I’m going to leave aside whether you love bleu cheese — if you do, you’ll read on. My real question is whether you spell it “bleu” or “blue.” I confess I adopted the French spelling as a kid because it sounded fancier. Growing up in rural Northern Michigan in the seventies, bleu cheese felt exotic back then. Anyone else remember Green Goddess dressing?

Either spelling is acceptable, but regardless of how you write it, I remain a big fan. Bleu (or blue) cheese is an easy way to add intense flavor to many dishes. Case in point: this Easy Bleu Cheese Dip or Dressing.

This dip is the little black dress of condiments: creamy, thick, and packed with bleu cheese and fresh chives. A touch of lemon, a hint of garlic, and cracked black pepper round out the sour cream and mayonnaise base. As the name suggests, it’s excellent as a dip for vegetable sticks, bread, pretzels, potato chips, or any other dippables. If you prefer a thick dressing, spoon it over salad; to make it more pourable, thin with a splash of milk.

Beyond salads and crudité, spoon this over grilled steak, a bacon bleu cheeseburger, or a baked potato. It’s perfect for dipping French fries, Boneless Buffalo Wings, regular chicken wings, or extra crispy fried chicken fingers. The recipe comes together in five minutes or less and easily outshines most store-bought bleu cheese dips.

I might even make a batch of this to go with the recipe I’m posting tomorrow…

Cook’s Notes

There are many types of bleu cheese, and you don’t have to be picky. Use pre-crumbled bleu cheese from a tub or crumble a wedge yourself. I prefer crumbling from a wedge for a creamier texture, but use what you like.
Use fresh chives for best flavor.
Fresh lemon juice brightens the dip more than bottled juice. If you don’t have a fresh lemon, substitute 1 tablespoon of good bottled lemon juice.
The dip can be served immediately, but it improves if refrigerated, tightly covered, for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors meld.
Store leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to a week.

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Easy Bleu Cheese Dip or Dressing

Rebecca Lindamood

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Ingredients

1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup crumbled bleu cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
handful fresh chives about 1/4 to 1/3 cup when chopped, finely chopped
the juice of half of a fresh lemon
1 small garlic clove peeled and minced or pressed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon granulated onion

Instructions

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until evenly combined. For best flavor, cover tightly and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving. Store leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Nutritional information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. Calculate nutrition with the ingredients you use and your preferred nutrition calculator.