If I’m being honest, we make this BLT dip recipe as BT dip and eliminate the lettuce. It wilts easily, and I really love the crisp green of fresh scallions. This is one of our all time family favorites for gatherings and potlucks, because for the longest time I would struggle with what on earth to bring besides fruit salad or pasta salad. Mom brain. Now I’m shooing the kids away from this one because it is seriously that good!

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Homestead Dreams

In 2019 we bought some land in central NC and built a house. We had wild dreams of homesteading, raising children and chickens and maybe goats, and living off the land. Our little farm flourished during the year of virtual learning and Covid, when we were all at home 95% of the time. I rarely drove anywhere (which totally blows my mind when I look back on it- ha!) and we just kept building gardens. I mean, look at all that space to create!

There were a few summers when we couldn’t pick the tomatoes quickly enough. Our kitchen island was littered with so many, we were inventing recipes daily. Canned roasted tomatoes. Salsa. Marinara sauce. Caprese salads daily! Y’all – my kids were so sick of tomatoes!

Then we gradually returned to real life, until this summer when my youngest started school and I started back to work part time and WHOA. We planted gardens that we no longer had time to tend. What was once beautiful, is now a patch of weeds. It’s depressing. I think we picked maybe 10 whole cherry tomatoes all summer.

As I made this BLT dip recipe recently, it really brought me back to when our gardens were prolific producers and that special taste of summer on the farm that I hope we can get back to next year, albeit on a much more manageable scale. It is simply the best with freshly picked veg, but we can’t always have it that way.

We’ve even made this with our homegrown bacon from our Covid pigs (Porkchop and Kevin Bacon – they were the best!). This is Pippa back in 2020 with those boys when they were little teenage KuneKune pigs.

All 12 Kids Loved It!

We recently made this BLT dip recipe for a group of family friends with twelve total kids ages 2-15, and it was a major homer. I honestly wished I had doubled it! We use potato chips for dipping because this was never meant to be a healthy dish – ha! While we don’t include lettuce, you can absolutely do so if lettuce is your jam. Or chard, spinach, kale, or any robust green that happens to be in season.

This dip does include the usual mayonnaise and sour cream combo. While we try not to eat much mayo, I’ve been making homemade mayonnaise for about six months (I finally figured out the trick after about 300 failed attempts) and I really love knowing that healthy oils and high quality ingredients to in it. The addition of cream cheese and a trifecta blend of worcestershire, seasoned salt, and onion powder make this BLT dip recipe the absolute best!

INGREDIENT NOTES

Mayonnaise – I already mentioned this one, but we prefer homemade mayo. Or your favorite store brand will do just fine.

Scallions – Did you know you can buy a bunch of scallions (little green onions) from the store, use them, then plant the bottom? I have a bunch that are growing from the same leftover bit and they are totally thriving!!!

Tomatoes – I usually use quartered grape tomatoes. If you choose to dice a large tomato, you may want to scoop the seeds out so your dip doesn’t get runny.

Cream Cheese – Make sure to set this out for at least an hour to soften. If it’s not room temperature, you will have lumps in your dip!

Bacon – If you’re cooking it yourself, make it on the crispy side and save yourself some time! Wimpy bacon is a pain to crumble. Store bought bacon bits can also work in a pinch.

HOW TO MAKE THE BLT DIP RECIPE

Step 1: Cook the bacon until crispy and set aside to cool. Make sure the cream cheese is out and coming up to room temperature.

Step 2: Combine cream cheese, seasoned salt, onion powder, mayonnaise, sour cream, and worchestshire sauce in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly, either with a large spoon or make it extra creamy with an electric hand mixer.

Step 3: Chop the tomatoes and scallions, crumble the bacon.

Step 4: Mix the chopped ingredients in gently so that they don’t smush too much. You may want to save a few of each to garnish the top.

Step 5: Refrigerate in a sealed container for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend together, then serve with chips or crackers (our preference is potato chips!)

FOR A HOT DIP VERSION: Move dip into an oven safe baking dish and level it. Sprinkle one cup of shredded cheese on top and bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes to melt.

ADDITIONS AND SUBSTITUTIONS

Additions:

Lettuce: You can always make this a true BLT and add the lettuce of your choice. Spinach, kale, chard, and romaine are all great options.

Shredded cheese: Particularly if you’re going to heat this up as a hot dip, mixing in a cup of shredded cheese is a fabulous addition.

Substitutions:

Bacon Bits: If you’re short on time and can’t spare the 20 minutes to cook bacon, go for bacon bits instead.

FAQs for this BLT Dip Recipe

Do I need to de-seed the tomatoes? I scoop the seeds and pulp out if I’m using large tomatoes. For cherry tomatoes, I just quarter them.

How do I get the lumps out of my dip? This is usually caused by the cream cheese not being warmed up to room temperature. Let the dip sit out for 30 minutes and try whipping it with an electric hand mixer (they are super cheap, totally worth the purchase if you don’t own one!) to get the cheese clumps to disappear.