an ideal spinach dip recipe for summer when you don't want to heat up the kitchen. You'll simply mix the spinach, sour cream, mayonnaise, and onion soup mix and let it chill for an hour. A quick dip for crackers, it can also be warmed up or served in a bread bowl.

  • 14 of 40

    Tzatziki

    Tzatziki: Cucumber Yogurt Dip

    The Spruce / Julia Estrada

    You'll want to make plenty of Greek tzatziki dip because it disappears fast when served alongside vegetables and warm bread bites. This easy cucumber, garlic, and yogurt dip is best after sitting overnight, so be sure to plan ahead.

  • 15 of 40

    French Onion Dip

    French Onion Dip

     The Spruce / Leah Maroney

    Forget the dried packet stuff and make French onion dip from scratch instead. The recipe is surprisingly simple, caramelizing sliced onions then mixing them with sour cream, mayonnaise, and all sorts of spices and seasonings you likely have in the cupboard.

  • 16 of 40

    Crab Rangoon Dip

    crab rangoon dip

    The Spruce / Leah Maroney 

    Crab rangoon dip takes all of the flavors of the classic Chinese restaurant dish and turns it into a hot, creamy dip. It's terrific when served with crispy egg roll wrappers, but works with chips and pita triangles too.

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    Black Bean Hummus

    Black bean hummus

    The Spruce

    Black beans are a nice substitute for chickpeas in hummus. While many bean dips use cream, this black bean hummus is dairy-free and flavored with garlic, tahini, lemon, cumin, and cilantro. It's a tasty option for pita or tortilla chips.

  • 18 of 40

    Matbucha

    Matbucha - Moroccan Tomato and Pepper Salad

    The Spruce / Miri Rotkovitz

    Matbucha is a Moroccan dish that is as popular as hummus in Israel. It combines tomatoes, jalapeño or bell peppers, and paprika, so it's almost a mild salsa. To follow tradition, serve it with warm pita bread.

  • 19 of 40

    Baba Ghanoush

    Vegan, Gluten-Free Baba Ganoush Without Tahini

    The Spruce Eats / Anastasiia Tretiak 

    Baba ghanoush is a tasty eggplant-based dip found in the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Bursting with the flavors of cumin, garlic, lemon, onion, and parsley, this recipe is gluten-free and vegan, so it's ideal for a diverse group of party guests.

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    Smoked Fish Pâté

    Simple Smoked Fish Paté

    The Spruce / Ali Redmond

    A smoked fish pâté may sound fancy, but it's rather easy. Simply toss your favorite smoked fish into a food processor with a few common ingredients, then let it chill overnight and serve it with bread or crackers.

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  • 21 of 40

    Smoked Salmon Dip

    smoked salmon dip

    The Spruce / Leah Maroney

    This bright and flavorful smoked salmon dip takes minutes to whip up. It's a great last-minute appetizer that can also be made ahead of time, and the flavor gets better as it rests. Served cold, it's excellent with crackers or bagel chips.

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    Carrot Hummus

    Carrot Hummus
    The Spruce / Laurel Randolph

    For a colorful and fun dip, serve carrot hummus with toasted pita or chips. Roasting the carrots and garlic adds a hint of natural sweetness to the creamy hummus. The recipe also includes a trick that eliminates the need to peel chickpeas.

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    Vegan Olive Tapenade

    Vegan Olive Tapenade

    The Spruce

    Olive tapenade is great with toasted baguettes or flatbread, and it can be used on top of your homemade hummus. The vegan olive tapenade is a nice alternative because it skips the anchovy paste.

  • 24 of 40

    Kentucky Benedictine Dip

    Benedictine spread with vegetable dippers.
    Diana Rattray

    Kentucky Benedictine dip is a classic vegetable dip. This recipe combines cream cheese, cucumber, onion, and mayonnaise to quickly create a green dip that's perfect for summer parties.

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  • 25 of 40

    Hot Seafood Dip

    Hot Seafood Dip
    LauriPatterson / Getty Images

    Seafood makes fantastic appetizers. Cooked in a slow cooker, the hot seafood dip uses lobster, crab, and shrimp in a melty mix of cheeses, and it's fabulous with bread cubes.

  • 26 of 40

    Shrimp Dip

    Quick and easy shrimp dip

    The Spruce 

    This creamy shrimp dip works well with a simple collection of vegetables and crackers. A no-cook recipe, it uses canned shrimp, dry Italian dressing, and lemon juice. While it mixes up quickly, it requires an hour to chill.

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    Baked Crab Dip

    Crab dip with crackers
    Martin Jacobs / Getty Images

    The baked crab dip recipe is an impressive choice, especially for the holidays when served with fancy crackers, bagel chips, and veggie sticks. The cream cheese dip requires canned crabmeat and grated onion and gets its amazing flavor from Worcestershire sauce and paprika.

  • 28 of 40

    Queso Blanco Dip

    Easy and Delicious Queso Dip

    The Spruce / Abbey Littlejohn

    For an appetizer that's sure to be a hit, make homemade queso blanco dip and serve it with crispy tortilla chips. Melted white cheeses and a spiced white sauce are combined to create a creamy, gooey dip that's also great on nachos.

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  • 29 of 40

    Pumpkin Hummus

    pumpkin hummus

     The Spruce / Leah Maroney

    Hummus gets a seasonal twist from creamy pumpkin purée and fresh sage to create a delicious fall appetizer. Make pumpkin hummus for fall or winter game day or as an easy snack before an autumn dinner.

  • 30 of 40

    Vegan Lentil Pâté

    Lentil pate
    Zoryana Ivchenko / Getty Images

    The vegan lentil pâté is simple, though you have to do a little work ​on the stove first. Nonetheless, the combination of precooked lentils, onion, garlic, and pepper is worth a few more minutes of your time.

  • 31 of 40

    Sweet Bell Pepper Relish

    Sweet Red Pepper Relish

    The Spruce / Diana Rattray

    If you enjoy canning, keep a jar of this delicious sweet bell pepper relish in the pantry. When you need a fast appetizer, simply pour it over cream cheese, and you have an instant dip for crackers or bread.

  • 32 of 40

    Blueberry Chutney

    Blueberry Chutney
    StockFood / Getty Images

    Blueberry chutney puts a fruity twist on a cheese spread. Freeze it during blueberry season and you have a few months to use it over brie or cream cheese.

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  • 33 of 40

    Green Bean Walnut Vegetarian Chopped Liver

    Green Bean Walnut Vegetarian Chopped Liver

    Tastyart Ltd Rob White / Getty Images

    Chopped liver is a great spread for crackers, crudites, and bread, but a mock version is far easier. The green bean walnut chopped liver recipe is meat- and dairy-free, so it's something everyone can enjoy.

  • 34 of 40

    Salmon Cheese Ball

    Cheese Ball with Crackers
    LauriPatterson / Getty Images

    A cheese ball will impress everyone and the salmon cheese ball recipe shows you just how easy it is to make. Coated with nuts, the ball includes cream cheese, dill, and horseradish. When surrounded by a variety of crackers, it makes a great-looking appetizer plate.

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    Pineapple Cheese Ball

    Pineapple Cheese Ball

    The Spruce / Eric Kleinberg

    For a fun twist, try a pineapple cheese ball. Made with canned pineapple, the tropical fruit is contrasted with the savoriness of bell pepper and green onion. It's rolled in chopped pecans, and perfect for buttery crackers or crostini.

  • 36 of 40

    Classic Pimento Cheese Spread

    Pimento cheese spread

    Carolyn Taylor Photography / Getty Images

    A classic recipe, classic pimento cheese spread makes a great lunch sandwich, but it also works well as a dip for apples, crackers, and toasted bread bites. The creamy spread is flavored with garlic, onion, and pimientos, and it's a recipe that you can make days in advance.

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  • 37 of 40

    Liptauer Cheese Spread

    Liptauer Cheese Spread

    ingwervanille / Getty Images

    Liptauer is a soft, fresh cheese made from sheep's milk. It's the key ingredients in this Hungarian cheese spread recipe that's flavored with green onions, caraway, and paprika. It's intriguing and particularly tasty on toasted bread or as a vegetable dip.

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    Basil Walnut Spread

    Basil Walnut Spread

    The Spruce / Diana Rattray

    The basil walnut spread is perfect for summer parties. It has a flavor that's similar to pesto and includes Parmesan and cream cheeses. This one's ideal for baguettes or an assortment of crackers.

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    Cheesecake Dip

    Cheesecake Dip

    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

    It's definitely sweeter than most dips, and that's why this cheesecake dip is irresistible. Made with classic cheesecake ingredients, there's no cooking involved. It's a fantastic option when you want to dip apples, strawberries, cookies, and other yummy treats.

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    BLT Dip

    BLT Dip

    The Spruce / Kristina Vanni

    This fun recipe reimagines the BLT sandwich, transforming it into a crostini-dipping delight. The BLT dip layers shredded lettuce, bacon, and tomatoes on top of spiced cream cheese.