Make kale more kid-friendly with this easy Kale Dip!

5 from 1 vote

What else can you use kale for? How about dip?

Whenever I add greens to our food, I make sure to name the dish after a favorite green character, like “Kermit Dip” or “Monster Mike Macaroni and Peas” to make it more kid-friendly. There are plenty of green superheroes, talking trains, tinkering pixies, frog princesses, and other fun cartoon characters to choose from to entice any child to give this yummy dip a try!

A lot of the time, parents have some challenges sneaking extra veggies into their kid’s diets, but MOMables is here to give you tons of ideas and tricks to help with just that! Come check it out!

Easy Kale Dip

Laura Fuentes

5 from 1 vote

Make kale more kid-friendly with this easy Kale Dip!

Servings: 12

Prep Time 10

Total Time 10

Ingredients

2 cups roughly torn kale leaves (removed from stems), about 5 to 6 ounces
8 ounces cream cheese or Neufchatel, softened
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, or favorite herb mix
2 tablespoons onion, minced
¼ teaspoon salt, optional
1 ½ cups plain Greek yogurt
1 to 1 ½ tablespoons lemon or lime juice, the acidity helps reduce the green flavor of the kale
¼ cup half-and-half or milk

Instructions

In a food processor or blender, chop the kale leaves. Put in a bowl and set aside.
Cut the cream cheese into small pieces and add to the bowl of a food processor or blender. Add the seasoning, onion, and salt, if using. (If dipping with veggies, you might prefer a little saltiness, but if dipping salted chips or crackers, you may not need any salt). Blend well.
Add the Greek yogurt and blend until smooth.
Add the chopped kale, lemon juice, and half-and-half. Blend until smooth, adding more milk, if necessary, to reach the desired consistency.
Dip with veggies and enjoy!

Notes

Instead of cream cheese, which is at least 33% fat (roughly 80 grams of fat per 8-ounce block), I prefer to use Neufchatel cheese, which is naturally lower in fat without adding weird chemicals, fake colors, or extra sugars (around 23% fat, so only 48 grams of fat per 8-ounce block). Both kinds contain roughly 16 grams of protein per 8-ounce block. (Ingredients and nutrition information will vary by brand.)

Feel free to substitute spinach or other greens (leaves only, no stems) for the kale!

I personally prefer this with 2 to 3 teaspoons of garlic instead of the onion, and I usually add some rosemary and extra salt as well. Either way, it’s a big hit at family get-togethers!