10 Creamy, Cheesy Dips That Start with a Single Easy Base

Our simple cream cheese base is the perfect blank canvas for nearly any dip you can dream up.

By: Food Network Kitchen

Related To:

Endless Homemade Party Dip Ideas

Cream cheese, sour cream and salt are the not-so-secret ingredients behind some of our favorite creamy dips. Just whip them up into a standard dip base and then add any number of extra flavors. This simple method lets you create an infinite number of dips to please any craving. Here are 10 delicious mix-in ideas to get you started.

Start with This Creamy Dip Base

This simple base is the perfect springboard for a myriad of mix-ins. Experiment with folding in your favorites (like sauteed onions, crumbled feta or chopped smoked salmon) or try one of the following clever combinations. Don't sweat the ratio of the ingredients too much — play around a little, and if the dip tastes good to you, it's right!

Get the Recipe: Creamy Dip Base

Dip Base + Onions + Cayenne Pepper =

Food Nework Kitchen's 10 Easy Cheese Dips, Caramelized Onion Cayenne Ingredients

Caramelized Onion and Cayenne Dip

Chop and caramelize some onions, and then fold them into the dip base with cayenne pepper and a little olive oil. Garnish with an extra dash of cayenne and serve with kettle-cooked potato chips.

Dip Base + Goat Cheese + Harissa + Lemon Juice + Cilantro =

Food Nework Kitchen's 10 Easy Cheese Dips, Spicy Harissa Dip Ingredients

Spicy Harissa Dip

Make the dip base and fold in crumbled goat cheese, harissa (it doesn't take much to bring the heat), lemon juice and chopped cilantro. Garnish with a little extra cilantro and serve with grilled flatbread or pita.

Dip Base + Cheddar + Bacon + Chives =

Food Nework Kitchen's 10 Easy Cheese Dips, Loaded Baked Potato Dip Ingredients

Loaded Baked Potato Dip

This riff on a classic side dish shines an even brighter spotlight on everyone's favorite potato fixins. Start with our trusty dip base and fold in grated cheddar and crumbled cooked bacon. Garnish with chopped chives and serve with french fries.

Dip Base + Blue Cheese + Fig Preserves =

Food Nework Kitchen's 10 Easy Cheese Dips, Fig Blue Cheese Dip Ingredients

Cheesy Fig Dip

Make our dip base and fold in crumbled blue cheese. Swirl in fig preserves and garnish with chopped toasted walnuts for an addictive sweet-meets-savory combo. Serve with crackers.

Dip Base + Beets + Horseradish + Dill =

Food Nework Kitchen's 10 Easy Cheese Dips, Creamy Beet Dip Ingredients

Creamy Beet Dip

Whip up the dip base. Puree with chopped cooked beets, horseradish (for a kick!) and dill. Garnish with a little more fresh dill and serve with cucumber rounds or endive leaves.

Dip Base + Red Curry + Scallions + Roasted Peanuts =

Food Nework Kitchen's 10 Easy Cheese Dips, Thai Red Curry Dip Ingredients

Thai Red Curry Dip

For an Asian-inspired dip, fold Thai red curry, sliced scallions and chopped roasted peanuts into the dip base. Garnish with more scallions and peanuts. Cooked shrimp are elegant and tasty dippers.

Dip Base + Feta + Preserved Lemons + Garlic + Seeds =

Food Nework Kitchen's 10 Easy Cheese Dips, Lemony Feta Dip Ingredients

Lemony Feta Dip

Make the dip base and fold in crumbled feta, finely chopped preserved lemons and finely grated garlic. Garnish with more chopped preserved lemons and black sesame or onion seeds and serve with grilled vegetables. Here, we chose artichoke hearts (which pair well with the dip's Mediterranean flavors), but asparagus spears or zucchini planks would also work well.

Dip Base + Kimchi + Scallions + Lemon =

Food Nework Kitchen's 10 Easy Cheese Dips, Tangy Kimchi Dip Ingredients

Tangy Kimchi Dip

Make this Korean-inspired dip by folding chopped kimchi, thinly sliced scallions and lemon juice into the dip base. Garnish with more scallions. Serve with rice crackers or fried wonton wrappers.

Dip Base + Smoked Salmon + Capers + Red Onion =

Food Nework Kitchen's 10 Easy Cheese Dips, Smoked Salmon Dip Ingredients

Smoked Salmon Dip

Dip isn't a typical brunch mainstay, but this one just might change that. Make the dip base and fold in chopped smoked salmon, finely diced red onions and capers. Garnish with more capers and serve with (what else?) bagel chips.

Dip Base + Pesto + Pine Nuts =

Food Nework Kitchen's 10 Easy Cheese Dips, Crunchy Pesto Dip Ingredients

Crunchy Pesto Dip

For an extra-nutty dip, amp up our dip base and with pesto and toasted pine nuts. Garnish with more pine nuts and serve with cut-up raw vegetables.

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