I honestly almost posted this recipe over the weekend because I COULD NOT wait to share it with you!
I made this ridiculous Healthy Buffalo Chickpea Dip last Saturday, and as soon as I set it on the table, the conversation went a little something like this:
Mark: “ALEXA. This is one of your best recipes!”
Alexa: “Really?! I love it, too! I’m so glad!”
Mark: “No seriously. You need to market this or something!”
Alexa: “Do you realize I have a food blog?”
Mark: “No but seriously. This is one of your all-time best recipes!”
Alexa: “!!!!!”
aaaaaand that went on for about 20 minutes. And then again the following day when I made it for the second time in two days. ? Whoops. #noshame
In short, we freakin’ love this stuff.
And you totally will, too.
This is one of those recipes where you’ll take one bite and instantly shout, “Where have you BEEN all my life?!” One that you make for Super Bowl parties, potlucks, or get togethers, and everyone goes, “THIS is HEALTHY?!” One that you will literally not.be.able.to.stop.making. And one that only requires 6 ingredients.
You’re welcome.
I have had crazy-strong cravings for spicy foods lately, so I had to try and healthify, vegetarianize, and gluten free-ify one of my all-time favorite spicy dips! Especially in this next month and a half where everything centers around football. Healthy game day food that tastes just as sinfully delicious as the traditional stuff? Oh yeah, we’re going there.
It all starts out with one of my favorite healthy dip hacks – hummus! Hummus makes this Healthy Buffalo Chickpea Dip just as creamy, dreamy, and delicious as the classic buffchixdip without all of the cream cheese/ranch/blue cheese/etc. Pinky promise.
Next, ze hot sauce. Technically you can totally use any kind of hot sauce your little heart desires. However. Because we’re wanting this vegetarian buffalo chicken dip to taste as close to the original as possible, I will alwaysalwaysalways choose Frank’s. It’s a classic, and I love it so.
Next, for some extra flava, we’ll add some garlic, parsley, and cheese. If you’re dairy free and/or vegan, you can totally leave the cheese out or use nutritional yeast or use a vegan cheese. I added some mozzarella because it’s such a small amount (only 1/4 cup!), and it really helps to tame some of the blowyourfaceoff heat from the hot sauce. But, to each their own!
So you blend all of these ingredients together, pulse in some chickpeas, and bake for 20-30 minutes, and you’ll be greeted with the tastiest, creamiest, most flavorful vegetarian buffalo chickpea dip ever. Seriously, this stuff…I just had it with dinner, but I already want more!
This Healthy Buffalo Chickpea Dip is a big freakin’ deal. Gone are the days where vegetarians and vegans alike would pine over that cheesy, melty, spicy buffalo chicken dip; this Healthy Buffalo Chickpea Dip is here to make all of your dip dreams come true.
PrintHealthy Buffalo Chickpea Dip
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 servings
Ingredients
- 8-oz. plain hummus
- 1/2 cup hot sauce (I used Frank’s)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1–2 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley, plus more for topping
- 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella, plus more for topping (optional, vegans use vegan cheese or nutritional yeast!)
- 1 14-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Add hummus, hot sauce, garlic, parsley, and cheese to a food processor, and blend until smooth. Pulse in chickpeas until the mixture is chunky and the chickpeas have broken down a little (you’ll still want a little texture here).
- Pour dip into a baking dish of your choosing (I have small crocks that I love), and bake 20-30 minutes, or until the dip is nice and hot.*
- Top with fresh parley, and serve with corn tortilla chips or carrots!
Notes
*Baking time will depend entirely on your baking dish! Just keep an eye on it and use your judgement!
Okay, this looks seriously yummy. And that cheese pull shot…mm. Yes.
SERIOUSLY, Lucia! I love this stuff!
Buffalo Chickpea Dip!?! Man, you’ve outdone yourself Alexa! I’m totally trying this over the weekend.
YAY! Liz, you MUST! Please let me know how you like it!!
If you’ve got the chickpeas anyway, why not make your own hummus, too? So if you have no hummus, would two cans of chickpeas do the trick? One creamed initially with all the ingredients, then add the second can after? I usually just cook dried chickpeas. With dried chickpeas, I guess just add stuff until it tastes right, yes? :)
I’m sure you could, Cherie! I just had some hummus laying around, so it saved me an extra step! I’d suggest mixing in some tahini, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and a little more garlic and seeing how it goes from there If you do go the whole “make your own hummus” route, be sure to report back here and tell me how it tastes!
Alexa!! This is what party food is all about, girl! This sounds like the ultimate in ‘you’d never know it was healthy’ recipes… which happen to be my favourite kind of recipes. Pinnnnned.
Right?! Right there with you, Rebecca! Party food is bae <3 Thanks for pinning!
Oh my gosh Alexa, this looks freaking insane! I can’t wait to try this. I’ll try to sub nutritional yeast!
YES! DO IT! Let me know what you think, Emilie!
This recipe is genius! I love adding Frank’s to pulled chicken but I’ve never thought to add it to chickpeas for a hummus dip! Can’t wait to make this on Super Bowl Sunday!
Oh my gosh! This looks amazing! Sounds like a huge hit! Thanks for sharing it with us. Also, this is the first time I’ve found your blog and I love it!! I can’t wait to read more! Hope that you’ve had a awesome weekend!!
Thank you SO much, Cailee! You are so sweet :) I hope you had an awesome weekend as well!!
OMG. Someone please stop me from drooling everywhere. I put buffalo sauce on literally everything. I can’t wait to try this!!
YAY! Me, too! I’m glad there’s someone else out there like me ;) If you try it, let me know!
I want to take this to a potluck. Do you think I could do it in the crockpot? Maybe I should bake it the night before and then transfer it to a crockpot for the lunch potluck the next day?
Great question! You could probably make this in the crockpot, although I’ve never tried it. You might need to double the recipe depending on the size of your crockpot. I’d suggest greasing the sides with some olive oil and cooking it on low until hot. Let me know if you give it a try! :)
I love this recipe and I think its a great alternative to Buff Chick dip, and is awesome for football Sundays. I am also a plant-based veggie eater and would love to share this with my readers with a link back to your blog for the recipe.
megan // mysprinkleofprep.wordpress.com
So glad you like this recipe, Megan! You can definitely link back to this recipe on your blog (I just ask that you don’t republish the full thing) :) Thanks for the support!
I am definitely trying this. Has anyone topped with Blue Cheese? Or mixed some crumbles in?
Cool idea, Christine! I don’t know of anyone trying to top it with blue cheese, but I’d love to know how it turned out!
I just might have to try this. I have cans of chickpeas here anyway and I might try making my own hummus like someone else mentioned. I like blue cheese with buffalo sauce so I’m wondering how that would taste in place of the mozzarella. Of course, then I’d miss out on the stretchy gooey cheese!
Oh I bet blue cheese would be great! I’m not a fan, but if you like blue cheese with spicy stuff, go for it!
I’m so glad I found this. I’m just starting to go vegan and I’m planning a movie night with my boyfriend. This is going to be perfect! I’m so excited to try this!
Enjoy!
Hi! This looks amazing! I know that a regular batch says 3-4 servings. Do you know how big the servings are? (2 T., 1/4 C., 1/2 C., etc.?) I’d like to make this for a family gathering on Saturday but want to make enough for everybody.
Hi, Lisa! It makes about two cups of dip :)
Just made this and DANG it is delicious. I made my own fresh hummus and used nutritional yeast to keep the recipe 100% vegan. I also put some raw cauliflower florets and thinly sliced carrots into the baking dish along with the dip to turn it into a vegan buffalo wing-es dish. It was fantastic! Thanks for the recipe :D
So glad to hear you enjoyed it!!