Protein-Packed Ranch Snack Dip Recipe

Protein shakes, peanut butter energy balls, and eating extra eggs (four-egg omelette, please!) seem to be the classic ways of upping our daily protein intake, whether we've been told to do so by our doctors, or we're trying to build some muscle. While shakes mixed with protein powder are the quickest and easiest option, they usually don't taste too awesome. The truth is, tons of protein is hiding in foods that we overlook every day. Edamame, which is featured in this recipe, has over 18 grams of protein per cup, so it makes for an easy inclusion in one's diet, especially when paired with an irresistible dip.

For a protein-packed snack that's savory and crunchy with fresh veggies, you have to try our ranch snack dip. Most ranch dip recipes use sour cream, which lacks the protein content that swapping in a container of cottage cheese will give you. In one single cup of low-fat cottage cheese, there's 25 grams of protein. What's even better is this dip tastes amazing with a little garlic powder and mixed dried herbs. The smooth texture from blending it in the food processor will leave you thinking, "Is this really cottage cheese?"

To make six servings of this delicious protein snack dip, you'll need one 16-ounce container of cottage cheese. Once you add it to the food processor, you'll season it with salt, pepper, dried onion, and garlic powder. To make it taste like ranch dressing, you'll need dried dill and parsley (dill is the crucial ingredient). That's all you'll need for the dip, but to serve it, we recommend a bowl of edamame (for the extra protein), celery sticks, and carrot sticks, and some sliced bell pepper and cucumber.

Add the cottage cheese to the food processor. Blend until smooth.

Add the parsley, dill, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to the food processor.

Pulse 5 to 6 times, until incorporated, then pour the dip into a small bowl and set aside.

Bring a medium pot of generously salted water to a boil.

Add the edamame to the boiling water and cook until bright green, 2 to 3 minutes.

Remove the edamame with tongs and immediately transfer to a bowl of ice water.

Arrange the edamame and other vegetables on a large platter and serve with the dip.

If you're making this protein-packed ranch snack dip specifically for the protein, we'd advise you to stick to the cottage cheese, since it has the most neutral flavor and the highest protein content for any product of this consistency. If you can't find it, or are wondering if you could use something else you have on hand, there are a few options you could use with a little tweaking.

Greek yogurt, which is also high in protein, could work in an equal amount. However, it's generally a lot more tangy and sour than cottage cheese, which may get in the way of the ranch flavors shining through. You could try half Greek yogurt and half sour cream, to balance the thickness as well as the sourness. Cream cheese would work as well, but we wouldn't recommend substituting it 100% for the cottage cheese. It should also be cut 50/50, perhaps with sour cream or Greek yogurt. For a similarly watery, curd-y texture, think of substituting an equal amount of ricotta for the cottage cheese in the recipe, which will produce a very similar result.

Since cottage cheese contains dairy, some readers may want to switch it up and make their ranch dip vegan. This can easily be accomplished thanks to the plentitude of dairy free products available in the market today. Any creamy base will work, like a plant-based cottage cheese, cashew or coconut yogurt, or even vegan ricotta cheese. Just substitute an equal amount for the cottage cheese, and blend it first in the food processor. Add seasonings and taste as you go, the mixture may need more salt or pepper for balance. Consider that your ranch dip may not be as protein-packed without the cottage cheese, but as long as you're still serving edamame on the side, you'll still be able to pack the macronutrient in nonetheless.

If you'd rather use something homemade than a processed product, you could try making a batch of tofu-based vegan ricotta. Just note that the recipe has salt and garlic powder in it, so you wouldn't need to add those when making the ranch dip.