Loaded Ranch Poolside Dip

Cool off while satisfying any snack attack with this creamy, crunchy, completely refreshing Loaded Ranch Poolside Dip that packs an explosion of flavors. With its abundance of fresh ingredients and vibrant colors, this easy appetizer is perfect served up poolside or at the beach with your favorite libations.

Can we all agree that dip is the ultimate food group that just hits right every time? It’s the ultimate companion to a sun filled day of day drinking with friends but let’s be real works just as well for girl dinner while binge watching our favorite shows. It’s an equal opportunity craving quencher. Whether it’s the verdant bite of roasted jalapeno cilantro hummus or this ranch kissed skinny poolside dip, it’s always the right answer.

While You’ll Love This Recipe

• Easy Process – The only real cooking required for this recipe is quickly charring your vegetables on the grill. Other than that, it’s simply chop and mix. Anyone can make this!
• Seasonal Ingredients – Unlike a classic poolside dip that relies on canned corn, this grilled poolside dip uses all fresh vegetables. It’s a celebration of ingredients at seasons peak all wrapped up in a creamy hug of ranch.
• Make Ahead – This is one of those things that just gets better after it’s been refrigerated for a bit. It allows the ranch seasoning to bloom and soften and all of the ingredients to meld and marry. Anything that can be made a day or two in advance fully checks off the party perfect mark.

What is Skinny Poolside Dip?

There are just certain things that you really have to wonder where the name actually came from. Anytime I am diving into a dip with chips, the last thing I think of is skinny. The name aside, skinny poolside dip is a cream cheese and ranch-based dip with common ingredients like canned corn, red bell pepper, jalapeno, and black olives.

This version pays respect to the original while incorporating the mysterious additional layer of flavor you get from grilling the vegetables. It’s truly a fully loaded vegetable dip with that herbaceous and cool pop of ranch tying everything together.

Ingredients

• Fresh Vegetables – Summer corn, sweet red bell pepper, spicy jalapeno, and the delicate onion flavor of scallion bring layers of flavor as well as texture. In addition to using fresh vegetables, the vegetables in this dip are all grilled giving them a slightly softer texture, and that additional layer of smoky flavor.
• Creamy Base – creamy ranch poolside dip traditionally just has cream cheese, but we’re also adding sour cream for not just the additional tang, but also to help make the dip more scoopable. We don’t want broken chips stuck in our chip bowl!
• Ranch Seasoning – This is where the creamy base for the grilled poolside dip is going to get all of its flavor, so you want to pick a high-quality ranch seasoning. Spice and Tea Exchange Classic Ranch Seasoning is my favorite. It has all real ingredients.
• Flavor Accents – Fresh lime juice adds a sunny note while cilantro adds bright freshness. Chopped black olives give that briny salty bite perfect for snacking.

How to Make Loaded Ranch Poolside Dip

• Fire up the grill! Prepare your grill for direct grilling. If grilling your vegetables on a gas grill heat the grill to about 400 degrees. Make sure your grates are clean and hot.
• Char the vegetables. Add the corn, bell pepper, jalapeno, and scallions to the hot grates. Rotate them every minute or two until all sides are charred. The scallions will cook quickly so remove those first. Once the bell pepper and jalapeno have charred add them to a plastic zip top bag to steam and cool.

• Chop all of the veggies. Use a paper towel to brush off the tough skin from the bell pepper and jalapeno. Remove their seeds and give them a fine chop. Remove the corn kernels from the corn. Finally chop the cilantro, charred scallions, and black olives.
• Mix together the creamy base. Add the room temperature cream cheese, sour cream, ranch seasoning, and lime juice to a bowl and stir until creamy and combined.
• Stir in the vegetables. Add the vegetables to the bowl along with the cilantro and stir.
• Let refrigerate. Let the dip refrigerate for at least an hour. Give it a taste and add additional ranch seasoning if needed.

Variations

• I used 1/3 less fat cream cheese and light sour cream for this recipe to cut back on some of the calories, but feel free to use full fat.
• Replace the sour cream with Greek yogurt for extra protein.
• Instead of a fresh jalapeno add a diced pickled jalapeno for a little additional tang.
• Add in up to a cup of shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese.
• Add rinsed and drained black beans to the skinny poolside dip.
• Not a fan of cilantro? No problem. Leave it out, or add another fresh herb like chives, basil, or dill.

Storage

Grilled poolside dip is ideal to entertain with. It’s easy to double and triple the recipe, travels well, and can be made in advance. Because it’s dairy based cover it tightly and keep it refrigerated unless it’s being served. It will last for up to five days refrigerated.

Since the base of this ranch dip is cream cheese, it will harden as it cools. To make it easier for dipping allow it to sit out for about 30 minutes prior to serving.

Tips From the Beach

• Make sure that your cream cheese is fully at room temperature before mixing together the dip. This will make the base smooth and creamy and lump free.
• Every ranch seasoning will have a slightly different salt content. The brand I use is a little lower on the salt so I added two tablespoons of ranch seasoning. Start with the recommended 1 1/2 tablespoons, taste, and add additional if needed.
• Don’t worry about getting all of the skin off of the bell pepper and jalapeno. It will just add a little more smoky flavor.

Loaded Ranch Poolside Dip

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Cool off while satisfying any snack attack with this creamy, crunchy, completely refreshing Loaded Ranch Poolside Dip that packs an explosion of flavors.

• Author: Nicole Stover
• Prep Time: 15
• Chilling Time: 60
• Cook Time: 45
• Total Time: 6-8
• Yield: 6-8 1x
• Category: Appetizer
• Method: Grilling
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 ears of corn
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 jalapeno
• 4 scallions
• 8 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 1 1/2–2 tablespoons ranch seasoning
• 2.5–3 ounces sliced olives, drained and roughly chopped
• 1/8 cup cilantro chopped
• Juice of 1/2 lime

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Instructions

1. Prepare your grill for direct grilling. If using a gas grill heat it to around 400 degrees. Make sure the grates are clean and fully heated through.
2. Place the corn, scallion, bell pepper, and jalapeno on the hot grates. Flip all of the vegetables every minute or two until charred on all sides. The scallions will only take a couple of minutes while the bell pepper and corn will take the longest. Remove them as they char. Place the bell pepper and jalapeno in a zip top bag to steam and cool.
3. Remove most of the skin from the cooled bell pepper and jalapeno. Remove the seeds and dice them finely.
4. Remove the corn kernels from the cob.
5. Add the softened cream cheese, sour cream, 1 1/2 tablespoon ranch seasoning, and lime juice to a bowl and mix until smooth and creamy.
6. Add all of the chopped vegetables including the cilantro and stir until completely combined. 
7. Let refrigerate for an hour if possible. Taste and add additional ranch seasoning if needed.
8. Garnish with extra scallions and cilantro and serve with your favorite dippers.

Notes

1. You can use full fat cream cheese and sour cream if desired.
2. Feel free to add additional ingredients like shredded cheese, black beans, or bacon.
3. The sour cream can be replaced with Greek yogurt. 

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