Yes, that’s me. The one who brings kale dip to the party.
Although, I brought summer rolls to the party this past weekend, too. And I would’ve brought dessert if my sister didn’t already claim that category. I’m not sure I could’ve topped a strawberry pie and s’mores.
I love dessert, but I also love kale. In my dream world, it’d show its leaves at every party, alongside the burgers, brownies and brews. A shot of green brightens up every picnic table – especially this time of year, when the leaves are young and tender.
This is the season for garden-harvesting. The season where I begin to sneak out of the city to steal a few days at my parents’ countryside home, and then return with a garden’s worth of groceries. And hopefully a nice tan. And some dirt on my sneakers. And maybe some coconut milk from the kitchen cabinets (sorry mom).
This past weekend, we had a bonfire/food-fest at my parents’ house, where I took advantage of the backyard grocery store to whip up this dip. Inspired by a recipe seen on Whole Foods, it added a light addition to the table in comparison to all the cheeses and hummus, and was deemed a success. This includes a thumbs up even among those friends who could care less about partying with kale.
Serve warm for best results and with a thicker cracker or pita chip.
Adapted from Whole Foods
Ingredients
- 1 bunch green kale, stems and tough ribs stripped out and discarded, choopped
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, diced
- 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1/4-1/2 tsp. salt (start with 1/4, and go from there)
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Fresh ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, combine kale, onion, garlic and 1/3 cup water.
- Set over medium heat, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, but kale is still a little chewy, about 6 minutes.
- Transfer vegetables and any liquid in the pan to a food processor and let cool a few minutes. Add ricotta, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, salt and cayenne. Process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and serve.
Welcome! I’m Grace, a photo and food enthusiast with a passion for simple, seasonal & vegetarian meals. 
I tried kale dip once from Trader Joe’s and fell in love. I never really thought about making my own, but it’s a wonderful idea! And I like that you used ricotta cheese instead of yogurt. I think I’d prefer that texture and taste (It’s refreshing to see something other than yogurt, this coming from the yogurt QUEEN!!)
I would totally be the girl bringing kale dip also! In fact, I always carry greens with me. For good measure.
Love this!
I would love to try some kale dip, looks great!
Kale is a hard find here in Shanghai, but this sounds too good to pass up! Ahh kale is so good
xx
Claim your potluck place with pride! Hahah, this kale dip sounds amazing. I love the use of both ricotta and nutritional yeast. Gotta give this a try when I reunite with my food processor.
Can anyone tell me how long this will keep in the refrigerator? I’d like to take some up north for the fourth, but would need to prep it in advance. Thanks!
Hi Laura,
This will likely keep up to three days in the fridge. Some separation will occur, so you’ll need to re-mix it well before serving. It’s also best served slightly warm, so consider trying to heat it up before serving as well. Enjoy!
Thanks! Perfect!