This post may include affiliate links; see our disclosure policy.
This healthy vegetarian buffalo chicken dip is a lighter spin using chickpeas to make an irresistibly creamy, spicy appetizer! Everyone who tries it raves about this one—it’s perfect for a table of game day snacks or party finger food. Get ready to have your mind blown!
Spicy, creamy buffalo chicken dip is a staple at parties where we’re from. Even wondered what it would taste like with a lighter, healthy spin? On a whim, we created a vegetarian buffalo chicken dip recipe: and it turned out so delicious, we love it even better than the standard!
You could also call this a buffalo chickpea dip, since it uses chickpeas to replace some of the creaminess of the standard cream cheese. We created this healthy dip as a game day snack (read: Super Bowl food), but it works as any type of party finger food. Every time we serve it, people absolutely rave! Plus, we can’t stop eating it—it’s great for midnight snacks, just saying.
Featured reader comments
“So easy and quick to prepare. The directions were clear. It would be a great addition to game day snacks. I served it with Frito dippers and they scooped perfectly. I used Franks Buffalo Hot Wings sauce and the heat was just right for us. Both my husband and I liked it and we’ll fix it again! -Cheryl
Ingredients in vegetarian buffalo chicken dip
This vegetarian buffalo chicken dip recipe uses plants as a swap for the chicken and some of the cheese, though it does use a minimal amount of dairy. Originally I wanted to create a vegan buffalo chicken dip, but Alex wanted something that would be a little closer to the standard so we included minimal dairy. You can turn this into a vegan buffalo chicken dip with a few simple swaps! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Chickpeas: Canned chickpeas help to make this dip creamy and add protein.
- Artichoke hearts (canned): It might sound odd, but chopped can artichoke hearts take on a meaty texture in vegan recipes. We’ve use this trick in our vegan crab cakes and vegan spinach artichoke dip recipe and it works like a charm!
- Sour cream and cheddar cheese: This recipe uses a bit of dairy, but it’s much less than a classic buffalo chicken dip. For vegan, use plant-based cheese shreds and vegan sour cream or cashew cream.
- Franks Red Hot: Franks Red Hot sauce is the key ingredient in buffalo sauce, which is a mix of that hot sauce with butter, vinegar, and other seasonings. We have found the availability of Franks Red Hot at the grocery varies, so you can also substitute Franks buffalo sauce (or another brand) if you like.
- Garlic powder: Garlic powder adds another savory essence to this recipe.
Is this a healthy buffalo chicken dip?
We don’t often use the word “healthy” (since it’s subjective and can connote value), we consider this a healthy buffalo chicken dip because it is made with mostly plants and uses less cheese than the standard recipe. We’ve used the term so that people looking for a healthy version can find this one!
Serving suggestions
What’s the best way to serve a healthy buffalo chicken dip? You can use anything you like for dipping, but we like crackers, tortilla chips, corn chips, baguette slices, or crostini. You can also serve with celery, but we prefer it on a cracker-type item. Use whatever you like!
To garnish, you can add thinly sliced green onion, finely chopped parsley, or even a few blue cheese crumbles or feta crumbles.
Storing leftovers and make ahead tips
This vegetarian buffalo chicken works great to make in advance: simply blend the ingredients and refrigerate. Before serving, bake for 15 minutes at 400°F. Leftovers store refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Variation: make vegan buffalo chicken dip
To make this into a vegan buffalo chicken dip recipe, use plant-based cheese shreds for the cheese: we like the brand Miyokos (our son is lactose intolerant so we have a lot of experience with dairy-free cheese!). You can also use vegan sour cream or make your own cashew cream to stand in for the sour cream.
Dietary notes
This healthy buffalo chicken dip is vegetarian and gluten-free. For vegan, see the notes above.
Vegetarian Buffalo Chicken Dip (Healthy!)
This healthy vegetarian buffalo chicken dip is a lighter spin using chickpeas to make an irresistibly creamy, spicy appetizer! Everyone who tries it raves about this one—it’s perfect for a table of game day snacks or party finger food.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 as an appetizer 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Vegetarian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup Frank’s Red Hot (or Buffalo Sauce)
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 14 ounce can artichoke hearts, packed in water, drained
- Thinly sliced green onion, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Place the drained chickpeas, Frank’s Red Hot, sour cream, cheddar cheese, and garlic powder in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Add the drained artichoke hearts and pulse until chunky.
- Place in a small baking dish (we used one 6” x 9”). Bake for 15 minutes, until warmed through. If desired, garnish with thinly sliced green onions and more hot sauce. Serve warm with crackers or celery sticks. Leftovers store up to 5 days refrigerated (it also works well to make in advance; see Notes).
Notes
This dip works great to make in advance: simply blend the ingredients and refrigerate. Before serving, bake per Step 2 above.
Other garnish ideas include finely chopped parsley, or even a few blue cheese crumbles or feta crumbles.
More dip recipes
A few more favorite dip recipes: we love this easy black bean dip, or this caramel apple dip is vegan and so simple! This cottage cheese dip is protein packed, or try dill dip instead. Taco dip or spinach artichoke dip are also great for parties or game day.
This dip was so good and so easy to make. It took hardly anytime to assemble. My guests loved it and really appreciated that it is made with healthy ingredients. I will be making this dip again and again. Thank you for this recipe keep up the good work!
So glad to hear this! Thank you for making it :)
Cue “this is what dreams are made of” from the Lizzie McGuire movie!! Omg Sonja this is incredible. 10/10 no notes, you nailed this dip! I made it after bedtime and am 100% regretting not making it earlier haha. I want to eat so much of it but I am so full from the lentil curry. I love a good Buffalo dip, and this one is it. Forget the chicken, the chickpeas and artichokes have created textural perfection.