Make creamy cottage cheese ranch dip for a healthy, high-protein snack! Enjoy a flavorful twist on the creamy dip—perfect for your favorite veggies or spreading on sandwiches, burgers, and wraps! Try classic buttermilk ranch dressing or dill pickle ranch dressing for another variation!
Key Ingredients
The healthy ranch dip is a protein-packed alternative to traditional ranch for game day, parties, and snacking. Plus, you only need a handful of simple ingredients to make it.
- Cottage Cheese: Use your full-fat cottage cheese as the base of this dip for a creamy texture. Good culture cottage cheese is the one I use.
- Lemon: You will need fresh lemon juice from one lemon to balance the creaminess of the other ingredients. Select a lemon with a vibrant color that is heavy for its size. Bring it to room temperature and roll it between your palm and the counter to make it easier to juice.
- Garlic: Include two fresh garlic cloves for the best flavor.
- Spices: Prepare your own ranch seasoning mix using dried dill, garlic powder, onion powder, dried parsley, kosher salt, coarse black pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Olive Oil: Stir in a small amount of extra-virgin olive oil to give the ranch dip a silky finish.
Additions and Substitutions
- Try fresh herbs. Replace the dried herbs with fresh dill or parsley.
- Thicken the dip. Include plain Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, or sour cream for a thicker dip.
- Spice it up. Skip the prep time and use store-bought spice blends to flavor the ranch. Greek seasoning and ranch seasoning mix are solid options, or experiment with taco seasoning or Cajun spices like my Slap Ya Mama seasoning recipe.
Variations of Ranch Dressing
- Dill Pickle Ranch Dressing
- Avocado Ranch
- Serrano Ranch Dressing
- Chili Lime Ranch Dressing
- BBQ Ranch
- Buffalo Ranch Dressing
- Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing
- Bacon Ranch
Tools You’ll Need
You will need a food processor to blend the ingredients for cottage cheese ranch dip into a smooth, creamy condiment.
How to Make Cottage Cheese Ranch Dip
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Add the cottage cheese, fresh garlic, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, dried parsley, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes to a food processor. Blend for about one minute until smooth.
Step 2: Add the olive and stir to combine. Transfer the dip to an airtight container or glass jar and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.
Expert Tips:
- Adjust the consistency. Pulse the food processor or high-speed blender a few times instead of letting it run if you enjoy a thicker consistency. Process the ingredients until smooth, or add a little bit of milk or cream to thin out the mixture for a smoother dip.
- Chill out. Let the dip chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.
If you enjoy the cottage cheese ranch dip, pair it with one of these recipes!
Serving Suggestions
The best way to serve cottage cheese ranch dip is with fresh vegetables like baby carrots, cucumber slices, bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes for a healthy snack or easy appetizer. It also pairs well with air fryer pita chips, tortilla chips, pretzels, pita bread, potato chips, or whole-grain crackers.
Go all out and serve creamy ranch dip with savory meals like Nashville hot chicken tenders, hot honey lemon pepper chicken wings, or air fryer buffalo chicken tenders.
You can even spread it onto sandwiches, wraps, and grilled sweet potatoes, or use it to replace classic ranch dressing in recipes like Instant Pot buffalo chicken dip.
What To Do With Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Store leftover cottage cheese ranch dip in an airtight container or Mason jar for one week. Give the dressing a good shake or stir when it’s time to serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of dip can you make with cottage cheese?
Cottage cheese is incredibly versatile and takes on the flavor of whatever you pair it with.
Swap it for other dairy-based ingredients and add protein to savory dips like crab spinach dip, tzatziki, and Instant Pot buffalo chicken dip.
It also works well in sweet dips, like Oreo dip, or as a base for a whipped cottage cheese dip, similar to whipped ricotta dip.
Or consider mixing it into classics like guacamole or chunky salsa for a creamy twist.
More Dip Recipes:
Cottage Cheese Ranch Dip
- 2 cups cottage cheese
- lemon juice, one lemon
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried dill
- 1½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1½ teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon coarse black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Add the cottage cheese, fresh garlic, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, dried parsley, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes to a food processor. Blend for about one minute until smooth.
- Add the olive and stir to combine. Transfer the dip to an airtight container or glass jar and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.
- Adjust the consistency. Pulse the food processor or high-speed blender a few times instead of letting it run if you enjoy a thicker consistency. Process the ingredients until smooth, or add a little bit of milk or cream to thin out the mixture for a smoother dip.
- Chill out. Let the dip chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.