Party Food: Spinach Dip, Ranch Dip, and It's Dairy Free!

One of our house favorites during the holidays is a Spinach Dip.  Of course it is loaded with dairy.  I have not made it for several years because I was trying to make food everyone could eat.  In the past I have either avoided it or eaten it and paid the price.  This year, I made it completely dairy and gluten free and enjoyed every bite!

Spinach Dip:

1 8 oz package of cream cheese (I used Toffuti's Better Than Cream Cheese)
1 cup sour cream (I used Toffuti's Better Than Sour Cream)
1 (10 oz) pkg of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
2 Tbsp Ranch Dressing Mix (see recipe below)
1 can (8 oz) water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper chopped

Mix cream cheese, sour cream, and ranch mix in a medium bowl until well blended.  Using an electric mixer works great for this.  Stir in remaining ingredients and cover.  Refrigerate several hours or until chilled.  Serve with cut up veggies.


I almost did not make the spinach dip.  I wasn't sure if the ranch dressing packets were gluten free, but I knew they were not dairy free.  Most recipes I found for a ranch mix used ground up saltine crackers.  Does that seem weird to you?  Anyway, I found the perfect recipe from a cookbook on my shelf and suddenly, the spinach dip was back on the menu.  The Ranch Dressing Mix comes from Rachel Carlyle's new cookbook: In the Kitchen with Gluten Free Mama.  This is a great cookbook, by the way!  It is not being sold on Amazon right now, but you can go to her website here.

Ranch Dressing Seasoning Mix:

1 Tbsp. minced onion flakes
3 Tbsp dried parsley
2 Tbsp dried chives
1 tsp salt
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp black pepper

Store in an air tight container to use later for dressing or dip.


I also made the Ranch Dip for a veggie plate.  I thought it was absolutely delicious.  Being dairy free, I haven't had a ranch dressing for ages.  I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Ranch Dip:

2 Tbsp ranch seasoning mix
1 cup sour cream (Use Toffuti's Better Than Sour Cream for the dairy free version)
1 cup mayonnaise

Mix all ingredients together.  Serve chilled with cut up vegetables.