Almond Butter Dip (Dairy-Free and Sugar-Free)

This Healthy Almond Butter Dip is a clean-eating alternative to the HFCS-filled fruit dips in the store.  It's great not only as a dip, but also as a glaze or eaten right off the spoon.

Bonus: this dairy-free fruit dip is also special-diet friendly–it's vegan and low-carb with a nut-free option.

I love dips of all kinds.

And there's a good reason why.

Dipping makes everything taste better. Don't you agree?

I'm sure all of the parents out there would agree that while it can be hard to get kids to eat a lot of veggies, when you pair those exact same veggies with a dip, the veggies are more apt to disappear.

And that goes for adults too.

I mean, I love vegetables, but I really don't like eating them plain. And I very much dislike eating them raw and plain. But pair them with this delicious Avocado Dip or this Sesame-free Hummus, or this Vegan Ranch Dip, or some other delicious dip, then those same not-so-tempting vegetables will be gone in a flash.

Of course, there are those people who don't like dips. Our oldest is one of those. I don't understand it, but he doesn't really like dips. Well, let's qualify that–he doesn't like dipping things into dips, and he doesn't like dressing on his salads, but he will eat dips on rice, plain, or he'll spread them on bread, wraps, and such.

I think it's a texture thing, but that doesn't totally make sense since he will eat the same texture in another context, he doesn't like them.

So my non-dip-loving son loves this dip, but he doesn't like dipping things into it. But he'll eat it with a spoon or he'll drizzle it onto Buckwheat Crepes or Teff Pancakes, or he'll even put it on Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream, but no way will you find him dipping any kind of fruit in it.

Come to think of it, he doesn't like fresh fruit anyhow so…..

I digress.

Anyhow, no matter your dipping desires, this Dairy-free Fruit Dip is delicious.  In fact, it's almost always gone super fast whenever I make it.

The Need for a Healthier Fruit Dip

I used to love those ooey-gooey super sweet caramel apple dips when I was younger, but wow are they loaded with all kinds of things that I don't want to or can't eat anymore!

• high fructose corn syrup (linked to cancer!)
• partially hydrogenated oils
• disodium phosphate
• mono and diglycerides
• potassium sorbate
• white sugar (causes all sorts of issues)

Ick.

Since we've changed to a whole food and lower-carb lifestyle, there was really no way I was going to be buying that for myself or my family. And truly, I never have. By the way, they are pricey too! And homemade dip is not. Frugal whole foodies, you will love this vegan fruit dip!

This dip, though it's not a caramelly dip, is really tasty.  And is made of only healthful ingredients.

And it's super fast to make!  My kind of busy mom–kids need something yummy to eat now–recipe.

How This Dip Came to Be

Most of the vegan fruit dips out here are loaded with dates. I love dates, but they are super high in carbohydrates (and sugars), something that is a no-no for those of us struggling with candida.  So I wanted to develop a recipe for a fruit dip that would work for our family. Since our oldest has a life-threatening allergy to dairy, it needed to not only be low-carb, but it also needed to be a dairy-free fruit dip.

I found several versions of nut butter based dips on a few websites, thought about what I liked about each of them, and then made a number of versions until I found just the right flavor.

This is it.  Just right sweetness with a touch of cinnamon to add the perfect extra something.

We even made a special trip to buy some apples to go with it since we didn't have any in the house (what was I thinking–making a dairy-free fruit dip without apples???)

My youngest son was totally thrilled about the whole thing. First of all, he loves apples. Second, he had never had a fruit dip before (and he really liked this one), and the grocery store we went to has a really fun mechanical horse that kids can ride on for just 1 penny! He rode with Dad and brother while Mom shopped.

How nice to have extra blessings added to an otherwise mundane last-minute apple-buying errand.

Ways to Use this Super Versatile Fruit Dip / Sauce:

• Fruit dip (of course) for apples, pears, bananas, and strawberries. Note that strawberries are loaded with pesticides.  Choose organic or non-sprayed if possible.) Apples, pears, and bananas taste the best.
• As a Topping for Nuts: Use soaked and dehydrated nuts, if possible.
• Hot or Cold Cereal Drizzle: Try this on Homemade Cream of Rice or Buckwheat Granola.
• Syrup Alternative: for pancakes or waffles like these Teff Pancakes or these Buckwheat Crepes.
• Cake Drizzle: This would taste fantastic on cakes like this Oatmeal Cake (my husband likes this option since he's not a frosting fan at all).  A friend of mine told me that she added chopped pecans to this recipe to make a “German Chocolate Cake” type of frosting for her favorite gluten-free cake and she said it was great. Sounds like a fantastic idea! It would make a great light frosting on these Gluten-Free Carob Muffins too.
• Popcorn Topping: how about dipping popcorn in this dip or just drizzle it on top?!
• Topping for Other Baked Goods: on recipes like Focaccia Flax Bread or Oat Bran Muffins or Paleo Gingerbread Cookies
• On a Spoon!

One nice thing about this Almond Butter Fruit Dip is that you get the wonderfully rich taste of almond butter with about half the calories and fat since you're thinning out the almond butter.  Of course, these are good fats, but all things in moderation and if you're are needing to watch your caloric intake, this really helps.

Recipe Notes

• Nut substitution: You can substitute other nut or seed butter as desired or needed. See my post on Homemade Nut or Seed Butter. Pecan would be especially nice. Sunflower will add a more peanutty taste to the final product. Homemade Pumpkin Seed Butter would make for a greenish dip with a rich deep taste.
• Coconut milk alternative: Any other non-dairy milk such as coconut milk can be used instead of almond milk. My Easiest Almond Milk and Easiest Coconut Milk are great make-your-own options. Coconut and cashew milk will yield a creamier final product.
• Sweetener alternative: You can use 2 tablespoons of any other healthy sweetener instead of stevia. However, if you use a liquid sweetener you may need to use a slightly different amount, so read this post for help with substituting sweeteners. Vegetable glycerine is a good option.
• Alcohol-free vanilla extract option: In case you need to avoid alcohol (since it's not cooked off in this recipe, here is a link to an alcohol-free vanilla extract.
• Topping Tip: Feel free to add more non-dairy milk to the dip to make a thinner dip or sauce for topping pancakes, hot cereals, and more.

You can alter this recipe as you like.

Variations

• Use maple syrup for a more mapley taste (is that a word?)
• Add chocolate or carob for a chocolatey treat!  Start with 2 tablespoons of carob or chocolate and go from there.
• Add shredded coconut for a coconutty/nutty blend.
• Add chopped nuts for a chunky topping/dip.
• Add cacao nibs or chocolate shaving for a chocolatey nutty dip or topping.
  
  
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  Of course, if you are REALLY into chocolate, then this Healthy Chocolate Fruit Dip is a great option for you.

I so hope you enjoy this healthy Almond Butter Fruit Dip as much as we do!

How will you most likely use this?
As Dip, Spread, Drizzle, or on a Spoon?

This post was updated with new images and text in April of 2019. This is the original image for reference.