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Crispy toasted Cheddar cheese with a spicy little twist. A perfect low carb snack. This post is sponsored by Tabasco.
Okay, I admit, cheese crisps are easy to make and not particularly innovative. I know what you’re thinking…”Gee, Carolyn, this is how you choose to showcase your culinary talents for a Tabasco Cooking Challenge? Really? You couldn’t come up with something a little more, well, complicated?” Yeah, well, these cheese crisps are different. These ARE innovative. So stop being so mean to me. And it’s not just that I tossed the shredded cheese with Tabasco sauce before making the crisps. See the funky lines on them? See the almost waffle-like shape to the crisps? That, my friends, is a cheese crisp cooked in a panini press. Yes, a panini press.
See, told ya. Pretty innovative and pretty darn fun. And an even easier way to make an already-easy-to-make low carb snack. Just plop some of your cheese on the hot press, close the lid, wait about 1 to 2 minutes, and out they come. All funky and waffle shaped. And they come off the press incredibly easily, since cheese has such a high fat content.
I got the idea the last time we were making panini (low carb panini, naturally). Some of the cheese oozed out of the sandwich and became perfectly crispy and it got my little mind whirring. I was holding that one in my back pocket, when along came Tabasco®, challenging me to come up with 5 recipes in 5 days with a severely limited ingredient list. Tabasco® and cheddar are perfect together and I can attest that the crisps go really well with low carb tomato soup. And when they are hot off the press, they are still soft enough that you can shape them whatever way you please. If you make them a little bigger and fold them over a wooden spoon, you could make taco shells with them too. So many possibilities. How could you have doubted me?
If you don’t happen to have a panini press, a waffle maker could work as well. Just be sure it isn’t a Belgian waffle maker, as they are so deep, your crisps may get stuck. You could also just cook these in the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment and cook at 400F until crispy.
If you’re in the market for a panini press, I highly recommend the one we have, from Krups. It’s never failed me!
Spicy Cheddar Crisps – Low Carb and Gluten-Free
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Servings: 8 crisps
Ingredients
- 1 cup finely shredded Cheddar cheese
- Tabasco to taste I put in about ½ teaspoon
Instructions
In a small bowl, toss shredded Cheddar with Tabasco sauce until well coated.
Heat panini press to medium.
Using half the cheese, spoon four circles of cheese about 3 inches in diameter each onto hot press.
Close lid and let cook 1 to 2 minutes, until browned and crispy. You can peek and see if they are done…if they stick firmly to one side and don’t come apart, they’re all set.
Use a rubber spatula to peel crisps off press.
Repeat with remaining cheese.
Notes
Serves 4. No carbs.114 Calories; 9g Fat (73.9% calories from fat); 7g Protein; trace Carbohydrate; 0g Dietary Fiber; 30mg Cholesterol; 178mg Sodium.
Nutrition Facts
Spicy Cheddar Crisps – Low Carb and Gluten-Free
Amount Per Serving (2 g)
Calories 0
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Grandma Denny’s Homemade Ranch Dip
My Grandma Denny’s Homemade Ranch Dip was a Denny family favorite long before anyone heard of Ranch Dressing! And this family favorite Ranch Dip is a delicious low-carb and keto dip recipe and in my family this makes an appearance at every holiday gathering!
PIN Grandma Denny’s Homemade Ranch Dip to try it later!
My Grandma Denny’s Homemade Ranch Dip is one of my favorite memories from childhood! As early as I can remember, my Grandma Denny made a fantastic dip that she served with carrots and celery as an appetizer at every family gathering. In those days we called Grandma’s homemade ranch dip just *Vegetable Dip* as if there was only one kind of dip that could possibly be served with veggies.
This was long before the introduction of Ranch Dressing to the American culinary scene, and obviously my Grandma Denny was ahead of her time, because now people all over the country are eating Ranch Dip with veggies. And in my own extended family, there would never be a holiday gathering without this delicious homemade Ranch Dip on the table.
Of course there’s nothing wrong with making Ranch-Style Vegetable Dip using a package mix if that time-saver works for you. But my grandma’s Homemade Ranch Dip is a bit fresher tasting as well as being low in carbs, and if you usually use the mix but don’t have a package on hand I bet you’ll love my Grandma’s recipe.
Grandma Denny always used full-fat mayo and sour cream, but for anyone wanting lower fat you can obviously make this with reduced-fat products if you prefer. Or if you don’t like mayo, you might prefer the variation below for Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip, made with Greek yogurt and blended cottage cheese for a higher protein, lower-fat dip.
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
Can you make this dip with onion powder?
I love the flavor the grated onion gives to my Grandma Denny’s homemade ranch dip. But if you prefer or want to save time, just use 1 tsp. onion powder.
Can you make this homemade ranch dip with Greek Yogurt?
I sometimes make a variation of this that I call Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip that’s lower in fat and higher in protein. For that variation follow this recipe but replace the sour cream with one cup of cottage that’s blended in the food processor until it’s nearly smooth and replace the mayo with one cup fat-free Greek Yogurt. (This is the version I would make when I was strictly following the original South Beach Diet.)
Want a version of ranch dip with more texture?
You can make a variation of this homemade ranch dip recipe with a little chopped red onion, finely diced cucumber, and finely diced red pepper if you’d like a chunkier dip. I would use about 2 T of each.
How to Make Grandma Denny’s Homemade Ranch Dip:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- My Grandma always used Bon Appetit Seasoning Salt as the secret seasoning in her vegetable dip, but it’s no longer being made (sob!) If you still have Bon Appetit, use it, but now I use Beau Monde Seasoning (affiliate link). If you’re in Europe you can also use Trocomare Seasoning. (affiliate link)
- Grate a small amount of raw onion into a bowl. (I use the large side of a box grater; don’t use a microplane grater which just turns the onion to liquid.)
- Add mayo and sour cream to bowl.
- Then add Beau Monde Seasoning and dried dill weed (affiliate link).
- Mix all ingredients together well with a whisk. You can use a food processor as well, but the whisk is quicker.
- Let the dip chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour or two for best flavor.
- Serve with raw vegetables like celery, sugar snap peas, bell pepper strips, jicama, radishes, broccoli, or cauliflower.
- This is also good with carrots or as a dip for baked sweet potato fries for those who don’t mind more carbs.
- I tested this out on my friend Robin and she gave it two thumbs up!
More Tasty Vegetable Dips You Might Like:
Weekend Food Prep:
This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Ingredients
- 1 cup sour cream (see notes)
- 1 cup mayo (see notes)
- 1 tsp. grated onion
- 2 tsp. dried dill weed
- 2 tsp. Beau Monde Seasoning (see notes)
Instructions
- Grate onion into a bowl, using the large side of a box grater or flat grater (not a microplane grater.)
- Add all other ingredients to the bowl and stir together with a whisk (or you can use a food processor, but it’s not necessary.)
- Chill an hour or so before serving.
Notes
I only use Daisy full-fat sour cream and full-fat mayo for this recipe but if you prefer to make a lower-fat version of the recipe you can definitely use reduced fat sour cream and mayo.
My Grandma always used Bon Appetit Seasoning for this. When that was discontinued I started making it with Beau Monde Seasoning (affiliate link), which is almost identical in flavor.
This will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks. Nutritional information doesn’t include vegetables and is calculated on 1/4 cup serving size.
Recipe from my Grandma Denny, who was a wonderful cook!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 245Total Fat: 26gSaturated Fat: 6gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 564mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 1g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Did you make this recipe?
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Grandma Denny’s Homemade Ranch Dip is great for low-carb diets.Eat with low-carb vegetables like celery, sugar snap peas, jicama, bell pepper strips, radishes, broccoli, or cauliflower for low-carb diets. If you’re making this for the original South Beach Diet the Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip variation above is better for South Beach.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Appetizers to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
Kalyn was making this dip recipe long before the existence of the internet, and it was first posted on this site in 2005 (probably without a single photo in those days.) The recipe was last updated with more information in 2023.
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Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
- Calories N/A
- Total Fat N/A
- Saturated Fat N/A
- Cholesterol N/A
- Sodium N/A
- Total Carbohydrates N/A
- Protein N/A
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