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Home » Recipes » Appetizers & Snacks

Cold chili cheese dip

By: Kathryn Doherty | Last Updated: Mar 10, 2025 | Published: Oct 19, 2017
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This cold chili cheese dip takes minutes to mix together and is delicious served with chips and veggies for an easy party or tailgating snack! It’s also gluten-free and vegetarian.A creamy chili dip in a white bowl with sliced green onions on top, a chip resting in it, and tortilla scoopers and bell pepper chunks to the side for dipping.

Happy Thursday, my friends!

I hope you are having a great week! I had a mom-daughter date -- with MY mom -- to go see the ballet The Red Shoes earlier this week. We grabbed some Spanish tapas beforehand and just had a fun night together!

And I'm excited for a date night with my husband tomorrow night to see our Charlotte Symphony Orchestra perform the score to the first Harry Potter movie. It's going to be an annual thing and I can't wait to see it!

I've also got a gender reveal on Saturday for a friend (we all think it's gonna be a girl but she thinks a boy), J has a birthday party and we're hoping to make our annual family trip to the pumpkin farm, which also has a hay ride and petting zoo.

So many fun things going on!

And today I’m excited to share one of my favorite cold dips for tailgating and game days!

A creamy chili dip in a white bowl with sliced green onions on top and tortilla scoopers and bell pepper chunks on the larger serving platter for dipping.

Now, some chili dips are warm, full of beans and meat, and basically a mini dinner, served in snack form.

I've got nothing against that at all!

But this cold chili cheese dip is way lighter and perfect for munching on during game day, at a tailgate, for parties or anytime you just need a yummy bite!

It’s also gluten-free and vegetarian, which is great for an easy cold party dip for serving a crowd.

And my family, we DEVOUR this dip!

I adore it with bell pepper scoops, my family loves it with tortilla chips, and it also would be yummy with cucumbers, carrots, celery - any of your favorite dipping veggies!

A white platter with tortilla scoopers, three colors of bell pepper chunks and a bowl with a cold creamy chili dip.

It also seems appropriate to be sharing this cheesy dip after my Ohio visit with the American Dairy Association Mideast, where we got to watch and journey along with dairy from farm to table. LOTS of good eats on this trip!

We learned about cheese + wine pairings, traveled to a 700+ cow dairy farm where I got to see the entire process of milking -- and found out milk goes from cow to your grocery store in as little as 48 hours! We saw the behind-the-scenes of the Miceli cheese manufacturing plant and made our own pizzas in their huge wood-fired oven. We even got to tour Mitchell's, a famous Cleveland hand-crafted ice cream shop. They let us taste as many flavors as we wanted and we pretty much all felt like kids again!

I have to say though, my favorite part was the cows, especially the little ones!

Ohio farm photo collage

Notes on making this cold chili cheese dip:

  • I use plain Greek yogurt but you could substitute sour cream if you’d prefer.
  • This recipe, as written, is pretty mild. If you want to spice it up, you can add some finely diced jalapeño, substitute fire-roasted diced tomatoes, add a few dashes of hot sauce and/or use pepper jack or jalapeño jack cheese. ❤️
  • This recipe can be served immediately but it also keeps really well if you want to make it a day or two ahead.
  • You can easily double or triple this recipe if you’re serving a big crowd. (Or if you want leftovers!)

A hand dipping a tortilla chip into a cold chili dip in a white bowl.

Need some other game day snacks? My southwestern baked egg rolls, cheesy baked black bean dip and bourbon bacon jam are always a hit. I also have my eye on this broccoli and bacon beer cheese dip and this cranberry walnut cream cheese dip.

I hope your team wins.

I hope you have fun friends around you to celebrate.

And I hope you have delicious eats to fuel you through all the cheers and excitement!

XO,

Kathryn

A creamy chili dip in a white bowl with sliced green onions on top, a chip resting in it, and tortilla scoopers and bell pepper chunks to the side for dipping.
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4.38 from 8 votes

Cold chili cheese dip

This cold chili cheese dip takes minutes to mix together and is delicious served with chips and veggies for an easy party or tailgating snack!
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Total Time10 minutes mins
Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients

  • ⅔ cup plain Greek yogurt (I use 2% or nonfat)
  • ⅓ cup mayonnaise (I use reduced fat)
  • ⅓ cup finely chopped green bell pepper
  • ⅓ cup canned diced tomatoes, well drained
  • 1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilies, well drained
  • ¾ teaspoon chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ⅓ cup grated cheddar cheese
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
  • Vegetables and tortilla chips, for serving

Instructions

  • Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl until well combined.
  • Serve with tortilla chips and raw vegetables for dipping and enjoy!

Notes

I use plain Greek yogurt but you could substitute sour cream if you’d prefer.
This recipe, as written, is pretty mild. If you want to spice it up, you can add some finely diced jalapeño, substitute fire-roasted diced tomatoes, add a few dashes of hot sauce and/or use pepper jack or jalapeño jack cheese.
This recipe can be served immediately but it also keeps really well if you want to make it ahead a day or two.
You can easily double or triple this recipe if you’re serving a big crowd.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 86kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 96mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below or follow me on Instagram @familyfoodonthetable and tag me in your photo!
A collage of a creamy chili dip served with tortilla chips and bell pepper chunks.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary

    October 19, 2017 at 8:26 am

    Always with the fun filled weekend! Whenever I read about your weekends I wonder if my own life is a little too vanilla! Lol. I hope you have so much fun this weekend... do me a favor and have extra fun for me too, mmmkay? 😉 I am loving this dip, girlfriend!! My husband really loves cold dips, so this one is a must for football weekends!! Can't wait to try it! Cheers, doll!

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      October 19, 2017 at 3:44 pm

      I'll totally have some extra fun for you my friend! 😉 XO

      Reply
  2. Luci's Morsels

    October 19, 2017 at 10:14 pm

    Love how quickly this dip comes together! Such an excellent option to bring to fall get togethers, being vegetarian and gluten-free is always a bonus when it comes to party snacks!

    Luci’s Morsels | fashion. food. frivolity.

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      October 21, 2017 at 11:58 am

      Completely agree - I like having options that everyone can enjoy!

      Reply
  3. Adina

    October 20, 2017 at 4:44 am

    Oh, I am so jealous! I would love to go to that Harry Potter event, definitely something for me!!!The chili looks delicious, I make something similar from time to time but we mostly eat it as a bread spread. Having it with tortilla chips sounds great!

    Reply
    • Kathryn

      October 21, 2017 at 11:59 am

      It was SO much fun! So cool to hear the live music along with the movie. 😊

      Reply
  4. Anabela

    October 20, 2017 at 12:47 pm

    they beautiful images I believe that this recipe is a delight, I will do and then I will step here to leave my testimony.

    Reply
4.38 from 8 votes (8 ratings without comment)

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Meet Kathryn

Hi there! I’m Kathryn Doherty, a cookbook author, mom of two, and devoted food and home cooking nut. I’ve got lots of easy recipes to help you get delicious food on the table for your family!

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