Cheese & Chive Dip

Cheese and chive dip is a supermarket favourite that is great for dipping all your favourite snacks. It incredibly easy to make at home, so follow my foolproof recipe and get dipping!

Cheese and chive dip

This cheese and chive dip is a family favourite. Whether it’s snacks in front of a Friday night film, a teatime spread, or an informal party, this is the dip they’ll all dig into.

A popular choice on the supermarket deli shelves, often in packs with other dips, you might wonder why you would bother to make your own. However, I say homemade is always better, and if you are catering for a crowd, it’s cheaper too. Those ready-made pots are small!

The other great advantage of making your own is that if there’s something you don’t like or need to avoid, you can leave it out. With the right choice of ingredients, you can even make this classic dairy dip vegan. You won’t find that on the supermarket shelf!

I like making my own dips because we get them just the way we want them, spiced up a little or extra creamy and mild. Either way, there are no hidden nasties. Just the perfect dip for your favourite Friday night snacks.

Why make cheese and chive dip

• Fuss free and effortless

• Addictively tasty

• Everyday ingredients

• Scalable as a crowd pleaser

• Make in advance

Cheese and chive dip ingredients

• Sour Cream – Store/supermarket own brand is perfect, but choose one that is fairly thick. I prefer a regular full fat sour cream but you can go lighter if you prefer. You can also use a vegan sour cream.

• Mayonnaise – Again, choose your favourite. I like a good thick creamy, full fat version, as I think that the flavour is better. Again, you can use vegan/egg free if necessary.

• Cheddar Cheese – a good mature cheddar, finely grated with a Microplane style grater, you could also use a hard Grana style Italian cheese.

• Spices – A touch of garlic powder, and a little cayenne pepper. If you don’t want to use cayenne, try a touch of turmeric for colour.

• Chives – It’s much easier to cut chives by snipping them with a pair of scissors rather than a knife. If you do this in a mug or bowl, you don’t lose any and make less mess.

How to make cheese and chive dip – step by step

Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can make this perfectly every time.

Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.

Step One – Put all the ingredients into a bowl, reserving some of the chives for garnish.

Step Two – Mix it all up with a spatula, spoon or fork. Don’t use a food processor, as it will spoil the texture. Cover and leave in the fridge for an hour to infuse and thicken slightly.

Step Three – Now taste your dip and season with pepper and salt to taste if necessary. Garnish with the reserved chives. Enjoy with tortilla chips, crisps, snacks, crudites, chips – anything you like!

Serving suggestion

Serve your cheese and chive dip with all your favourite dippers. I like to offer a crudité platter, with plenty of fresh crunch veg, homemade tortilla chips, or melba toast but your favourite crisps or a plate of chips would be great too.

Variations

• Use a different cheese. Any strong hard cheese would work well. Double Gloucester, or Parmesan / grana padano. A combination of white Cheddar and Red Leicester or Double Gloucester gives a contrast in colour.

• Vary the spices in this cheese and chive dip recipe. A pinch of paprika, cayenne pepper or chilli sauce really enhances the flavour of the cheese but adds minimal heat.

• Lighten it up with lower fat mayonnaise or sour cream, or substitute all the sour cream, and up to half the mayo with a good, thick, Greek-style natural yogurt. Keep some mayonnaise in the mix for the flavour.

Storage

Store your dip in an airtight tub in the fridge and eat within 2 days. I don’t recommend freezing cheese and chive dip.

Hints and tips

• You really cannot taste the turmeric, but it adds just a little colour.

• Do not use ready grated cheese. It won’t be grated fine enough and the anti caking agents added to it can result in a disappointing flavour and texture.

• Don’t be tempted to blend the dip. Food processors just don’t work well with this cheese and chive dip recipe. It will become too homogenous, losing texture, and it won’t thicken as it rests.

• Thin your dip with a little milk if you want to drizzle it over salad.

• Add a splash of pasta water to leftovers and use as a pasta sauce!

FAQS

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