How to Make Homemade Herb Dip Mix
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With garden season just ending, and the holidays around the corner, now is the perfect time to make homemade herb dip mix. Having a ready-to-go herb dip mix on hand makes appetizers and snacks easy. It also makes a thoughtful and affordable homemade holiday gift.
In this article we share some tips for making homemade herb mix, plus three recipes that can be used to make a variety of dip flavors using the same creamy base (sour cream, mayonnaise, and lemon juice).
Choosing Herbs for a Dip Mix
When it comes to choosing the right herbs for your dip mix, a great approach is to choose 2-3 green herbs that go well together and mix them with something spicy like onion or garlic (or both). If you want one herb flavor to come through strongest, use the most of that herb. For example, a dill dip will use the largest quantity of dill with a few other herbs that complement it in smaller quantities.
Alternatively, if you want a nice blend of herbs that complement each other (such as an Italian blend), use just about the same amount of each green herb (think parsley, basil, and thyme).
I find the following proportions work well when combining herbs and spices to make a dip mix:
5 Parts Green Herbs (Parsley, Basil, Thyme, Tarragon, Oregano, Dill)
+ 1 Part Allium (garlic, onion, or both)
+ Salt and Pepper to Taste
To really increase the homemade factor of this herb dip mix, try drying your own herbs from your garden with these simple instructions. You can even make your own garlic powder!
Herbs should be well-dried so that they will last in storage. Do not use fresh herbs or garlic for long-term storage as the moisture will lead to unwanted bacterial growth or mold.
Dip Mix Variations
The following table includes suggested proportions for a few of our favorite dip mix variations:
| Garlic & Herb | Italian | Dill Veggie | |
| 5 Parts Green Herbs | 1 T Parsley 1 T Thyme 1 T Tarragon 1 T Basil 1 Tablespoon Dill | 2 T Parsley 2 T Basil 1 T Thyme | 3 T Dill 2 T Parsley |
| 1 Part Allium Spices | 1 T Garlic Powder | 1/2 T Garlic Powder 1/2 T Onion Flakes | 1 T Onion Flakes 1 tsp Garlic Powder |
| Salt & Pepper (to taste) | 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper | 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper | 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper |
Ingredients for your Creamy Herb Dip Base
Once you have the blend of herbs you love, you’ll need to mix a few tablespoons of your herb dip mix with the creamy ingredients that turn it into a dip. While there are a lot of ingredients to choose from, we prefer the traditional combination of sour cream and mayonnaise. These ingredients are simple, easy to have on hand, and make for a satisfying dip that is both tart and savory.
We use Hood Sour Cream because it has New England roots, and a great reputation for quality. When it comes to a yummy dip, lower quality sour cream can lead to bland flavor. Hood Sour Cream is made from real milk and comes from responsible New England Farmers. If we’re not going to make something ourselves, we want to make sure we’re buying real food without added ingredients, and that our purchase supports others who work the land. Visit hood.com/recipes for more great recipes with this star ingredient!
The same goes for our choices in mayonnaise. Buy the real stuff, with high quality simple ingredients, not something full of artificial additives. The difference in flavor can be drastic.
To Make the Final Dip, combine:
- 2 tablespoons herb mix
- 3/4 cup Hood Sour Cream
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
For best flavor, let the dip rest for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours before serving. This allows the herbs to infuse into the sour cream and mayonnaise.
Giving Herb Dip Mix as a Gift
Homemade herb dip mix makes a nice gift for family, friends, teachers, neighbors – especially if your own herbs are part of the blend!
Each of the recipe variations included in this article makes about 6 tablespoons of dry mix, which is just enough for three recipes of the final dip. You can double or triple the recipe to make a larger batch to divide up for gifts.
If you are giving your dip mix as a gift, consider creating a cute tag with the final dip recipe. In fact, here’s a graphic you can use to attach to your gifts!! Just copy and paste the image in any file you want to use to print (on card stock, labels, or just plain paper). Then, pop out a hole in the corner and tie onto a bag of dip mix with a ribbon or string.
