Skinny Poolside Dip

Skinny Poolside Dip is a tasty and creamy veggie dip appetizer. With reduced fat dairy, corn and peppers, it’s guilt free and easy to make.

Skinny Poolside Dip

Gotta love book club.  First there’s the camaraderie. Then the reading.  And finally, the delicious food.  Like this Skinny Poolside Dip!  It was a huge hit—and it’s perfect for all the upcoming summer festivities!

Yes, besides being a “skinny” dip (aka lighter and lower in fat and calories), this is seriously tasty.  It’s a beautiful combination of contrast–sweet from the corn, spicy from the jalapenos and creamy from the cream cheese and yogurt.  Just add crunch from some dippers! 

Skinny Poolside Dip should have a little heat–enough to notice but not so hot that your husband or other favorite hot food wimp won’t eat it.  See my comments about hot peppers in the tips at the end.    

And if you make it in the fall, you can even use local sweet corn and peppers.  When September rolls around, I start calling it Local Harvest Dip!

Skinny Poolside Dip

Why You’ll Love This!

Tasty. In the broad category of flavorful Ranch Veggie Dips, this is a winner.  In fact, my flavor mantra is sweet, savory, creamy, crunchy!  Yup, it ticks all the boxes!

Easy.  This dip is very easy to prepare.  There’s no cooking and the only thing you need to cut is the peppers. 

Guilt-free.  With a base of reduced fat cream cheese and yogurt, plus lots of healthy veggies, this is a no-guilt appetizer.  How many snacks can say that!  

Skinny Poolside Dip

What You’ll Need

Ingredient Notes

  • Jalapeño peppers.  This adds a kick of spice and flavor.  You can also use a poblano pepper though you’ll need to use about twice as much since they’re milder.
  • Reduced fat cream cheese (Neufchatel).   This forms the creamy base for the dip.
  • Greek yogurt.  This contributes to the creamy base for the dip.
  • Ranch Dip Mix.  This adds lots of flavor.  I used the store brand and you can also use your own mix.  I have a homemade option at the end of the recipe card.
  • Red bell pepper.  This adds flavor and nutrition.  You can substitute a yellow or orange ripe pepper, or even an equivalent amount of banana peppers.  And you can use a frozen pepper as long as it wasn’t blanched first.
  • Canned corn.  This adds flavor and nutrition.  I used a can but feel free to take fresh corn off of the cob if it’s selling at the farmers market!
  • Black Olives (optional). Adds color and flavor

Special Tools

  • No special tools required!

Step by Step Directions

This dip is so easy!  To start you chop the peppers.  I used a poblano here, but consider wearing gloves if you chop the hotter jalapenos.

chop peppers

In a mixer or by hand, cream the cream cheese. 

cream the cream cheese

When smooth add in the yogurt and the ranch mix and mix just until combined.

add ranch and yogurt

Fold in the peppers, corn and olives. 

add veggiesServe with raw vegetables, cracker, chips, or sliced French bread.

dipping carrot stick

How to Serve

No, you don’t need to have a pool party to serve this—though that sound like fun!   And I’ve also heard this called Skinny Beach Dip–just in case an ocean or lakeside picnic is in your future! 

I like to serve Skinny Poolside Dip as a starter before any kind of dinner, formal or informal.  Or serve it with a collection of other appetizers for a fun cocktail party. Wouldn’t some Scotch Eggs or  Fusion Bruschetta be delicious next to this on an appetizer table? 

Now to make this healthy vegetable dip truly skinny you really should serve it with cut up veggies and nix the chips.  Carrot sticks, pieces of broccoli and snap peas are all perfect dippers!

But everyone isn’t on a diet, so I like to serve some chips, crackers, or cocktail bread too.  Yes, I just wish I could say I only ate the veggie dippers…

Skinny Pool Dip Served Outside

Variations and Special Diets

In the mood for healthy dips now?  For a couple other options, consider my 5-Ingredient Smoked Fish Dip or a nice Spicy Hummus Dip!

Special Diets

This recipe adapts easily to special diets and is already vegetarian.  For an easy vegan or dairy-free version, you can use plant-based cream cheese and yogurt.

If you’re doing keto, and fat is your friend, use full fat cream cheese instead of the light cream cheese and the yogurt.  Then thin it out with cream so it’s a dippable consistency.  The peppers will be fine, but I’d use some finely chopped broccoli instead of the corn.  Serve with pork rinds!  No deprivation!

And feel free to change up the vegetables in here is someone has an allergy or sensitivity.

dipping a chip

Leftovers

Cover and refrigerate any leftovers.  They should be good a couple days, though the dip may get more watery. 

My husband ate our leftover skinny pool dip on toast for breakfast!

Tips & FAQs

Hot peppers, such as jalapenos and poblanos, will vary in intensity.  Be ready to compensate with some extras if you get a batch that is very mild.  And be sure to take a test taste in case you get super hot peppers and wish you’d used less—once it’s in the dip there’s no taking it back!

Skinny Poolside Dip

Skinny Poolside Vegetable Dip

Skinny Poolside Dip

Skinny Poolside Dip is a tasty and creamy vegetable dip appetizer. With reduced fat dairy, corn and peppers, it's guilt free and even easy to make.
Author: Inger
4.50 from 2 votes
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Servings 8
Calories 146 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 jalapeño peppers or 1 poblano pepper
  • 1 red bell pepper or other ripe pepper
  • ½ cup nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese (Neufchatel), softened
  • 1 package Ranch Dip Mix see note
  • 15 ounces corn 1 can
  • 3-4 ounces olives sliced (one small can) optional

Instructions
 

  • Chop peppers.
  • In a mixer or by hand, cream the cream cheese. When smooth add in the yogurt and the ranch mix and mix just until combined.
  • Fold in the peppers, corn and olives.
  • Serve with raw vegetables, cracker, chips, or sliced French bread.

Notes

If you need a sub for the Ranch Dip Mix, you can try 1/2 - 1 teaspoons of onion powder & garlic powder, 1 Tablespoon dried parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.

Nutrition

Calories: 146kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 6gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.001gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 536mgPotassium: 248mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 842IUVitamin C: 26mgCalcium: 64mgIron: 0.4mg
I am not a health professional and nutrition data is calculated programatically. Accuracy may vary with product selection, calculator accuracy, etc. Consult a professional for the best information.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Originally published on Aug 30, 2015

13 thoughts on “Skinny Poolside Dip

  1. Juliana

    This is such an interesting dip…and yes, healthy and tasty…what else could I ask for…great with vegetables. Thanks for the recipe Inger…I hope you are having a fabulous week!

    1. Inger Post author

      Thanks Juliana! Normally I’d be suspicious of something like this, but since I tried it first, I was hooked!

  2. David

    Good for you – I need to try this… but fear that if I eat the entire bowl, it might not be a skinny dip for me! 😉

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