Chive dip is a dipping sauce made with chives, which are the smallest species of onions. Besides chives, cream cheese or sour cream and seasonings like garlic and black pepper also form a part of the dip, which is served as a condiment with foods like chips and crackers.
Chive Dip Preparation Overview
Ingredients: The sauce is made with chopped chives as the principal ingredient, and cream cheese or sour cream and seasonings. Seasonings used are garlic (fresh crushed garlic or granulated garlic), ground black pepper, hot sauce, parsley flakes and chervil leaves. Some recipes suggest use of yoghurt or a mixture of mayonnaise and sour cream in place of cheese or sour cream.
Method of Preparation: To prepare the dip, the ingredients are mixed well in a mixing bowl and then refrigerated for a couple of hours before serving.
Serving Chive Dip
The dip is served chilled, with foods like crackers, chips, sesame sticks, pretzels, etc. It may also be served with vegetables like crisp celery or carrots, or with meats.
Chive Dip Recipe Variations
- Bacon and Chive Dip: The dip is made by adding bacon bits to the usual chive dip ingredients, which are then mixed and refrigerated.
- Chives and Onion Dip: The dip is made by mixing together chopped onion, granulated garlic, garlic salt, celery, ground black pepper and chives, and storing in an air tight container for future preparation. The ingredients are mixed with sour cream, mayonnaise, and seasonings of parsley, paprika and cilantro just before serving.
- Chive Horseradish Dip: It is made by mixing together cottage cheese, cream cheese, horseradish and chives.
- Chive Cucumber Dip: Seeded and shredded cucumber is mixed with softened cream cheese, chopped chives and garlic powder to make this dip. The dip may be garnished with fresh dill or chive stems.
Nutritional Information
Chive dip helps in digesting the food accompaniments served with it, as chives are known to assist in digestion by helping the intestines get rid of unwanted bacteria and fungi. It is also beneficial for its allicin content, which is good for overall health as well as lowering of blood pressure and cholesterol. Different versions of sour cream and chive dip contain anywhere between 1 to 3 calories per gram, while the cream cheese and chive dip contains about 5 calories per gram.
