Roasted Zucchini Dip

Light, velvety and absolutely scrumptious, this roasted zucchini dip is a fantastic option to whip up when zucchini is deliciously in season. Prepared with roasted zucchini, olive oil, Greek yogurt, garlic, dill, lemon and feta cheese, this dip recipe is an irresistibly delicious and healthy snack with crackers or toast!

Zucchini gets whirled up into a healthy dip

Whenever zucchini season rolls around each year—typically from June through August—I get a hankering to put these gorgeous green squash to good use in as many delicious ways as I possibly can.

Because zucchini is as versatile as it is, it’s one of our favorite veggies. I often love to prepare it simply by sautéing it with garlic and cherry tomatoes to serve as a side with salmon.

I also adore grating it for use in my veggie-full and savory zucchini fritters as well as my sweet zucchini carrot bread, or even slicing it into thin, ribbon-like slices to create my scrumptious zucchini roll ups, topped with lots of cheese!

However one serves zucchini, it's always a terrific pick, perfect for so many uses.

Because I am a huge fan of dips, this zucchini season, I figured that a savory, herby, roasted zucchini dip would be the most delicious way to go, and my, oh my, was I right!

Prepared with just a handful of healthy, flavor-packed ingredients, this zucchini dip recipe is just the snack to reach for when you're craving something healthy and light. It's absolutely mouthwatering with crackers, spread atop toast, or even pita!

My recipe for roasted zucchini dip

To get the most flavor out of the zucchini for this tasty dip, I like to roast several fresh zucchini in a high-temp oven for a bit.

I slice the zucchini into semi-circles, and season liberally with salt and pepper, some fresh garlic and olive oil. Then, into the oven the zucchini goes until the slices become golden-brown, fragrant, and deliciously tender.

To create that velvety and slightly creamy texture for this delightful dip, I also use silky and rich olive oil, a nice big scoop of thick Greek yogurt, some lemon zest, and crumbled feta cheese.

That flavor combination takes this roasted zucchini dip in a Mediterranean direction, which makes it just perfect to serve with pita bread or pita chips, grain crackers, even crunchy potato chips or tortilla chips, if you're craving something a bit more substantial. We even love it spread over toast!

Super easy to whirl up in minutes in the food processor, this zucchini dip is terrific served up immediately, or even chilled for a while to help those flavors to meld, and the texture to slightly thicken up.

Here's a glance at my roasted zucchini dip recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To get started, I season and roast my zucchini for roughly 20 minutes, until tender.
2. Then, I switch my oven setting to “broil”, and broil the zucchini for a couple of minutes to create golden-brown color and add more flavor.
3. Once the zucchini is roasted, I allow it to cool to room temp for roughly 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Next, I add the yogurt, feta cheese, lemon zest and cooled zucchini to the bowl of my food processor, and process for a moment or two just until fairly smooth, with just a little bit of texture left.
5. Then, I spoon my dip mixture into a bowl and fold in the dill, more olive oil, and salt/pepper, to taste.
6. To finish, I spoon the roasted zucchini dip into a serving bowl, and chill for a couple of hours to help the texture set up a bit, and the flavors to meld.
7. I serve with crackers, pita, or toast, as accompaniments.

Recipe

Roasted Zucchini Dip

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

This roasted zucchini dip is a scrumptiously healthy appetizer that's brimming with flavor, perfect to serve during zucchini season!

Category: Appetizer
Cuisine: Mediterranean

Yield: Serves 8

Nutrition info: 110 calories (per ¼ cup serving)

Prep time: 20 minutes (does not include cooling time)
Cook time: 22 minutes
Total time: 42 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 medium zucchini (about 1 ½ pounds), ends cut off, halved, and sliced into ½-inch-thick semi-circles
• 6 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 1 ¼ cups plain Greek yogurt (whole milk)
• ¼ cup finely crumbled feta cheese
• ½ teaspoon lemon zest
• ½ cup chopped dill

Preparation:

1. Begin by gathering and prepping all of your ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
2. Preheat the oven to 425°, and line a sheet pan with foil.
3. Add the sliced zucchini to a large bowl, along with the pressed garlic, about 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, a generous couple of pinches of salt, plus a pinch or two of black pepper, and toss to combine.
4. Place the seasoned zucchini out onto the prepared sheet pan in a single layer, scraping all the garlic and oil in as well, and roast for 20 minutes.
5. After 20 minutes, switch the oven setting to “broil”, and broil the zucchini for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until a light golden brown. Remove from oven and allow the zucchini to cool for roughly 15 to 20 minutes, or to room temp.
6. Next, add the Greek yogurt, feta cheese, lemon zest, cooled zucchini, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the bowl of a food processor, and process for a couple of moments just until things become velvety and almost completely smooth.
7. Spoon the dip into a bowl, and add in the chopped dill plus a couple of pinches of salt and pepper, and fold those together. Taste to check how much salt/pepper is still needed, and add according to your taste, if needed.
8. Finally, spoon the roasted zucchini dip into a serving bowl, and for ideal results, chill the dip for two hours before serving to allow the flavors to meld and the texture to firm up slightly. Or, you can serve immediately, if desired, drizzled with a touch more olive oil over top, with crackers, pita, or veggies.

Tips & Tidbits for my roasted zucchini dip recipe:

• Roast the zucchini at high temp: I like to crank the oven up to 425° to roast my zucchini for this dip, as it helps the water inside to evaporate slightly, and gives the zucchini a bit of color. And once the zucchini is tender, I like to hit it with the broil setting, just to get a even more color.
• Full fat, plain Greek yogurt for creaminess: To give this healthy dip just a touch of richness, I use full-fat, plain Greek yogurt from two 5.3-ounce containers. However, if you prefer non-fat Greek yogurt, feel free to use that instead.
• Allow the zucchini dip to chill for a couple of hours for best results: While not absolutely necessary, I like to chill this roasted zucchini dip for about 2 hours to help the flavors to meld, and allow the dip to ever so slightly thicken up. But if you want to serve immediately, you certainly can, though it will not be quite as cold and thick.
• What to serve with this roasted zucchini dip: Serving this dip with seeded crackers, crunchy pita chips or even soft pita wedges is a great way to go, perhaps even cut veggies, if desired.

Craving more cozy and delicious dip appetizers? Check out my recipe for Healthy Spinach Dip, Mediterranean Feta Dip, Sour Cream and Onion Dip, Mexican Corn Dip, Warm Eggplant Dip with Spiced Yogurt, or even my recipe for Loaded Hummus!