An easy way to enjoy every forager's favorite wild allium, ramp dip is delicious on crackers, toast, or smeared on a bagel. It's really good, good enough that I developed this for an episode of my friend Stephanie's show Tastebuds on Fox. Depending on how you want it to taste, it can be bright green and garlicky, or mellow and sweet like caramelized onion dip. With both versions there's some important things to know, read on and I'll explain.

A bowl of ramp dip garnished with wildflowers served with crackers and wild garlic leaves in the background. — Fresh ramp dip garnished with violets and dandelion flowers.

Chef's Tips

Before I show explain how to make it, there's some important things to know:

Adding herbs (I use dill but mint, cilantro or basil work too) is essential for the fresh ramp version. By themselves, ramps are powerful. Without adding different layers of flavor, they can simply taste like a mouthful of wild garlic leaves.
Most recipes simply puree wild leeks/ramp leaves with cheese, but adding cooked ramps adds texture to the dip, allowing you to add more ramps than you could if they were raw.
I demonstrate the recipes using cream cheese as a starting point, but goat cheese makes a more refined version.

How to Make Ramp Dip

Fresh Ramp Dip

If you crave the fresh, garlicky taste and bright green color of the leaves, my recipe for fresh ramp dip is the one you want to make, and the one I suggest you make first.

First you slice up some ramps or wild garlic. You can use bulbs, leaves, or a combination. Most of the ramps are cooked in butter until tender and their water has evaporated.

Cutting wild garlic or ramp bulbs and slicing the leaves. — Slice the ramp bulbs and leaves.

Cooking fresh ramp bulbs and leaves in butter.

Ramp leaves and bulbs cooked down until tender. — Cooking ramp leaves and bulbs until tender.

The cooked ramps are cooled, then the remaining fresh ramps are pureed with cream cheese in a food processor.

Adding sliced ramp leaves to a food processor with cream cheese. — Add fresh ramp leaves to a food processor with cream cheese.

Pureed ramp leaves and cream cheese. — Pureed ramp leaves and cream cheese, or goat cheese.

After the mixture is pureed, you add the cooked ramps, sour cream, a little mayonnaise, herbs, lemon zest and some parmesan cheese. I like to add a roasted, chopped jalapeno for heat, but it's optional.

Adding cooked ramp leaves to a bowl of ramp dip. — Adding cooked ramp leaves to the dip.

Adding mayonnaise, sour cream and herbs to ramp dip. — Adding mayonnaise, sour cream, herbs and lemon zest.

Adding a roasted, chopped jalapeno to ramp dip. — Adding a roasted, chopped jalapeno.

After the dip is made it will keep in the fridge for a week. I like to serve it garnished with wildflowers.

Fresh ramp and cheese dip served with crackers.

Caramelized Ramp Dip

I like to describe this one as ramp "Top the Tater". You use the same recipe, but you cook ramps down slowly until the water's evaporated like you would make caramelized onions, folding them into the same dip base used for the fresh ramp dip.

Cooking ramp leaves brings out their sweetness, and this dip is mild enough you can eat it by the spoonful where the fresh dip is more assertive and good in smaller bites.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

No ratings yet

Ramp Dip

Two different recipes for dip made from wild leeks / ramps. One with the fresh, hot kiss of ramp leaves, another with caramelized ramps in the style of caramelized onion dip in the recipe notes. Makes about 3 cups

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Appetizer, Condiment

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cream cheese ramp dip, ramp dip recipe

Servings: servings

Calories: 102kcal

Author: Alan Bergo

Cost: 5

Equipment

Food processors
mixing bowl
Spatula
10 inch saute pan

Ingredients

12 oz ramp leaves separated
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
8 oz cream cheese or goat cheese
Pinch of cayenne pepper to taste
1-2 large jalapenos optional, pickled jalapenos or similar can be substituted
¼ cup sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 large lemon for zest and juice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
½ cup parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or mint, basil, cilantro, etc.

Instructions

Slice the ramps into 1 inch pieces. Bulbs should be sliced thinner, around ¼ inch thick.
In a food processor, blend the cream cheese and 2 oz of the ramp leaves (a handful) until smooth and bright green. For a stronger garlic flavor, add up to 4 oz of leaves total. Transfer the ramp cream cheese to the bowl with the cooked, cooled ramps, add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
Heat the butter in a ten inch pan and add 10 oz of the ramps, cover, cook on medium heat until wilted, about 5 minutes, stirring and seasoning with a pinch of salt. Transfer the ramps to a mixing bowl and cool.
Char the jalapenos over a gas burner until blackened on all sides. Transfer to a bowl, cover with cling film and cool. Peel the jalapenos, cut them in half and slice off the stem, seeds and white pith. Cut the jalapenos into thin ¼ inch slices, then line them up and cut into ¼ inch dice.
Taste the mixture and adjust the seasoning for salt, heat and lemon zest and juice. Stir, taste the mixture again and repeat the process until you like the flavor.
Transfer the ramp dip to a bowl and refrigerate before serving.
For a presentation as pictured, serve with a rich seed cracker or crisp bread, and garnish the dip with spring wild flowers.

Video

Notes

Caramelized Ramp Dip (Top the Tater)

Use the same proportions as above, but cook all of the ramps instead of pureeing some with the cheese. Taste it before you add the herbs as some may like it as-is. If you can get mature ramps with large bulbs it'll be even better than just leaves. Cook the ramps down slowly until they start to caramelize and their liquid has completely evaporated like you would make caramelized onions. The leaves should be well-cooked, sweet, and not bright green. I also like to add a pinch of cayenne to taste instead of the jalapeno, but it's optional.

Nutrition