For a vegetarian version, obviously the term buffalo “chicken” dip is a misnomer, but I have no other way to describe this. And my homemade veggie version without chicken of this potluck classic leaves absolutely nothing to be desired – in fact, I even impressed myself (my own worst critic).
I stuck with the traditional elements of this dip – cream cheese, blue cheese and, of course, Frank’s hot sauce. However, I used a creative stand-in for the chicken in order to mimic the texture, and I have to say, it worked out great!
How to Make Buffalo Dip Without Chicken
For my chicken stand-in, I used a technique similar to that used in my Caesar salad. Basically, crumbling firm tofu and baking it – the finished product has a texture remarkably similar to shredded chicken.
So that’s what we’re going to start with! Thoroughly pat some firm tofu dry with paper towels and use your hands to crumble it into a mixing bowl.
Drizzle some soy sauce (for extra umami flavour) and sprinkle over a bit of olive oil. Add a bit of neutral oil and stir to combine.
Spread the tofu over a rimmed baking sheet and move to a 200°C/400°F oven for about 15 minutes – just until it’s golden and crisping in places.
Meanwhile, you can make the ranch base for the dip. This, again, is super simple and it tastes nicer than bottled ranch dressing – an ingredient that’s pretty hard to come by outside of the USA!
Add some sour cream, mayonnaise and buttermilk to a mixing bowl. To this, add in some garlic powder, onion powder, finely chopped parsley, dill and chives and a splash of apple cider vinegar.
Season generously with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Let the dressing sit while the tofu finishes cooking.
Once the tofu is done, go ahead and reduce the oven temperature to 180°C/350°F.
Now, in a large mixing bowl, add in a block of cream cheese (make sure it’s room temperature and not fridge cold – it will be really hard to mix otherwise!), some crumbled blue cheese, your ranch dressing mixture and the titular ingredient, Frank’s Red Hot sauce.
Whisk all of this together until thoroughly combined, and then fold in the tofu crumbles.
All you have to do now is scrape the mixture into an appropriately-sized baking dish and move it back into the oven.
Bake the dip until it’s completely heated through and bubbling – about 20 minutes. Make sure to let it cool for a few minutes before serving to avoid burning the roof of your mouth!
Serve alongside some tortilla chips or carrot and celery sticks – both are delicious!
Vegetarian Buffalo Dip (No Chicken Needed!)
Ingredients
- 400 g (14 oz) firm tofu
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp garlic powder divided
- 45 g (3 tbsp) sour cream
- 45 g (3 tbsp) buttermilk
- 35 g (3 tbsp) mayonaisse
- 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh dill finely chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh chives finely chopped, plus more for garnish
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1½ tsp apple cider vinegar
- 250 g (8 oz) cream cheese room temperature
- 50 g (½ cup) blue cheese crumbled
- 120 ml (½ cup) Frank's Red Hot sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven 200°C/400°F. Pat the tofu firmly with paper towels, lightly squeezing out the water. Use your fingers to crumble it into a medium mixing bowl.
- Drizzle the tofu with 1 tbsp of neutral oil, the soy sauce and 1 tsp of garlic powder. Stir to combine and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until golden and lightly crisp – about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the sour cream, buttermilk, mayonnaise, parsley, dill, chives, onion powder, apple cider vinegar and remaining 1 tsp of garlic powder to a mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine, Allow to sit for about 10 minutes while the tofu cooks.
- Once the tofu is finished, reduce the oven temperature to 180°C/350°F. Add the cream cheese, blue cheese, hot sauce and sour cream mixture to a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine. Fold in the tofu crumbles.
- Scrape the mixture into a shallow baking dish. Move to the oven and bake until it's bubbling and heated through – about 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving, topping with more chives if desired.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
This chicken-free buffalo dip leaves absolutely nothing to be desired, and it’s perfect to bring to a barbecue, picnic or potluck. It also freezes exceptionally well, so make a big batch even if you don’t think you’ll eat it all in one go!
Are you after a vegetarian buffalo chicken dip? Have any questions about this recipe? Let me know in the comments!
