16 Holiday Party Dip Ideas for Your Next Gathering

Hooray, it’s dip season! This crowd-pleasing party appetizer goes strong through the winter holidays — and it’s easy to see why. The weather is cold; it’s no time for a simple skewer or a cold shrimp. (Just kidding. We can never stay mad at you, shrimp cocktail.) Dips are about gathering around for something hearty. You can’t stay hungry even if it’s just for cocktails, when there’s a dip in your midst. Here are some of our favorites, so go ahead and take a deep dive into dips.

Besides the simple fact that shrimp is an express lane to making a gathering feel festive, so does invoking the best qualities of the food from New Orleans. This hot dip can be assembled ahead, then broiled at the last minute for a dramatic and cheesy top. It’s outrageously zesty on crackers and bread, although it is so tasty you might find yourself wishing to get right in there with a spoon.

This dip takes everything you love about the takeout classic (creamy crab filling in a fried wonton) and turns it into a hot dip. Yes, you’ll have to do some deep-frying here if you want those wonton chips to be just right, but the dip is so no-effort that you can just focus on that. Rice crackers and veggie strips complement all those cheesy/sea aromas, too.

No list of dips would be complete without a version of this favorite. You often see it served with crackers, but here it is taken in a different direction, with salsa and tortilla chips, and not shockingly, it works great. We love how vegetable-forward it is, but make no mistake: it satisfies all the urges for creamy and cheesy at cocktail hour.

We want to say that maybe this is the next best thing to getting takeout—but dare we say it might actually be better? All the flavors of crab rangoon are here, with sweet chunks of crabmeat and cream cheese for richness, but also super-fresh elements like cilantro and scallions. Are you thinking you need more fatty crunch to hit those rangoon notes? Well, the dippers are fried wonton triangles and shrimp crackers. Boom.

This dip also takes a page from the soup realm (in the Midwestern classic beer cheese soup—plus the bread bowl) but also adds a non-Swiss twist to classic fondue. Gouda and beer complement each other well (just think of how they eat together!) and make for a wonderful dip for bread cubes and slices of pear and apple. You will be very motivated to eat it all the way to the bottom, so that you can start to attack that cheese-soaked bread bowl—heaven.

Labneh, the Mediterranean yogurt-based creamy cheese, is so delicious, we’d dip right into it with no adornment; it’s just that perfect balance of tang and creamy. But here it’s zhuzhed up with a quickie homemade spin on chile crisp, with garlic and shallots that have been quickly crisped up, simultaneously imbuing their oil with intense flavor. If you’re a crudités lover who’s looking for a new idea from the usual green goddess or blue cheese dip, give it a whirl. And we mean that figuratively—no need to get out the blender here.

We are so lucky to live in an age when you can all but count on finding a buffalo chicken dip served at all sporting events. This version couldn’t be simpler to put together, and you can get it into the baking dish and refrigerate it until you’re ready to bake and serve. No need to be from Buffalo to enjoy it (but Bills fans will insist, it helps).

The perennial combination of broccoli and Cheddar is taken up several notches by translating from soup to dip. That is, in part, due to the smart tip of blending mild Cheddar with Monterey Jack for the smoothest texture (you can always amp up the saltiness with, you know, salt, if you miss that sharp edge). But it is also due to the dippers. Don’t sleep on those potato wedges, because they will make this a dipping occasion to remember.

You might be familiar with the classic Tex-Mex-inspired seven-layer dip, laying guacamole, beans, salsa, etc. in a trifle dish for a visually exciting presentation that also makes it fun to get in there. Well, there’s no reason we can’t riff on that idea. In fact, reimagining a salad in this layered way can turn lots of favorites into a dip. This one even contains croutons and chicken. It’s truly a dip that eats like a meal.

If you’re hosting the cookie swap this year, this dip will be that little something extra to take it to the next level. The dip itself has a tang from the cream cheese, brought into the sweet realm with those chocolate chips, and is wonderful with pretzels, fruit and shortbread, yes; but it will be a fun addition to a spread of wildly different cookies because, let’s face it, they’ll all be wonderful swiped in there.

This Food Network test kitchen favorite dip translates all the garlicky, wine-y, lemony flavors of shrimp scampi into an ideal spread for bread or crackers. It’s wonderful made ahead, then baked quickly at the last minute before serving, so it will be a hit at the potluck. The toasted breadcrumb top adds an irresistible crunch.

The key to a smooth, creamy whipped feta lies in the oil. When slowly drizzled in while blending, the oil emulsifies the moisture in the sweet potatoes, yogurt and feta to create a cohesive, velvety smooth texture. We use feta marinated in oil here — a great two-for-one ingredient that helps bring an impressive holiday dip together with fewer ingredients and less time.

At first glance, this dish looks like an escapee from the main course—are those mashed potatoes we see? But this is truly as zesty as a dip should be, taking tang and garlickiness from Greek skordalia, with fresh lemon juice making it truly dippable with pita chips. The roasted red pepper mixture down the middle keeps things interesting.

Did someone say ham fondue? We’re here for this unctuous hot dip, divine with a blend of Muenster, Gruyere and Monterey Jack cheeses, and those little hits of ham that tell you that it is a party. The toppings here make it, fresh chives and parsley giving it a bright zing to be enjoyed with apple slices or baguette… or both at once.

There’s no shame in putting out that ubiquitous tub of store-bought hummus, but when you have the time, it’s just more special to make it yourself. And the pita chips too—crunchy and garlicky, they will complement that red pepper-infused hummus very well. Be sure to double if you’re expecting a crowd; this will disappear fast.