This recipe was born out of my need to use up two Paleo condiments in my refrigerator: dairy-free cream cheese and avocado-oil based mayonnaise.

Where I grew up in the South, cream cheese + mayo are at the base of dips commonly shared before any type of gathering, especially as an appetizer before a holiday meal or while watching a football game. Or, you know, just for general snacking.

So while looking at the opened containers of Kite Hill almond milk cream cheese and Primal Kitchens mayonnaise in my fridge and wondering how to use them both up before they went bad, I decided to make a creamy dip perfect for vegetables or chips that just happens to be Paleo, dairy-free, low-carb, and vegan (if you use an egg-free mayo, of course).

And because I am all about Latin American flavors in my household (I did write the best-selling cookbook Latin American Paleo Cooking, after all), I decided to do a garlic-cilantro base to give a bit of Latin flair.

I tell you what: the result was perfect. And so fast and easy to mix together since I had the condiments on hand already.

Not a fan of cilantro? Easy solution: use fresh dill instead for a Paleo ranch-style dip. I bet any fresh herb (or blend of herbs) would taste delicious!

I know that chips can be controversial in the Paleo community. Heck, some people still start arguments over whether simple baked potatoes are Paleo or not (spoiler: they are Paleo).

Here are my two pennies on the matter: as long as the chips are cooked in a healthy, stable oil like avocado oil, palm oil, or coconut oil, then why not live a little and enjoy them. I happen to really like the Boulder brand, especially the crinkle cut ones fried in avocado oil you see in my photos.

But if you prefer to avoid potatoes or simply need to eat nightshade-free, then you could use plantain or cassava chips instead.

The beautiful thing about most plantain chips coming from Central or South America is that they are cooked in locally-sourced palm oil. Orangutans do not live outside of Asia, so by default these are orangutan-safe. I love supporting the Samai brand since they take care of their farmers and local communities (and make really delicious chips!)

This dairy-free garlic cilantro dip would also be wonderful on top of crackers. You can make your own Paleo crackers with my recipe, or give Simple Mills a try – they have a lot of Paleo cracker options! And don’t tell the Paleo police, but this former Cheez-It addict also loves their Farmhouse Cheddar crackers.

Or, finally, you can use this as a dairy-free and Paleo dip for vegetables. Slice up your favorites, like carrots, bell peppers, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, radishes, celery, jicama, broccoli…whatever you like!

I do have a recipe for making your own homemade cashew cream cheese, however I have not tested it for dip-making in this recipe, but I have a suspicion that it won’t be nearly as pleasing of a texture as when using the Kite Hill. If you try it out, I’d suggest mixing like, 1 tsp each of the homemade cashew cream cheese with 1 tsp of the mayo and making sure the texture and flavor is compatible before proceeding with a larger batch. And let me know how it turns out if you try it!

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