Blue Cheese Dip – Lana’s Cooking
What would hot wings be without Blue Cheese Dip? It’s simply what makes them work! And my version takes just four ingredients and a thirty-minute rest to have it ready for the table.
Blue cheese is one of my favorite cheeses. Whether it’s Danish blue, Maytag, Roquefort, Gorgonzola, or the very lovely English Stilton, I love them all.
The best burger of all time in my book is one with a bit of blue cheese melted on top right before it comes off the grill. Or a lovely grilled steak, perfectly cooked with a dollop to finish it off. I also have a great recipe for a little appetizer using a bit of blue cheese placed on a piece of Belgian endive with a candied pecan on top. Delicious!
But the recipe that really earns its keep around here is this one. We have it with baked buffalo wings, the way you’d expect, but I also serve it with chicken strips and fries, a bottle of Frank’s Red Hot Wing Sauce on the table and a pile of celery sticks alongside. That’s a standing dinner in this house, and this dip is the reason it works.
I’ve been making it this way for at least twenty years, and it just works every single time.
Recipe Snapshot: Blue Cheese Dip
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: none
Rest Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 8
Cuisine: American
Cooking Method: none
Primary Ingredients: Mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, blue cheese
Skill Level: Easy
What Makes This Recipe Special
Four ingredients and a squeeze of lemon. That’s all it takes. The mayonnaise and sour cream give it body, the lemon brightens it up, and the blue cheese carries the flavor. Straightforward, clean, and exactly what you want with your wings and chicken strips.
A thirty-minute rest in the refrigerator for the flavors to mingle, and it’s ready. It cuts right through the heat of wing sauce and gives you that pleasant pungent taste you crave from a real blue cheese dip.
Ingredient Notes
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- Blue Cheese — Buy crumbled blue cheese as a time saver, or get a wedge and crumble it yourself. I usually pick up a wedge because it’s typically nicer cheese and lets you control how fine the crumbles are. For a milder dip, look for Gorgonzola or a Danish blue. For something sharper and more pungent, Roquefort or Stilton will get you there.
- Mayonnaise — It’s always Duke’s mayo for me. It’s tangier and less sweet than most brands, which is exactly what I want. Low-fat mayonnaise does work just as well here if you prefer it.
- Sour Cream — Full-fat creates the thickest dip, but low-fat sour cream performs well, and I’ve used it plenty of times with good results.
- Lemon — Use a fresh lemon and juice it yourself. Or squeeze in a bit of refrigerated ReaLemon from the bottle. Lemon brightens the flavors in a softer way than some other choices like vinegar or Worcestershire.
The complete ingredient list with detailed measurements is included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Recipe Variations and Substitutions
- Add a little heat. A few dashes of hot sauce stirred into the dip works well if you’re serving it with something mild. With hot wings, I leave it as is and let the wing sauce do that job.
- Make it chunkier or smoother. Break the cheese into larger crumbles for pockets of concentrated flavor, or mash it against the side of the bowl with a fork to distribute it evenly through the dip. I like some texture, so I stop short of mashing it all the way down.
- Use low-fat products. Low-fat mayonnaise and sour cream both work well. The dip comes out slightly thinner, but the flavor holds.
- Turn it into a dressing. Thin the dip with up to ¼ cup of milk or buttermilk, and use it as an easy blue cheese dressing.
How to Make Blue Cheese Dip
STEP 1. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, and crumbled blue cheese to a small mixing bowl, then season with a generous pinch of salt and some freshly cracked black pepper. Stir until everything is well blended.
STEP 2. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors come together.
Pro Tip
A 30-minute rest is really all this dip needs, in my opinion. I’ve seen other recipes that call for an hour or overnight, but this dip is ready to use much sooner. Do taste it before you serve, and adjust the salt and pepper if you feel it needs it.
Recipe Tips
- Taste before you add more salt. Blue cheese and mayonnaise both bring some salt to the party, so add a pinch, stir, taste, and go from there.
- Don’t skip the rest. Just 30 minutes in the refrigerator pulls the flavors together.
- Taste again after chilling. Cold mutes flavor, so a dip that tasted right at room temperature may need a little more salt or a squeeze of lemon once it’s cold. Adjust just before serving.
- If it’s too thick, thin it with milk a teaspoon at a time. Sour cream and mayonnaise vary in thickness by brand, so the dip may not be the same consistency with different brands. Add slowly and stop when it’s where you want it.
- Blue cheese gets sharper as it sits. A dip made a day ahead will taste noticeably more pungent than one made an hour ahead. Worth knowing if you’re making it for people who are cautious about blue cheese.
How to Serve
Serve the dip cold with a variety of fresh veggies or whatever else you like for dipping. Carrot sticks, cucumber spears, bell pepper strips, cherry tomatoes, and radishes all work, and sturdy kettle chips or pita chips hold up well against something this thick. I’ve even been known to dip apple slices. Yes, it was good.
Of course, it belongs next to baked buffalo wings, but don’t stop there. We have it very often with chicken tenders and fries. A spoonful topping a burger fresh off the grill is one of my favorite things.
For a party spread, set the bowl out with the celery and a few other dippers around it, and put out a small bowl of extra blue cheese crumbles for anyone who wants more.
How to Store
Store any leftover dip in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Give it a stir before serving, since a little liquid may separate out as it sits.
Keep in mind that the blue cheese flavor will sharpen during storage. A dip that tasted balanced when you made it can be noticeably more pungent by day three or four, which is either a feature or a problem depending on who’s eating it.
Blue cheese dip doesn’t freeze. The mayonnaise and sour cream both break when thawed, so make it fresh, or a day ahead at most.
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Recipe
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Add all ingredients to a small mixing bowl. Stir until well blended.
½ cup mayonnaise, ½ cup sour cream, juice of 1/2 lemon, 2 ounces blue cheese, salt, pepper
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Cover and store in refrigerator for 30 minutes or more to allow flavors to combine.
- Buy crumbled blue cheese, or crumble a wedge yourself.
- Gorgonzola and Danish blue make a milder dip, while Roquefort and Stilton are sharper and more pungent.
- Low-fat mayonnaise and sour cream both work well if you prefer them.
- Stir gently for larger crumbles and pockets of flavor, or press the cheese against the side of the bowl to distribute it evenly.
- If the dip is thicker than you want, thin it with milk a teaspoon at a time.
- To use as a salad dressing, thin the dip with up to ¼ cup of milk or buttermilk.
- Serve cold with celery sticks, carrots, cucumber, bell pepper strips, sturdy chips, hot wings, or chicken strips.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Not suitable for freezing.
Serving 2tablespoonsCalories 149kcalCarbohydrates 1gProtein 2gFat 15gSaturated Fat 4gPolyunsaturated Fat 6gMonounsaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0.03gCholesterol 20mgSodium 175mgPotassium 39mgSugar 1gVitamin A 153IUVitamin C 0.1mgCalcium 53mgIron 0.1mg
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
