Low-Calorie Dips and Spreads

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Low-Calorie Dips

So often the party tray can be too tempting to resist with creamy offerings accompanied by crunchy, salty dippers. Rethink how you approach an appetizer spread by offering a lower-calorie, healthier option. With all these dips and spreads, take care to serve with fresh veggies when possible. Whole-grain crackers and baked chips also make smarter dippers.

Here we’ve lightened a seasoned favorite. Serve with hearty crackers or slices of French bread and we promise nobody will know this is the healthy cousin to dip that’s usually loaded with sodium, fat, and calories.

View Recipe: Warm Caramelized Onion Dip

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Avocado-Yogurt Dip with Cumin

Scoop this creamy dip with pita chips and carrot, celery, red bell pepper, and jicama sticks. Prepare up to eight hours in advance, and refrigerate in an airtight container. To further simplify prep work, use precut vegetables from the produce section.

View Recipe: Avocado-Yogurt Dip with Cumin

Photo: Jonny Valiant

Date, Walnut, and Blue Cheese Ball

The sweet-savory combo of dates, walnuts, and blue cheese, topped with the earthiness of fresh flat-leaf parsley, brings your regular cheese ball up a notch. Prepare this retro-chic snack up to two days ahead, and serve with crackers, bread, or veggies.

View Recipe: Date, Walnut, and Blue Cheese Ball

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Baba Ghanoush

Baba ghanoush (bah-bah-gah-NOOSH) is a Middle Eastern dip typically made from eggplant, tahini, olive oil, and lemon juice. One of our readers, Karen Waldman, was dissatisfied with the baba ghanoush recipes she was finding, so she created her own. By combining mayonnaise and tahini, she tinkered, found her perfect combination, and even incorporated it into a Greek-themed Thanksgiving meal. The unique dinner was an instant hit with her family.

View Recipe: Baba Ghanoush

Photo: John Autry

Roasted Red Pepper Bagna Cauda

This Italian dipping sauce makes the perfect marriage to fresh crudités. Try something different by serving with fennel bulb slices, blanched broccoli florets, steamed new potatoes, and carrots.

View Recipe: Roasted Red Pepper Bagna Cauda

Photo: Ellen Silverman

Creamy Garlic-Herb Dip

Step away from the packaged ranch dip and offer a homemade alternative. You can prepare this all-purpose dip up to a day ahead. Serve with cauliflower and broccoli florets, carrot and celery sticks, and bell pepper strips.

View Recipe: Creamy Garlic-Herb Dip

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Smoked Salmon Dip

A classic smoked salmon dip or spread is something every hostess should have in her back pocket. Make this dip ahead, and serve it on whole-wheat crackers or toasted baguette with a pretty sprig of dill. Save the leftovers to smear on a toasted bagel half over coffee the next morning.

View Recipe: Smoked Salmon Dip

Photo: Randy Mayor

Lima Bean Dip

Fava beans are traditionally used as the base in this hummuslike dip. Use them, if you can find them, in place of the lima beans. Serve with raw vegetables for dipping.

View Recipe: Lima Bean Dip

Roasted Garlic, Sun-Dried Tomato, and White Bean Dip

Creamy beans and sweet sun-dried tomatoes offer the perfect texture and flavor combo in this simple dip. You can prepare a day ahead and bring to room temperature before serving. For a more formal presentation, serve on bagel chips garnished with rosemary sprigs. For a casual gathering, serve in a bowl with crackers or bagel chips for dipping.

View Recipe: Roasted Garlic, Sun-Dried Tomato, and White Bean Dip

Photo: Randy Mayor

Roasted Red Pepper and Cannellini Bean Dip

This Mediterranean-inspired appetizer offers a little extra protein, heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, and fiber. Serve with cut-up vegetables or toasted pita wedges.

View Recipe: Roasted Red Pepper and Cannellini Bean Dip

Photo: John Autry

Easy Guacamole

The food processor makes quick work of this basic dip that's rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats. We like the heat from leaving the seeds in the jalapeño, but you can seed the pepper for a milder guac. Serve with baked tortilla chips or crudités.

View Recipe: Easy Guacamole

Photo: Randy Mayor

Roasted Red Pepper Dip

Upping the pepper quantity cuts calories—160 of them. Serve with sliced cucumber for a crunchy dipper.

View Recipe: Roasted Red Pepper Dip

Photo: Randy Mayor

Hot Artichoke Dip

Full-flavored Parm adds cheesy goodness. Light cream cheese and mayo save 340 calories.

View Recipe: Hot Artichoke Dip

Photo: Randy Mayor

Smoked Salmon Dip

We cut the calories and sat fat typically found in this dish in half by using light cream cheese and sour cream.

View Recipe: Smoked Salmon Dip

Photo: Randy Mayor

Creamy Spinach and Feta Dip

Bright and tangy nonfat Greek yogurt helps save 100 calories and 3g sat fat in this bold-flavored dip. We love it served with crostini with olive oil.

View Recipe: Creamy Spinach and Feta Dip

Photo: Randy Mayor

Simple Guacamole

There's no credible way to lighten guac since the main ingredient—avocado—is high in fat. But it's heart-healthy.

View Recipe: Simple Guacamole