Buffalo Chickpea Dip

The Super Bowl is right around the corner! The BIG Game happens to also be the best snack day! I do enjoy watching football (Go 49ers!) but the Super Bowl has always been all about the snacks. So today I have an ideal game day snack, Buffalo Chickpea Dip.This is my take on the (Oh so popular) Buffalo Chicken Dip. Now to be honest, I have never had Buffalo Chicken Dip. I have been a vegetarian for about 12 years now and don’t remember hearing about it before then. So I decided it was about time I tried to make this game day favorite without the meat!

INGREDIENTS:

So I did browse some buffalo chicken dip recipes while I was putting this one together. We need buffalo sauce, whatever your favorite variety is (I used Frank’s). The base for this dip, as I feel with most cheesy dips… cream cheese. I opted for a can of chickpeas instead of the standard chicken (obviously). And to up the cheese factor, I added shredded cheddar cheese. Now buffalo anything needs blue cheese so while I saw a lot of recipes call for ranch dressing, I opted for chunky blue cheese dressing instead. I also added finely chopped celery which adds more flavor and a little crunch. 

PROCESS:

This dip is insanely easy to make. After you drain and rinse a can of chickpeas, add them to a mixing bowl. Then use a fork or spoon to mash them so there aren't very many full chickpeas left. Add the cream cheese (at room temp), cheddar cheese, buffalo sauce, blue cheese dressing and diced celery and mix everything really well. I like to add a little bit of salt but I always advise tasting and salting to your preference. Pour the cheesy chickpea mixture into a baking dish and spread a little xtra cheddar cheese on top. Broil for about 8 minutes until the cheese is melty and bubbling. Remove from the oven, add an extra drizzle of buffalo sauce and chopped chives (if you’d like) and enjoy!

BENEFITS:

This is an easy game day snack! It can be ready in minutes. If you want to assemble ahead of time and throw in the oven just before the game starts, that works too. And with all the cheese and the texture, protein and fiber of the chickpeas… this is a great vegetarian alternative that I believe meat eaters will enjoy as well.

IF YOU LIKE THIS RECIPE:

I have a few other buffalo sauce recipes that I love to make for game day. Buffalo Cauliflower is so delicious and fun to eat, an ideal replacement for wings. I make these all the time. Sometimes I will make a big batch and toss half in buffalo sauce and half in barbeque sauce to create options for your game day spread. I also love these buffalo rice balls as another alternative to wings. If you want something that feels more like a meal, these buffalo chickpea wraps are super delicious and satisfying.