This flavorful, hot appetizer dip is a simple combination of puréed cauliflower, blue cheese, cream cheese, and mayo. It’s easy to prepare, serves twelve, and can be made up to two days in advance, making it a perfect choice for stress-free entertaining. Serve it with your favorite crackers or slices of toasted baguette – it makes a memorable alternative to chips and dip.
Recipe Insights
When choosing appetizers for entertaining, we always give careful consideration to the rest of the meal we’re serving. Is the main course heavy like roast turkey or pork? Do the side dishes have rich creamy sauces? No worries either way with this dip because thanks to the cauliflower, it’s surprisingly light and makes a great starter for your guests to pick at, no matter what you’re serving (suggestions below).
What You’ll Find in This Post
Key Ingredients
- Cauliflower: You can use either fresh or frozen cauliflower for this recipe. If you’re using frozen cauliflower keep in mind that it can give off some extra water as it cooks, so be sure it’s well-drained before combining it with the other ingredients.
- Blue cheese: Don’t feel like you need to buy an expensive wedge of blue cheese for this recipe – save the good stuff for serving on its own. Ready-made blue cheese crumbles are perfect for this dish.
- Cream cheese: We’ve calculated the nutrition information for this recipe with regular cream cheese, but if you normally use the reduced-fat variety, go ahead and use it. We’ve made it with both types and you won’t lose anything in terms of flavor or texture.
- Mayonnaise: Any brand of mayo will work in this recipe, but we don’t recommend products like Miracle Whip because of their sweet flavor.
How to Make Hot Cauliflower Dip with Blue Cheese
- Preheat the oven and generously butter a medium-sized oven-proof baking dish.
- Steam the cauliflower florets until very tender when pierced with a knife, drain well, and transfer them to a large bowl.
- Add crumbled blue cheese, cream cheese, and mayonnaise. Mash together roughly with a fork, then purée with a hand-held blender until the mixture reaches the desired consistency (we like to leave it a little chunky). You can also use a food processor or conventional blender if you prefer. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, then transfer to the prepared baking dish.
- Bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, then serve with crackers or thin slices of toasted baguette.
Make Ahead Instructions
This recipe can be made up to two days ahead and reheated. Prepare the recipe according to the instructions and let it cool completely before covering the baking dish with foil. When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 350°F and bake covered for 20 minutes. Uncover, and continue baking for an additional 15 to 20 minutes until heated through.
What Goes with Cauliflower Dip
Since fall is the peak season for cauliflower, this dip is one of our go-to appetizers during the holiday season. We’ve served it with our brined turkey breast and herb-roasted turkey, roast duck (for when we’re feeling fancy), and our top-rated boneless pork roast.
As far as drinks are concerned, we pair our wines with the blue cheese because even though it’s mellowed quite a bit by the cauliflower and cream cheese, it’s still the predominant flavor in the dip.
Red wine would be the best match, either Merlot (our preference) or Cabernet Sauvignon. If you want to go with a white, try something like Gewurztraminer or a semi-sweet Riesling. For beer lovers, go with a Belgian Saison or Porter.
Cauliflower Dip with Blue Cheese
Ingredients
- 6 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
- 8 cups cauliflower florets, one large head or two 12-ounce bags frozen
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- Salt, pepper, and garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and generously butter a medium-sized oven-proof baking dish.
- Add some water to a large pot fitted with a steamer rack. Bring to a boil, add the cauliflower florets, cover, and steam until they are very tender when pierced with a knife, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain well.
- Transfer the cauliflower to a large bowl and add the blue cheese, cream cheese, and mayonnaise.
- Mash together roughly with a fork, then purée with a hand-held blender until the mixture reaches the desired consistency (we like to leave it a little chunky). You can also use a food processor or conventional blender if you prefer.
- Season to taste with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, then transfer to the prepared baking dish (dish can be made ahead to this point and refrigerated).
- Bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, then serve with crackers or thin slices of toasted baguette.
Jose says
Made this last weekend to take to a friend’s house. Everybody liked it. Thanks for sharing.