Hibiscus Dip? Ya, I know, it’s not something you’ve ever thought of. But you HAVE to try it! Imagine a hot, cheesy, garlicky, lemony dip similar to baked artichoke dip, BUT BETTER!
I’m totally taking advantage of these Hibiscus Sabdariffa leaves when I have them. We are so lucky in Arizona to have just the right climate to produce lush Roselle plants in the heat of the summer. If you haven’t already tried my Hibiscus Pesto, you may as well make it along with this dip since you are picking leaves anyway. It’s super yummy added to the top of a crostini. Get that recipe HERE.
I’m not going to go into a long explanation of what Hibiscus Sabdariffa is or how beautiful it is in your Arizona Garden, or even all the other amazing things you can do with it. Why? Because you are here for a recipe with a few photos to show you how to do it. I go crazy sometimes when I’m looking for a recipe and then have to wade through miles and miles of discussion on the various ingredients or a family history of how this recipe came to be. Sure, it looks cool to have a lot to talk about, and believe me, I love to go on and on about things. But not here. Not today. You’re lucky, LOL.
So here you go…
This is all you need to make this delish Hibiscus Dip
To make this easy appetizer, all you need are some simple ingredients in addition to the coarsely chopped hibiscus leaves you just picked from your garden. Mix it all together in a bowl, pop it in the oven and in 30 minutes its done. You’ll see in this photo that I have red pepper flakes. I don’t always put them into the mix because some people don’t want the spice. So leave them out and put them on at the end for color and a little spice. Offer them to poplin a dish in case they want more, however.
Hibiscus Dip Details
You can follow the recipe (below) pretty easily, but I wanted to give you a few detailed instructions to make sure you are successful here. First of all, make sure that the cream cheese is room temperature and close to the consistency of the mayonnaise so that it mixes easily. You can warm it up outside since this is summer in Arizona, or heat it in the microwave at 10 second intervals until it’s right.
For the hibiscus leaves, I like to rinse them off and then stack and roll them up to slice them and then chop.
Put all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and combine, no food processor necessary. Once it’s blended together, simply pour it into a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Note: cover with foil or a lid for 15 minutes and then uncover for the last 15 minutes.
Serve this Local Treat and Enjoy!
Enjoy on a charcuterie board or just place in a bowl with tortilla chips or self-serve crostini. I like to add Hibiscus Pesto and Sun-dried tomatoes that I dried earlier in the summer. YUM!!
I can’t wait for the Roselle pods to show up in about a month because I have some seriously deliscious recipes for those. Be on the look out.
Creamy Baked Hibiscus Dip
Ingredients
- 2 Handfuls Hibsicus leaves
- 8 oz Cream Cheese Softened
- 1 c Mayonaise
- 1/2 c Parmesan Cheese
- 2 cloves Garlic
- Red Pepper Flakes Optional
Instructions
- 1. Coarsely chop stemless hibiscus leaves
- 2. Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and combine
- 3. Pour mixture into a baking dish, cover and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, then remove cover and bake another 15 minutes.
- 4. Serve as a dip or on top of crostini. Sprinkle pepper flakes on top if desired.
