I think we can all agree that buffalo chicken dip is pretty much the most quintessential game day appetizer out there. It’s hearty, cheesy, satisfying, salty, spicy and perfect for dipping.
I wasn’t about to drop another buffalo chicken dip recipe on the internet because a) that’s boring and basic and 2) there are only so many ways to make it. Ya feel?
What I did want to do though, was make a vegetarian buffalo dip without chicken but still have it be just as crave-worthy and addicting enough to belong in your game day spread. As I mentioned before, I’ve been trying to incorporate more plant based and vegetarian-friendly recipes into AK and know that many of you are trying to eat less meat too.
Let’s start with a bomb a$$ white bean buffalo dip that’s creamy, a little healthier than the original version and made with three different types of cheeses for the ultimate party dip!
P.S. if you are going to make a buffalo chicken dip, it should 100% be my Bubbly Hot Chicken Enchilada Bean Dip.
Ingredients in this easy vegetarian buffalo dip recipe
This delicious vegetarian buffalo dip has a creamy buffalo white bean base, three different kinds of cheese, hearty mix-ins and a pop of fresh cilantro on top that you’ll love. Here’s what you’ll need for the recipe:
- White beans: you’ll blend a can of white beans and keep another can whole for a delicious texture. This is your chicken replacement! Plus white beans are packed with fiber, iron and protein. Heck yes!
- Plain greek yogurt: this will add a wonderful creaminess to the cheesy white bean dip. You can also use sour cream. I typically go for whole milk greek yogurt but it’s up to you!
- Cheeses: we’re adding in cream cheese, mozzarella cheese AND sharp cheddar cheese for the ultimate flavor. Feel free to use regular or low fat cream cheese.
- Buffalo sauce: to make it a cheesy buffalo dip! Use your go-to buffalo sauce – hot or medium! I personally love this paleo friendly buffalo sauce.
- Topping: I like to top this veggie buffalo dip with cilantro & green onion for a pop of freshness.
How to make buffalo dip without chicken
This white bean buffalo dip is SUPER easy to make, only requires 8 ingredients and can even be made ahead of time. Here’s how to make it:
- Blend it. In the bowl of a food processor add in 1 can of drained and rinsed white beans, cream cheese, greek yogurt and buffalo sauce; process/blend until smooth. Pour it into a prepared skillet or pan.
- Bake it. Gently stir in the remaining can of rinsed and drained beans, some of the mozzarella and cheddar cheese and green onions; spread evenly. Add remaining shredded cheeses on top and bake until cheese is bubbling and slightly golden brown along the edges.
- Serve it. Serve immediately with tortilla chips, pita chips, plus carrot and celery sticks.
Spice it up
This vegetarian buffalo dip recipe is easy to customize by adding some heat. To make it a little bit spicier, I’d recommend adding:
- A spicy buffalo sauce like this one
- Spicy shredded cheddar cheese
- And some sliced jalapeños on top!
You’ll make the vegetarian white bean buffalo dip the same way while easily swapping in those ingredients. YUM!
Make it ahead of time
If you want to prepare this vegetarian buffalo dip ahead of time, you totally can!
- Mix all ingredients together in the pan as directed and cover with cheese.
- Place foil over the top of the pan, then place it in the fridge until ready to bake.
- Bake when you’re ready! You may need to add 5-10 extra minutes of baking time, but the buffalo dip will still be delicious! This vegetarian buffalo dip can be prepared up to 3 days ahead of time. Perfect for game day!
What to serve with this white bean buffalo dip
There are tons of amazing ways to serve this deliciously cheesy buffalo dip. I recommend:
- Your fav tortilla chips or pita chips
- Plenty of veggies like celery and carrot sticks
- These easy paleo crackers
- On top of tacos, burritos or burrito bowls!
More delicious homemade dips
- Vegan Jalapeño Butternut Squash Queso
- How to Make Super Creamy Hummus (+5 different flavor variations!)
- Spicy Green Cashew Dip
- Bubbly Hot Chicken Enchilada Bean Dip
- Fresh & Healthy 7-Layer Dip
Get all of our amazing dips & salsas here!
I hope you love this vegetarian white bean buffalo dip recipe. If you make it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe — I really appreciate it! xo.
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Vegetarian White Bean Buffalo Dip
Ingredients
- For the buffalo white bean base:
- 1 (15 ounce) can white beans, rinsed and drained
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- ½ cup plain whole milk greek yogurt (or sour cream)
- 2/3 cup medium or hot buffalo sauce
- For the mix-ins:
- 1 (15 ounce) can white beans, rinsed and drained
- ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- ¾ cup sharp cheddar cheese (or a spicy cheddar if you’d like), divided
- ¼ cup diced green onion (green part only)
- To garnish:
- Fresh cilantro
- Extra green onion
- For serving:
- Tortilla chips
- Carrot sticks
- Celery sticks
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Grease a 9 inch oven safe skillet or 8x8 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a food processor add in 1 can of drained and rinsed white beans, cream cheese, greek yogurt and buffalo sauce; process/blend until smooth. Pour it into prepared skillet or pan.
- Gently stir in remaining can of rinsed and drained beans, 1/4 cup of the mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup cheddar cheese and green onions; spread evenly. Add remaining shredded cheeses on top and bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is bubbling and slightly golden brown along the edges. Garnish with cilantro and extra green onion. Serve immediately with tortilla chips, pita chips, plus carrot and celery sticks.
Recipe Notes
- a spicy buffalo sauce
- spicy shredded cheddar cheese
- and some sliced jalapeños on top!
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on January 14th, 2021, republished on January 5th, 2022, and republished on January 12th, 2025.
Is there a way I could freeze this to make it ahead of time? Or will it mess up the texture?
I wouldn’t recommend freezing this as I’m afraid it will separate and create a strange texture when thawed!
Amazing. Make it into a quesadilla
That sounds SO good!!
Awesome appetizer and a great substitute for hummus, guacamole, salsa, Nice to switch things up and everyone devoured it!! I only used 1/3 cup of Franks mild wing sauce. Also, blended the shredded cheeses with the other ingredients in the food processor. This is definitely on my party list going forward!!
Absolutely! Glad it was a hit!
This was a HUGE hit at a party last night. Thankfully there is some leftover for me to enjoy today, I used Franks Red Hot Garlic Buffalo sauce. I wanted to incorporate blue cheese flavor, so I substituted Bolthouse yogurt based blue cheese dressing for the yogurt/sour cream. I used reduced fat cream cheese. After combining all the mix-ins, I decided to add another can of white beans for a chunkier dip. Next time (and there will be lots of next times), I’ll use 1.5 cans of beans in the base and another 1.5 cans in the mix-ins. Instead of tortilla chips, I used pita chips with my veggie dippers. SO good! Thanks for the recipe!
Perfect! This one’s great for customizing 🙂 glad everyone enjoyed!
Recommendations if I could make this in the crock pot?
Add everything to a slow cooker on low, but note that it won’t really get that cheesy topping you’d like!
This recipe for buffalo white bean dip is fantastic. My wife who is vegetarian loves it! I brought it over for a party and it was enjoyed by everyone. I have nothing to add or remove, I like it just the way it is. Thank you so much!
So happy to hear that!!
This was so good!!! I cooked up some Yellow Eye beans from Rancho Gordo in place of canned (I used 1/2 lb which is equivalent to 2 15 oz cans) and homemade a buffalo sauce because I forgot to get some from the store. I am so excited for leftovers and will definitely be making again!!
Amazing!! Glad you enjoyed!
This was really yummy but I halved the buffalo sauce and it was still too hot!!
Try a mild buffalo sauce next time! That will help 🙂
Is this good cold?
I prefer it hot!
So good! I veganized it and worked perfectly. How long does it stay good for?
Love that! It should stay good for up to 4 days or so 🙂
This was delicious!!! I made the buffalo sauce with sriracha. No changes otherwise though! Thanks for another wonderful recipe.
Amazing! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
I loved this recipe!! Delicious!!!😋 my sisters are part time vegetarians lol. They really enjoyed it & so did my meat loving husband & my mom who doesn’t like beans 😉 I liked it better than the chicken version too. I made this for Super Bowl & used it as a base for veggie nachos 🤤
The nachos had (your buffalo bean dip), black beans, red bell peppers, scallions, red onion, cilantro, roasted sweet potatoes (could use butternut squash instead) it was a hit! Thank you!!🙂
Amazing! So glad it was a hit!
This was a big hit at our Super Bowl party. Beyond delicious. Used the 365 Whole Foods mild garlic buffalo sauce. Will be making this again!
So happy to hear that!
I’ve made this bean dip so many times and always get compliments. I make it in my little crockpot. No modifications to the recipe other than adding the scallion whites to the blended mix. Seriously so delicious-
Love that!!
I veganized it-sooooooo delicious!!!!!
Love that!!
This is an all-time favorite every time I make it for a gathering. I’ll make a double batch on Saturday for a gathering of vegetarian and meat loving family members and it will be devoured in no time. Your recipes never disappoint!
Love that!! So happy you’re finding delicious recipes here 🙂
This is so damn good! We ate it with homemade tortilla chips (we’re not fancy, we just ran out of chips lol), and topped with the cilantro, green onion, and sliced candied jalapeño! Super tasty. Next time I wanna try leftovers on a baked potato!
Love that!! Baked potato sounds delicious 🙂
I was craving buffalo chicken dip! I eat meat, however my girlfriend is vegetarian, and I stumbled upon this recipe!! ITS SO YUMMY!!! The only thing I added was more cheese (because why not?!) It was a huge success with her friends too!
THIS was so so delicious! I made it for a post rugby game day and everyone loved it, and then made it AGAIN the very next day because it was that good. x
Yay! SO happy you all loved it!
I made this and it was delicious! I added some corn for some extra crunch an, I have to say, this will be a reoccurring party staple!
YUM! I am so happy this dip turned out great for you. Love the addition of corn too!
I plan to make this for my upcoming Halloween party to give more options for those who are vegetarians. Do you think I could prepare it in a crockpot so it stays warm?
I haven’t tested this in the crockpot so I am not exactly sure, bit I bet it’ll work great. You just won’t get the golden brown topping like you would if you baked it. Enjoy!
My family LOVES this recipe! Sometimes I add jalapeños or shredded pepper jack cheese to the mix-ins to give it more spice. Once out of the oven I sprinkle cilantro and jalapeños and drizzle more hot sauce on top. This is a party favorite; yum!!!
AMAZING! I am so glad you are loving this recipe, Kenley! Love the addition of jalapeños for a little kick!
Legit
The perfect GF vegetarian dip with so much flavor. And reheats amazingly well!
WOO! SO glad you’re loving this dip and it turned it great for you 🙂
Wow! This could be one of the most beneficial blogs we’ve ever come across on the subject.
Made this for Super Bowl and it is excellent. Perfect dish to snack on.
This was a big hit. My vegetarian niece and all of us meat eaters equally loved it. I like how it’s a lighter, healthier version of the traditional heavy dip. I made a couple of changes that my family loved. I used 1 can of white beans to blend and one can of chickpeas to stir in. I added chopped celery, omitted the mozzarella, and added some crumbled blue cheese for that authentic buffalo flavor. Everyone loved it!
Delicious and easy to make. My guests loved it and asked for the recipe.
Yum! So glad everyone is loving this recipe 🙂
This was fantastic!!
Would it be possible to substitute everything for a dairy free version (cream cheese, yogurt, and shredded cheese) or would that change the taste and texture too much? This looks soooo good!
I have not tested this recipe as dairy free so I am not sure if that would change the texture/taste. I am going to assume that it might change a bit because certain dairy free cheeses don’t really melt as well. If you give this recipe a try dairy free, I’d love to know how it works out for you.
This recipe is so good. I made it for my sisters engagement party and it was a huge hit. I doubled the recipe and it made 2 – 9×13 pans of dip. Huge serving and was plenty for around 40-50 people. Really delicious. I made sandwiches with the leftovers and those were great too.
Yay!! Happy everyone loved it. And ooh such a great idea to spread it on sandwiches — I need to try that!
This is SO GOOD! Thank you for providing this. Since going vegetarian, buffalo chicken dip is one of those things I’ve found myself randomly missing, haha. This dip is better!
I’m so happy you love it, Molly!! So happy you don’t have to skip the buffalo dip anymore!
I made this recipe last night for a friend who was visiting. Neither of us is exclusively vegetarian but I like to try new things. I made this in my $30 blender so if you don’t have a food processor no worries this recipe should still turn out great! My friend loved the dip so much he asked for the recipe for when his vegetarian friend visits he can make him a good meal.
Yay!! SO happy to hear it came out amazing and that your blender worked well 🙂 Thanks so much for the review, Miranda.
Hi! Can this be done without cheese somehow? I thought about subbing in cashews..
I haven’t tried that! But that’s a fun idea. You could try mixing my cashew cheese sauce with the buffalo sauce and white beans and maybe topping with some shredded vegan cheese? Let me know if you try anything!
I love this appetizer! Made it for Thanksgiving and now the Super Bowl, and all of my relatives/friends have raved about this dip as much as I have. I am vegetarian, but not all of them are, but they love the buffalo beans anyways 🙂
Oh YAY I’m so glad to hear you all loved it!!
I made this dip for a SuperBowl party tonight, and everyone loved it and had positive things to say! It is so so easy to make and SO flavorful! Thank you for the recipe!
Woohooo! So glad everyone enjoyed it!
Delicious!! Perfect Super Bowl dip.
Unbelievably good! Made a half batch and served with carrots and celery. Omg I think it’s going to be my new signature appetizer!