This creamy and dairy-free buffalo chicken dip without mayo is a party favorite. Made with shredded chicken and a creamy buffalo cashew sauce, it tastes so cheesy and delicious – without the dairy!
Need more appetizer ideas? Check out this roundup of Easy and Healthy Appetizers!
Making dairy-free chicken dip without mayo or cream cheese
The dairy-free cashew sauce in this recipe is loaded with flavor and really easy to make! Here’s how you’ll do it.
- Soak your cashews to soften (see recipe below for quick-soak options)
- Make some salsa chicken in your instant pot or slow cooker
- Blend up the soaked cashews, hot sauce and other ingredients to make the creamy dairy-free buffalo sauce
- Shred the chicken, mix it up with the buffalo sauce and bake it for 20-30 minutes
That’s it! Grab your celery, chips or crackers and get to dipping!
Related: Browse through all of our healthy dairy-free recipes here.
Recipe tips
- Soak the cashews – Soaking the cashews gets a creamier texture, so follow one of the options provided to soak the cashews. It also helps to use a high-powered blender to make the sauce.
- Use any leftover chicken – The recipe includes instructions for making salsa chicken, but you can use any leftover chicken you like. It even works with rotisserie chicken or diced up cooked chicken. Just toss the chicken with a little salsa for flavor.
- Customize the hot sauce – Franks red hot is a classic buffalo sauce, but use any hot sauce you prefer. Add more or less as desired to suit your taste
- A note on nutritional yeast – This is what gives the dip a “cheesy” flavor. It can be found at most stores and is recommended but can be omitted for this recipe.
- Make ahead option – You can prep the dip in advance and refrigerate it until you are ready to bake it.
More healthy buffalo sauce based recipes
If you love buffalo sauce, we have plenty of different options for you!
- Easy homemade keto buffalo sauce
- Healthy baked buffalo chicken casserole
- Air fryer buffalo cauliflower
- Instant pot buffalo shredded chicken
- Buffalo chicken meatballs
Your turn to try this healthy buffalo chicken dip
Go ahead and get this healthy buffalo chicken dip on your agenda. It’s perfect for football games or any holiday gatherings or parties!
If you try it, be sure to leave a rating and comment below and let us know how it goes. Also, take a pic to share on Instagram. Tag us @realsimplegood, we love to see what you’re cooking!
Get the Recipe:
Dairy-Free Buffalo Chicken Dip (No Mayo)
Treat your party guests with this warm and creamy, dairy-free buffalo chicken dip! Made with a delicious cashew cream buffalo sauce and no mayo, it's a dip recipe that is made for sharing! It's also gluten-free, paleo and whole30!
Ingredients
- 2 cups cashews, soaked in water overnight to soften, See step 1 below for quick option
- 2 lbs chicken thighs
- 1 jar salsa
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled, (can sub 2 tsp garlic powder)
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/4 cup hot sauce, adjust as necessary to taste
- 1 tbsp spicy brown mustard
- 1/2 cup water
Equipment
Instructions
- Start by placing your cashews in a bowl or container and covering them with water. Set aside to soak overnight. Note: you can soak your cashews overnight to make a creamier texture, but the recipe turns out great just soaking them for the 2-3 hours. Or, you can boil the cashews for 10 minutes to soften them and then drain.
- Place your chicken in the instant pot and pour salsa over the top. Close the lid and make sure the pressure valve is closed. Press the “manual” button (or “pressure cook” button) and set the time to cook for 20 minutes at high pressure. Allow the cooking cycle to complete and then quick release the pressure. NOTE: Alternatively, you can cook the chicken in your slow cooker on high for 3 hours.
- While the chicken is cooking, drain the cashews and place them in a food processor with the chopping blade (or a high-powered blender). Add garlic, onion powder, salt, pepper, hot sauce, mustard, nutritional yeast and 1/2 cup of water. Process until everything reaches a smooth consistency.
- Once the chicken has finished cooking shred it with two forks until all of the chicken is in small shreds.
- Preheat your oven to 400° Fahrenheit.
- Add the cashew mixture to the shredded chicken. Mix well until the cashew mixture and chicken is evenly combined. Taste and add in more hot sauce if desired.
- Place in a shallow baking dish (pie dish) and spread out evenly. NOTE: You can prep the dip in advance up to this step and refrigerate it until you are ready to bake it.
- Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes. Remove from the oven once the dip is warm in the middle and crispy edges develop. Cool at least 5 minutes before serving.
Did you make this recipe?Tag @realsimplegood with hashtag #realsimplegood on Instagram. We love to see what you make!
Do you put the shredded chicken back into the salsa?
After cooking, you can shred the chicken with the salsa to mix it all together and then use it for the next steps.
thanks for the recipe… Love it so much
You’re welcome, glad you liked it!
Amazing!!! Doubled the recipe and made it for our super bowl party and within the first 20 mins we are out and I have so many people asking for the recipe. People don’t believe it’s healthy! Thank you for the football crowd pleaser that I feel good about feeding everyone!
Hehe! It always goes quick when we make it too! Glad everyone enjoyed our recipes at your Super Bowl party! Thanks again for sharing with us! 🙂