We Built Dip City! Our Best Snacks for Viewing Parties

Whether you're gearing up for the Super Bowl or hosting an awards night watch-party, dip is an all-around champion. We love them because you can make them ahead and the prep for all the things you can dip can be quick. If you want to make dips yourself, we recommend the cookbook Big Dip Energy by Alyse Whitney. And if you're looking for new dip-ware, look no further than our Etsy collection.

The Dippers

You can't have dip without something to dip in it! We have lots of reliable standards, but a few surprising suggestions for your party. We're huge fans of grazing experiences, but we know that might not be possible in smaller spaces. If you do want to create a graze, lay down butcher paper or parchment paper on a clean surface before piling everything together. Keep moist ingredients like vegetables and fruit together and dry ingredients like crackers or bread in another area. Platters are also a classy way to display your dippables. Don't pile them too high or it might cause an awkward avalanche. Provide tongs in both cases, so guests can keep their hands clean.

Crudités is French for "raw vegetables" and it's often a selection of carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, and broccoli. We like to think outside the box and pick crunchy, fun vegetables that vary in flavor, color, and texture. Try rainbow carrots, endive leaves, radicchio, snow peas, snap peas, and watermelon radishes. Here's a fun trick: shave watermelon radishes with a mandoline and soak them in ice cold water overnight. They'll become dippable chips!

Blanched vegetables aren't technically crudités because they are cooked slightly, but we like to include one or two like asparagus, cauliflower, and broccoli rabe.

Chips, pita, baguette rounds, and crackers are a staple of dip parties. Some chips can be flavored, but we go for plain wavy chips, water crackers, and strong totopos (or tortilla chips) so you don't streak extra flavorings into the dip. Steer clear of chips that are too thin or brittle, breaking a chip in a thick dip is pretty disappointing.

Potato everything! French fries, tater tots, potato skins, latkes, waffle fries, sweet potato fries, and even croquettes; fried potatoes are always welcome. If you're concerned about deep frying, you can always oven-bake fries en masse. Line any serving bowl or platter with paper towel to absorb any excess oil.

Rolled up charcuterie, meatballs, and mini-sausages or hot dogs are excellent for creamy, tangy dips. Make sure you have toothpicks so your fingers don't get greasy.

Sliders and sandwiches are often served alone, but what if you had a dedicated dip for them? We're big fans of French dips. Buy a bunch of roast beef and Swiss cheese from the deli and place them in slider buns. Heat up a delicious beef broth with sliced onions and you've got yourself a simple French dip. You can also grab our Instant Pot recipe on Wine Enthusiast.

The freezer aisle may also carry interesting dippers like pakora, lumpia, pizza rolls, taquitos, mini empanadas, beef patties, dumplings, and ravioli.

All the Dips

At our events, we like to serve at least two dips, and encourage three to accommodate dietary restrictions and to promote flavor balance. For us, we like to make one vegan dip, one dairy-based dip, and one fun n' fancy dip. You might think, "I don't know how to make vegan dips!" But you probably have had many of them without knowing they were vegan. These days, you can get most vegan substitutes for cheese and milk to replace in dairy dip recipes.

Hummus can be bought from the store or made at home in a food processor with a can of chickpeas, tahini, lemon, garlic, and salt. In fact, this carries to many other beans, too. We especially like white cannellini beans and black beans for their smooth, blended texture. Baba ganoush is roasted eggplant blended with tahini, garlic, and lemon. It's fluffier and toasty compared to hummus.

Pretty much all salsas are vegan, but double check the ingredients if you buy them. Try your hand at pico de gallo, salsa verde, mango salsa, salsa macha, and guacamole. Another well-known dip is cowboy caviar, which is a mix of chopped vegetables and beans in a tangy dressing. If you're up for the challenge, you can also make a large dish of 7-layer dip.

Tahini sauce is a mixture of ground sesames, lemon, and water. Spice it up with a swirl of chili crisp, roasted garlic, or pesto on top.

In the same vein as hummus and tahini sauce, tzatziki is one of the easiest dips to make. It's whole milk Greek yogurt mixed with a grated clove of garlic with a few splashes of vinegar. You can experiment with other spice additions like cumin, coriander, paprika, and za'atar. Finish it with a drizzle of fancy olive oil and freshly chopped mint.

Salad dressing is a very popular choice for bathing crisp, fresh carrots. We always love ranch dressing, but sometimes it needs an upgrade! Sometimes we'll switch between creme fraiche, feta cheese, mascarpone, and Kewpie mayo as a base for ranch dressing. We also favor using fresh herbs over dried, but if a sauce was store-bought, blending in fresh herbs can help boost it. Another favorite of ours is thousand island dressing, which is famously used on burgers. Add some caramelized onions on top to simulate "animal style" from In N' Out Burger.

We have a recipe for Kentucky Beer Cheese on Wine Enthusiast, which is a cousin of fromage fort, pimento cheese, and pub cheese. All of these can be made ahead or purchased with no special serving instructions except put it in a bowl. Some of them from the store might be too thick to dip. You can whisk them with a bit of heavy cream to thin it out.

Many dips with shredded cheese are great when they're warmed up. Spinach artichoke dip, queso, and crab dip. A slow cooker or a wireless hot plate are excellent for keeping your dips from seizing up as your party goes on. One way to amp up your queso with protein is to add seasoned ground beef or cooked ground chorizo.

However, when it comes other seafood dips, like trout dip, smoked salmon, taramosalata, or caviar, it's best to keep them super cold on ice.

Another class of dips that are bit more adventurous are butter-based. We're fans of bagna cauda for bitter vegetables, herb butter for sliced chicken, old bay butter for seafood and toasts; as well as curry butter for sliced steak and boiled baby potatoes. Similar to the cheese-based dips, butter dips should be kept warm or they will solidify at room temperature.

Can't choose which dip you want? Have them all! We thought it was fun (and funny) to bust out a 6-cup muffin tin to serve a sampler of dips. We took the idea of 7-layer dip and separated them into their own cups. If you don't have a muffin tin, individual ramekins can also present the same selection.

The word "dip" usually conjures savory ideas, but consider a sweet dip like chocolate pudding for cookies or no-bake cheesecake filling and jam for graham crackers and fresh fruit. If you have a slow cooker, a chocolate fondue can make it extra cozy with marshmallows, pretzel sticks, and cubed poundcake!

Don't Forget Drinks

All that dipping is going to make you and your friends very thirsty. Keep a cooler or drink bucket stocked with ice for chilling cans and bottles. Keep another bowl or bucket of "clean ice" with tongs around for people to use in their drinks. As with any activity with ice, be sure to drain it periodically and replenish the ice every hour.

A large format drink like punch, lemonade, or tea is best served in a pitcher, punch bowl with a ladle, or in a dispenser. While we love a spiked drink, we keep the alcohol separate in case there are kids or non-drinking folks in attendance. Clear alcohols like gin, tequila, and vodka go well with fruity beverages, while whiskey can handle the tannins in iced tea.

We hope our tips immerse you and your guests in delicious dips. If any of our advice helped you plan a successful party, we'd love to hear from you.