Lemon Pepper Parsley Dip with Shallots

Ranch Dip’s Greek Cousin

If you love ranch but also love Greek food, then this Lemon Pepper Parsley Dip with Shallots is for you. Made with cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, and the fresh flavors of parsley, lemon and shallot it gets better as it sits and is the ideal dip for all the spring vegetables.

I wanted to make a dip that was different but still complimented my Easter Sunday meal. We have things like lamb, spanakopita, and my asparagus with lemon cream sauce.

I came up with the idea of this dip, made it, and no notes were needed. It is truly perfect.

Not only is it delicious and fresh and bright, it is the perfect dip to dunk carrots into. This makes it perfect for an Easter Sunday spread.

Doesn’t it look like something the Easter Bunny would dip into?

The recipe is quite simple really. It can and should be made a day or two in advance of serving it so the flavors then have more time to meld together and it gets even better.

I was thinking that this would even be a great spread to use on a veggie wrap or those pinwheel type sandwiches! I may use this with my Hye Roller recipe and change up the proteins.

There is a printable and save-able recipe card at the end of the post. There are just a few things I wanted to share in the next couple of paragraphs for those who seek to better understand the recipe.

Soak Your Shallots

There is a step in the recipe where you soak the shallots. Without getting too science(y), soaking the shallots in cold water helps get rid of some of the intense flavors.

Think of a shallot as a cross between an onion and garlic. Because you let this dip sit for a bit, the flavors of the shallot will just get stronger and stronger.

You do not want people dunking into this dip and walking around breathing “shallot fire.” Soaking them keeps the great flavor while reducing the intensity.

Make sure you get yourself a mesh strainer for this step and for any future cooking endeavors. You will need to strain and drain the shallots so that you are not adding liquid to the dip.

But How Much Parsley?!

Some people are always freaked out when I say to grab a bunch of parsley. My store sells parsley in a big, bushy bunch.

For this recipe you do not need to have an exact measurement of parsley when it is minced. The picture above is how much parsley I added after it was minced.

Do not freak out, buy some extra parsley in case you want to add more, and if you do not use it you can use it for garnish. This is the curly parsley also, not the flat leaf parsley.

Mexican Sour Cream

One thing I wanted to highlight is the sour cream. Whenever I am making a dip that needs sour cream, I buy one of the Mexican food brands of sour cream, usually called “crema.”

You can see on the label that it is acidified sour cream. This sour cream is thicker, creamier, and, to me, has a less sour taste.

I have never had a problem finding this in most stores. If you cannot find it, regular sour cream is JUST FINE.