Cauliflower Dip

Hot and cheesy, my cauliflower dip is a tasty snack or appetizer to share for a get-together with friends, a “date night” in, or a fun movie night. Loaded with lots of savory additions such as roasted garlic, four delicious cheeses, spinach, and herbs, this delectable cauliflower dip recipe is a crowd pleaser, perfect for plunging corn chips into!

A Hot, Cheesy Dip That's Simply Irresistible

In our household, we just can't seem to get enough of rich, creamy, savory dips. We enjoy whipping 'em up whenever we're planning a fun evening in.

And while we love cool and creamy dips like hummus, sour cream and onion, and labneh, we tend to gravitate towards the hot, bubbly cheesy dips when we're craving something a bit extra indulgent and decadent.

This cauliflower dip is a perfect example of how we love our hot dips, loaded up with all sorts of bells and whistles, and lots of flavorful, pungent cheese so that each and every bit contains a unique and tasty morsel, a little surprise for our tastebuds.

The nice bonus with a hot, cheesy dip like this is that I can really sneak in some veggies such as roasted cauliflower and baby spinach, and make them taste absolutely divine!

So the next time you find yourself with a little hankering for a hot, cheesy dip that you can share at your next little gathering or “date night” at home, this cauliflower dip recipe is a super tasty one to try out.

With loads of savory flavor from a handful of delicious ingredients, it's one delectably rich, creamy, and decadent offering that no one can resist plunging their chips into!

My Cauliflower Dip Recipe With Roasted Garlic and Spinach

When it comes to a “loaded up” hot dip, I love to taste a little surprise in each and every bite...

To create this, I like adding ingredients with various textures and flavor profiles such as roasted cauliflower florets, roasted garlic, baby spinach, and four cheeses such as Gruyere, cheddar, parmesan and cream cheese, and a sprinkle of herbs.

These tasty morsels offer a little something unique to each scoop of this creamy dip, a little taste of “complexity” so that the dip isn't overly creamy or heavy.

And to cut some of the richness, I even like to add a small splash of white wine into the base of this dip for balance (think fondue), but lemon juice works well as a substitute, if preferred.

I also add in a touch of sour cream and kiss of mayo for tangy smoothness.

Once combined and blended together, the result is creamy, savory, and wonderfully earthy—irresistible flavor!

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

1. To get started, I prep my garlic heads and wrap in foil, then place into the oven to roast, directly on the oven rack.
2. After 10 minutes, I place my seasoned cauliflower florets into the oven on a baking sheet next to the wrapped garlic heads, and allow them to roast together until tender, about 30 minutes.
3. After the cauliflower and garlic heads have roasted, I allow them to cool before prepping them for the dip.
4. To assemble the cauliflower dip, I add all of my dip ingredients to a large bowl, fold in my roasted garlic paste and chopped, roasted cauliflower, then use a spatula to combine.
5. Next, I spoon the mixture into an oven safe baking dish, top with remaining cheese, and bake for roughly 20-22 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
6. I serve the cauliflower dip with thick, crispy corn chips while nice and hot.

Recipe

Cauliflower Dip

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

This hot and bubbly cauliflower dip is loaded with lots of savory flavor from four delicious cheeses, roasted garlic, plus baby spinach!

Category: Appetizer
Cuisine: American

Yield: Serves 6

Nutrition Info: 370 calories per serving (dip only)

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 whole heads garlic
• Olive oil
• 6 ounces (about half of a 12 ounce bag) cauliflower florets
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Cayenne pepper
• Paprika
• ¼ teaspoon granulated onion
• ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic
• 12 ounces light cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup light sour cream
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
• ¼ cup grated parmesan
• 1 ¼ cups white cheddar and gruyere cheese blend (grated/shredded), divided use
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, for a little extra for garnish
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• ¼ teaspoon herbes de Provence, plus a pinch for garnish
• 1 tablespoon white wine (or substitute about 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice, if preferred)
• 1 cup tightly packed, raw baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped
• Corn chips, crackers or pita chips, for dipping

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 400°, and line a baking sheet with foil. Also, lightly mist a small/medium-sized baking dish with cooking spray.
3. Cut the tops off of the heads of garlic, and place each of the heads onto a small square of foil. Drizzle with a touch of olive oil, wrap tightly, and place into the hot oven directly onto the wire rack.
4. Next, toss the cauliflower florets with a generous drizzle of the olive oil, a good pinch of salt, a pinch of the black pepper, a pinch of the cayenne pepper, about ¼ teaspoon of the paprika, and the onion and garlic granules, and turn it out onto the foil-lined baking sheet.
5. Place the baking sheet into the oven next to the foil-wrapped garlic roughly 10 minutes after the garlic was put in, and roast together for 30 minutes more, until cauliflower is slightly charred and soft, and garlic is soft and aromatic.
6. Remove the cauliflower and garlic heads from the oven, and keep the oven on.
7. Unwrap the garlic heads from the foil to allow them to cool to room temp before squeezing them from their papers and smashing them into a paste with a knife or fork. Allow the cauliflower florets to cool as well, and then very finely chop them. Set both aside for a moment while you prepare the base of the dip.
8. In a large bowl, add the softened cream cheese, the sour cream, the mayo, the grated parmesan, ½ cup of the shredded cheddar/gruyere blend, the parsley, lemon zest, herbes de Provence, the white wine, another good pinch of salt (about ¾ teaspoon), and another pinch of cayenne pepper, and fold those ingredients together until fairly smooth and well combined.
9. Next, add in the chopped baby spinach, the chopped cauliflower and the roasted garlic paste, and fold those in until well incorporated.
10. Turn the mixture out into the prepared baking dish, smooth the top out a bit, and sprinkle over the remainder of the shredded cheddar/gruyere cheese.
11. Sprinkle another little pinch of the herbes de Provence and paprika over the cheese, and bake in the oven for about 20-22 minutes, or until golden and bubbly. To finish, sprinkle with a touch of the chopped parsley, and serve hot with corn chips or choice of accompaniment.

Tips & Tidbits for my Cauliflower Dip recipe:

• Pre-packaged cauliflower florets, for convenience: For this recipe, I'll typically just grab a 12 ounce bag of cauliflower florets to keep the trimming and clean-up to a minimum, and use half of it. If you have a head of cauliflower, you'll need about 6 ounces of cauliflower, or roughly 2 ½ (slightly heaping) cups of florets.
• Lots of savory cheese: I'm using a combo of cheeses to create lots of flavor in this dip, and among my favorites is a combo of Gruyere and white cheddar. I get mine in a “block” form at Trader Joe's (they have a Gruyere and white cheddar blend). But if you prefer, you can simply use one of the two. Other tasty options are mozzarella, jack cheese, or provolone.
• Make-ahead cauliflower dip: If you'd like to prep this to make ahead, prepare the recipe all the way through the step of combining all of the ingredients, then spoon into your baking dish. Do not bake at this point, but rather wrap in plastic wrap and keep in the fridge. Then, when ready to prepare and serve the dip, remove it from the fridge about 2 hours before baking to come to room temp, then bake and serve.

Craving more delectable recipes such as this? Check out this Artichoke Dip, this Warm Eggplant Dip with Spiced Yogurt, this Hummus, this Labneh, this Sour Cream and Onion Dip, or this Cheese Ball!

Cook's Note: This recipe was originally published in 2014, and has been updated with even more love!