Our Favourite Bean-Free & Vegan Dip Recipes
I’ll start with the disclaimer that this isn’t a diss towards hummus! In fact, as a Turk, I would defend its contentious roots with my fellow Greeks, Arabs, and Middle Easterners by shoving hummus into all of our mouths to remind them of what is actually important: its flavour. I’ve had my fair share of delighting in it and its secrets, from adding breadcrumbs before blending to only using soaked, home-boiled, and shelled chickpeas. And nothing will parallel its mouthfeel and the excitement of exploring its varieties.
Yet, as someone with autoimmune illnesses including Celiac’s Disease and a dairy allergy, I couldn’t partake in its glory for long before my diagnoses. As I wrote about it in my book The Thirlby: A Field Guide to a Vibrant Mind, Body, & Soul, I took that as a challenge to experiment and play more in the kitchen rather than sulk in my losses. There are a variety of recipes in there as a result, including a bean-free beet dip & nut- & grain-free crackers.
Below you’ll find additional tried, tested, and salivated-over recipes that are bean-free and vegan dip alternatives to hummus
Photo courtesy of Heidi Swanson
Spinach-Artichoke Dip that we lie making with Miyoko’s vegan Mozarella cheese
Seed Pâté, from one of our favourites, Heidi Swanson
And a Vibrant Beet Caviar, also from her that we make with Kite Hill plain yoghurt
Cauliflower Hummus, that is also lower in carbohydrates for those who are Diabetics
Cauliflower Pizza Dip, if you’re looking for an even more flavourful option
Almond Hummus, a great treat to repurpose almond pulp from making almond milk
VegVeeta Dip, for a warm, cheesy but vegan alternative to its processed cousin Velveeta
Creamy Garlic Cilantro Dip, for which we like using Kite Hill cream cheese
A Thai-inspired Dip, for a richer option
Fennel Babaganoush, for which you can skip the anchovies if you’d like
A Spiced Apple Dip, because not all dips have to be savoury!
About the Author
Almila Kakinc-Dodd is the Founder, Editor-in-Chief of The Thirlby. She is also the author of the book The Thirlby: A Field Guide to a Vibrant Mind, Body, & Soul. She is currently pursuing her Master’s in Nursing as a Dean’s Scholar at Johns Hopkins University. Her background is in Anthropology & Literature, which she has further enriched through her Integrative Health Practitioner training at Duke University. She lives in the Washington, D.C. Metro Area, where she regularly contributes to various publications. She is a member of Democratic Socialists of America and urges others to join the movement.
