Quick, easy and often packed full of good stuff, delicious dips are the cornerstone of every summer picnic. Get inspired with our 10 easy dip recipes, perfect served up with fresh seasonal veggies, soft flatbreads or crunchy tortilla chips.
You’ll find dips jazzing up party spreads and elevating crudités all year round, but it’s summer when they really come into their own. A nice healthy dip is ideal for sharing at a picnic, barbecue or summer dinner party. They’re also super-quick to make, whether you blitz one up in a blender or whip it up by hand!
So, it’s always good to have a few easy dip recipes in your repertoire. Make your own classic houmous using creamy chickpeas and tahini; transform ripe avocados into a zingy guacamole; or try a refreshing tzatziki with loads of cucumber and lemon for epic summer snacking. Do yourself a favour, and get stuck in.
We can’t get enough of this beautifully simple summer recipe. Broad beans and crème fraîche are blitzed up until creamy, then mixed with lovely lemon and dill to create the freshest, greenest dip imaginable.
This tasty snack is so easy to make and perfect for dipping just about anything in. Hero ingredient chickpeas are high in protein and fibre, making houmous a nice healthy dip, too. Once you go homemade, you’ll never look back!
Ready in less than 5 minutes, this bright pink dip is a real showstopper. What’s more, beetroot is a great source of folate, helping reduce tiredness and keep us feeling alert. Made with handy vac-packed beetroot plus thyme, caraway and horseradish, this speedy dip packs a real punch.
Guacamole is a gorgeous healthy dip that goes down a treat with tortilla chips on a summer’s day. Creamy avocado meets fresh coriander, sweet cherry tomatoes and zingy lime in a dip you can make on your chopping board – no blender necessary!
Here’s a real treat of a dip that brings together peppery watercress and creamy ricotta. Tabasco gives it an extra kick, while cream is folded in for an extra-indulgent twist. Serve with roasted spring veggies to properly celebrate what the season has to offer.
It’s all about the walnuts in this rich Greek dip. Blitz them up with breadcrumbs, garlic and plenty of olive oil for a hearty skordalia that’s a complete joy with flatbreads.
Follow our step-by-step guide to making tzatziki, which is an absolute staple in Turkish and Greek cuisine. This easy dip recipe celebrates lovely fresh cucumber, lemon, dill and mint, which are all folded through creamy Greek yoghurt for a super-satisfying result. It’s perfect as a mezze or as an accompaniment to kebabs, couscous dishes and salads. Happy days!
Aubergine is just beautiful when roasted. Here it’s blackened on the outside and silky on the inside, then blitzed with garlic, lemon juice, parsley and a kick of fresh green chilli and smoked paprika. Smoky, smooth and great with crunchy crudités or torn flatbreads, this is well worth a try.
We’re celebrating summer podded peas in this verdant green dip. With yoghurt, fresh mint, Parmesan and a good squeeze of lemon, it’s a tasty, healthy addition to any spread. Simply pop it in a big bowl and serve alongside your favourite seasonal veggies!
Labneh is a super-creamy Middle Eastern cheese made from yoghurt. This sesame version mixes it with tahini for something a bit special. Earthy and rich, it works brilliantly with pan-roasted beets, pickled shallots and toasted pine nuts. Get on top of things by making it a day in advance.
Three ingredients? That’s what we like to hear! Full of flavour, vibrant in colour and ready in just five minutes, this easy cheesy red pepper dip has summer written all over it. Perfect for getting you out of a last-minute picnic panic.
