Want a little kick in your Ranch dip? -- Give Jalapeno-Ranch Dip a
try! Easily control the heat level of this tasty little dip by adjusting
the way you prepare the jalapenos, making it from super mild, to medium, to
full-on jalapeno-heat. But no matter how you make it, serve this dip up with some
chips or veggies for one super tasty snacking treat.
Nothing says snacking treat like a bowl of dip. And when that's everyone's favorite Ranch dip jazzed up with a tasty hit of jalapenos? -- It's one very delicious snacking treat, indeed. Jalapeno-Ranch Dip is just perfect served up with potato chips, tortilla chips, or veggies for dipping.
Now, the "Jalapeno" title of this dip may be a bit scary to some. -- With two full jalapenos in the mix, one may think this dip's going to be a complete spicy-heat blazing mouth-scorcher. But that's not the case. Unless you want it to be, of course.
Whip up a bowl of Jalapeno-Ranch Dip with just 5 simple ingredients and all of 10 minutes of prep.
I personally don't like my Jalapeno-Ranch Dip to be blazing spicy. I like it with a pronounced peppery flavor from the jalapenos, with just a little hit of heat. And fortunately, it's pretty easy to control the level of heat by how you prepare the jalapeno peppers.
Simply core and seed the jalapeno peppers to different degrees to amp up or bring down the heat. From super mild, to medium, to full-on jalapeno heat -- It's all doable with this dip. No need to let the "Jalapeno" title scare you at all. (I'll talk specifics about coring and seeding the jalapenos a little later in the post.)
But not only do I love the flavor of Jalapeno-Ranch Dip, and how easy it is to personalize the level of jalapeno heat, I also love that it's super easy to make. Whip up a bowl with just 5 simple ingredients and all of about 10 minutes of prep.
Jalapeno-Ranch Dip Ingredients:
With just 5 simple ingredients, Jalapeno-Ranch Dip is really easy to make. To whip up a bowl, you'll need:
- Sour cream - Along with cream cheese, forms the dip's creamy base. I recommend using full-fat regular sour cream for the best consistency. However, reduced-fat will work as well.
- Cream cheese - Regular full-fat cream cheese works best for great consistency, however reduced-fat will work as well. To make mixing easier, be sure the cream cheese is super-softened or at room temperature before combining with the sour cream. This greatly reduces the chance of cream cheese lumps in the finished dip.
- Ranch dip mix - One 1-ounce envelope of dry Ranch dressing/dip mix brings on the dip's signature Ranch flavor.
- Fresh jalapenos - Use 2 fresh jalapenos, very finely chopped, to add in the dip's jalapeno element. See below for how to core and seed the jalapenos to control the dip's level of spicy-heat.
- Fresh cilantro - A generous dose of chopped fresh cilantro adds fabulous flavor.
Coring and Seeding the Jalapenos
When it comes to controlling the heat level and flavor of Jalapeno-Ranch Dip, it's all about the way your core and seed the jalapeno peppers.
The biggest source of a jalapeno pepper's spicy heat is the white
membrane, also referred to as the pith or ribs, inside. The seeds do hold
some heat, as well, but not as much as the pith. So the spiciness of a dish really comes from how much of the peppers' pith is used.
When preparing the peppers for Jalapeno-Ranch Dip, follow these guidelines (and reference the photo above of seeded jalapeno peppers) for controlling the dip's heat level:
- For MILD dip with a mostly-pepper flavor and no heat - Completely core and seed the jalapenos, removing all seeds and all traces of the pith (as shown with the first jalapeno pepper in the photo above).
- For a SMALL BIT OF HEAT - Remove all seeds and the center rib of pith holding the seeds, leaving just a few ribs of pith along the side walls of the peppers (as shown with the middle jalapeno pepper in the photo above).
- For SPICY dip - Leave in all the pith and a few or all of the seeds (as shown with the last jalapeno pepper in the photo above).
How to Make Jalapeno-Ranch Dip:
Whipping up a batch of Jalapeno-Ranch Dip is super easy and takes all of
about 10 minutes.
Start by coring and seeding two jalapeno peppers to your desired "heat"
level, as noted above in this post. Then, very finely chop the peppers.
Chopping the jalapenos very finely disperses them nicely all throughout the
dip, without leaving large chunks to bite into.
I use a food processor to make the
chopping super easy. Or you can grate the peppers with a cheese grater if
you prefer grating over mincing with a knife. If you grate or hand-cut with a knife, you may want to wear gloves to protect your hands from the peppers' spicy oils. -- And to prevent accidentally (and painfully!) transferring those spicy oils to your eyes.
Once the peppers are chopped, beat together the sour cream and softened cream cheese with an
electric mixer until they're well combined and smooth. Then beat in the dry Ranch dip mix.
Stir in the finely chopped jalapeno and some cilantro. Then pop the dip in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to meld.
That's it! Truly, super easy, right?
When you're ready to enjoy, garnish the dip with sliced or chopped jalapeno and some cilantro, if you'd like. Then serve it up with potato chips, tortilla chips, or some veggies for dipping. With its fabulous Ranch and jalapeno flavor, it's sure to be a hit!
So if you want a little kick in your Ranch dip, give Jalapeno-Ranch Dip a try. From super mild, to medium, to full-on jalapeno-heat, control the flavor and spice to suit your personal taste. But no matter how you make it, this dip's for sure one super tasty snacking treat.
Check out these other super tasty dip recipes:
Thank you for stopping by The Kitchen is My Playground. We'd love to have
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Yield: about 3 cups
Jalapeno-Ranch Dip
Want a little kick in your Ranch dip? -- Give Jalapeno-Ranch Dip a
try! Easily control the heat level of this tasty little dip by
adjusting the way you prepare the jalapenos, making it from super
mild, to medium, to full-on jalapeno-heat. But no matter how you make
it, serve it up with some chips or veggies for one super tasty
snacking treat.
Prep time: 10 Mininactive time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 10 M
Ingredients
- 1 c. (8 oz.) sour cream
- 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 (1 oz.) package Ranch dip mix
- 2 jalapenos, cored/seeded and very finely chopped*
- 1/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- In a bowl, beat together softened cream cheese and sour cream with an electric mixer until well combined and smooth.
- Add dry Ranch dip mix; beat until well combined.
- Stir in chopped jalapeno and cilantro.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow flavors to meld.
- Garnish with jalapeno and cilantro, if desired. Serve with potato chips, tortilla chips, or vegetables.
TRACEY'S NOTES:
- *The biggest source of a jalapeno pepper's spicy heat is the white membrane, also referred to as the pith or ribs, inside. The seeds do hold some heat, as well, but not as much as the pith.
- * Control the heat level and flavor of this Jalapeno-Ranch Dip by the way you core/seed the jalapeno peppers. For MILD dip with a mostly-pepper flavor and no heat, completely core and seed the jalapenos (which means removing all seeds and all traces of the pith). For a SMALL BIT OF HEAT, remove all seeds and the center rib of pith holding the seeds, leaving just a few ribs of pith along the side walls of the peppers. For SPICY dip, leave in all the pith and a few or all of the seeds.
- Chop the jalapenos very finely so they disperse nicely all throughout the dip without large chunks to bite into. I use a food processor to make the chopping super easy, or you can grate the peppers with a cheese grater if you prefer that to mincing.
This post is linked with Weekend Potluck, Meal Plan Monday.
I love the fresh jalepenos in this. They have such a bright flavor. Thanks for sharing at the What's for Dinner party. Have an awesome week.
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