Seventeen dips that get a vegetable tray eaten, from a Greek yogurt ranch to a peanut sauce. Three come with full recipes, including a cucumber dip that stays thick.
What's in this list
- 17 dips: 9 creamy, familiar dips and 8 bolder ones for when the tray feels routine
- Full recipes: Greek yogurt ranch, cucumber dill dip, and peanut dipping sauce
- Hands-on time: most come together in 5 to 10 minutes with a bowl and a whisk
- Make ahead: how long dips keep in the fridge and how long they can sit out on a tray
The easiest dipping sauce for vegetables starts with a creamy base, like Greek yogurt, sour cream or mayonnaise, plus dried herbs, garlic and something sharp such as lemon or mustard. Stir it together in about 5 minutes, then chill it while you cut the vegetables.
This list has 17 of them, split into familiar dips and bolder ones. Three come with full recipes. The rest give you the main ingredients and the one thing to get right, and there's a free printable with all 17 written out.
Familiar dips kids reach for first
Creamy, mild dips are the ones most kids will try first, so start here for a weeknight snack plate. Each one below works with carrots, celery, cucumber and bell pepper strips.
Full recipe
1. Greek yogurt ranch dip
Ranch flavor with a thick Greek yogurt base. The dried herbs need about 30 minutes in the fridge to soften, so make it before you cut the vegetables.
Ingredients for the Greek yogurt ranch dip
Check off ingredients as you go. Cook mode keeps your screen awake.
How to make it
- Stir the yogurt, dill, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a bowl.
- Stir in the lemon juice, then add milk a tablespoon at a time until the dip is thick but easy to scoop.
- Cover and chill 30 minutes, then taste and add a pinch more salt if it tastes flat.
Swap: Sour cream in place of the yogurt gives a milder, more classic ranch taste.
2. Herb dill dip
Sour cream instead of mayonnaise, so it's lighter but still creamy. Leftovers double as a wrap or sandwich spread.
3. Blue cheese dipping sauce
Milk, mayo, sour cream, garlic, lemon juice and blue cheese crumbles. It's sharper than ranch and a good match for celery and radishes.
4. Avocado dill dip
Greek yogurt, avocado, celery salt and dill. The avocado gives it body without extra mayo. Make it the day you serve it, since avocado browns as it sits.
5. Avocado ranch dip
Avocado blended into a Greek yogurt ranch base. Serve it as a dip, or thin it with a little water for a salad dressing.
Full recipe
6. Cucumber dill Greek yogurt dip
This is the dip that turns watery when the cucumber goes in wet. Salting the grated cucumber and squeezing it dry is the step that keeps it thick.
Ingredients for the cucumber dill dip
Check off ingredients as you go.
How to make it
- Grate the cucumber on the large holes of a box grater. Toss it with ½ teaspoon salt in a strainer set over a bowl.
- Let it drain for 10 minutes.
- Pile the cucumber in the middle of a clean kitchen towel, twist the towel closed, and squeeze hard over the sink until no more liquid drips out.
- Stir the squeezed cucumber into the yogurt with the dill, garlic and lemon juice. Taste, then add salt and pepper.
Swap: Mint in place of half the dill gives it a fresher, tzatziki-style taste.
7. Honey mustard sauce
Mayonnaise, Dijon and yellow mustard, honey, white vinegar, salt and pepper, with a pinch of paprika. A sweet dip like this is an easy first step for kids who balk at herby dips.
8. Lemon aioli
Mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice and parsley. It's a shortcut aioli, and it's good with cucumber, zucchini and bell pepper.
9. Cheddar cheese sauce
A warm, pourable cheese sauce from pantry staples. It gets a plate of steamed broccoli eaten, and it works for dipping raw vegetables too.
Bolder dips for when the tray feels routine
Once the familiar dips are a habit, these bring heat, tang or a nutty base. Several need a blender or food processor, and most still take under 10 minutes.
Full recipe
10. Peanut dipping sauce
Sweet, salty and a little spicy, with a smooth peanut base. It's great with cucumber, carrots and snap peas, and it doubles as a noodle sauce.
Ingredients for the peanut dipping sauce
Check off ingredients as you go.
How to make it
- Whisk the peanut butter, tamari, rice vinegar and honey in a bowl until smooth.
- Whisk in the ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes.
- Add warm water a tablespoon at a time until the sauce coats a spoon but still drips off.
Swap: Sunflower seed butter works in place of peanut butter for a peanut-free version.
11. Greek tzatziki sauce
Full-fat Greek yogurt, olive oil, garlic, grated and drained cucumber, white vinegar, dill and salt. Chill it before serving. It's also good with pita.
12. Jalapeno pineapple sauce
Sweet, creamy and spicy in the same bite. It's built more for a party platter than a weeknight snack, and it's especially good with cucumber and jicama.
13. Cilantro jalapeno sauce
Everything goes into a food processor and blends in under a minute. It's bright and a little spicy, and it's good on grilled chicken and tacos too.
14. Remoulade sauce
A Louisiana-style sauce with a mayo base, sweet paprika, Cajun seasoning and pickle juice. Vinegar or lime juice works if you're out of pickle juice.
15. Cashew cheese sauce
Soaked cashews and nutritional yeast blended into a dairy-free dip that still tastes rich and cheesy.
16. Avocado lime green goddess sauce
Avocado, lime and a handful of fresh herbs blended smooth. Double the batch for a crowd.
17. Peanut butter yogurt dip
Plain Greek yogurt, peanut butter and honey or maple syrup. Three ingredients, and kids like it with apple slices as much as with carrots.
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For the blended dips, a compact chopper is easier than hauling out a full food processor for half a cup of sauce. The Hamilton Beach 3-cup chopper handles the cilantro jalapeno, cashew and green goddess dips, but its bowl is too small to double a big batch.
- Simply stack and press to chop: The patented stack & press design makes it easy to assemble and use...
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A set of 4-ounce mini mason jars (paid link) keeps two or three dips going in the fridge at once. Each jar holds about half a cup.
How to build a veggie tray kids will eat from
Dips do the most work when kids get to choose. Put out two of them, one familiar like ranch and one new, and let everyone build their own plate.
Crunchy, mild vegetables are the easiest start: carrots, cucumber rounds, snap peas and bell pepper strips. Add one stronger vegetable, like radishes or celery, so it's there to try without any pressure to eat it.
A sweet dip helps too. The honey mustard and the peanut butter yogurt dip are good bridges for kids who aren't sure about herbs yet.
For a bigger spread, add our creamy spinach dip, homemade hummus or cottage cheese queso dip, or browse our easy appetizer recipes.
How far ahead can you make dips?
With the tray planned, timing is the last question. Most of these dips taste better after a few hours in the fridge, so making them the morning of a party, or the night before, works well.
Before you make dips ahead
- Yogurt-based dips keep in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days, per University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension.
- On a party tray, don't leave dips or cut vegetables out for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F, per the FDA.
- For a longer party, set the dip bowl in a larger bowl of ice and swap in a fresh bowl instead of topping off the old one.
- Avocado dips brown as they sit. Press plastic wrap right onto the surface and make them the day you serve.
- Cut vegetables keep best in airtight containers in the fridge, per Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.
Free printable: all 17 dips
All 17 dips are also in a free printable guide with one page per dip, so you don't need your phone open at the counter. Each page has the ingredient list, the steps in order, and what to serve it with.
It's organized like this list, familiar dips first and bolder dips second. The printable keeps a short version of each dip, so for the ranch, the cucumber dip and the peanut sauce, use the full recipes above. Tap the button to download the PDF.
Pick two dips and one new vegetable
Seventeen dips is plenty for a whole season of snack plates, and a dipping sauce for vegetables only has to win one plate at a time.
Make the Greek yogurt ranch and one bolder dip this week, put out one vegetable your family hasn't tried, and see which bowl comes back empty.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best dipping sauce for vegetables for kids?
A mild, creamy dip like Greek yogurt ranch or honey mustard is the easiest place to start. Kids tend to try familiar flavors first. Put out a second, new dip next to it so they can choose.
How do I keep homemade ranch from tasting like plain yogurt?
Use enough salt and give the dried herbs at least 30 minutes in the fridge. A squeeze of lemon and a pinch of onion powder also help. Taste after chilling, since cold dulls the flavor.
Can I freeze dipping sauce for vegetables?
Most creamy dips don't freeze well. Yogurt, sour cream and mayonnaise bases separate and turn grainy when they thaw. The peanut sauce holds up better, but it needs a good stir after thawing.
Can I fix a dip that already turned watery?
Yes, usually. Pour off any liquid on top, then stir in a few spoonfuls of Greek yogurt or sour cream to thicken it back up. Next time, squeeze the cucumber or other watery vegetables dry first.
What can I use instead of Greek yogurt?
Sour cream is the closest swap and gives a milder dip. Cottage cheese blended smooth also works and adds body. For a dairy-free dip, use the cashew cheese sauce as a base.
Do I need to peel the cucumber for cucumber dip?
No. English cucumbers have thin skin and small seeds, so you can grate them whole. Peel regular cucumbers if the skin is thick or waxy.
What vegetables are best for dipping?
Firm, crunchy ones that hold their shape: carrots, celery, bell peppers, cucumber rounds, snap peas, radishes and broccoli florets. Cut them into sticks or rounds big enough to scoop with.
Be Honest: What Should We Dip Into Next?
Vegetable dips cover the weeknight snack plate. Chip dips and party spreads cover game day and the holidays. Tell us which one you'd make next.
Got a dip we should add? Drop it in the comments.
