Looking for a low-carb appetizer to bring to your next party or game day tailgate? This creamy keto buffalo chicken dip is incredibly easy to make, requiring zero cleanup or any special equipment.

Don’t believe it? Well, for this recipe you don’t need a baking dish, an oven, a mixing bowl, or even a serving platter. Simply plug in your slow cooker or Instant Pot, throw in the ingredients, and don’t touch it until your celebration begins.

Traditional buffalo chicken dip recipes call for unhealthy (and unnecessary) condiments for the sauce, and crackers or tortilla chips for serving. In this keto version, you’ll combine one healthy condiment (Frank’s Red Hot Sauce) with cheddar cheese for the sauce.

For serving, use celery sticks or red and green peppers for a low-carb party pleaser. With these simple swaps in ingredients, you’re looking at 2 grams of net carbs per serving.

How to Make a Low-Carb Appetizer

When following a ketogenic diet (or any diet, for that matter) social gatherings can be stressful. Upon receiving an invitation, the first question that comes to mind is, “What am I going to eat when I get there?”

Pro tip: No matter what type of event you’re attending, always offer to bring a dish. That way, you know there is at least one thing you can eat that won’t derail any progress you’ve made.

Rather than bringing a bottle of wine, offer to contribute an appetizer or entree filled with fat, protein, and vegetables to ensure you get through the evening without snacking on bruschetta, pita bread, and tortilla chips.

This easy keto buffalo chicken dip makes the perfect party-pleasing appetizer. Below are more tips for making any snack keto-friendly.

Tips for Making a Low-Carb Appetizer

Coming up with low-carb recipe ideas suitable for a party might seem daunting. Most times, this simply means you’re thinking way too hard about it.

Plenty of traditional appetizers like buffalo chicken wings, meatballs (without the bread crumbs), and guacamole are naturally low in carbohydrates. If you collect a list of go-to recipes, social events will be much less stressful. Here are a few tips to help you get started:

Serve dip with vegetables instead of bread, chips, or crackers: In this low-carb buffalo dip recipe, it’s paired with celery instead of tortilla chips. The same can be done for guacamole (serve with pepper slices instead of chips), hummus (serve with zucchini sticks or cauliflower florets instead of pita), and spinach artichoke dip (serve with keto crackers).
Offer protein-packed dishes with toothpicks: Foods like meatballs, jalapeno poppers, and chicken tenders — typically served as entrees — are transformed into a shareable dish when stabbed with toothpicks and plated on a large serving platter.
Rework entrees into bite-sized servings: Plenty of low-carb entrees can be divided into individual portions. Serve your favorite soups as shooters and transform pizza into pizza bites.
Don’t overthink it: There are plenty of keto-friendly snacks that are already low in carbohydrates. Make a cheese plate with salami, mozzarella cheese, and various garnishes; bake some low-carb buffalo wings; or create a plate filled with roasted veggies.

How to Make Keto Buffalo Chicken Dip

Hopefully the above tips gave you several recipe ideas for your next social gathering. If you have a classic family recipe you’d like to make low-carb, there are a few simple adjustments you can make.

Buffalo chicken dip, for example, is a classic tailgate recipe. Although it’s not usually the healthiest food choice, it can be made keto-friendly with a few simple swaps in ingredients.

Choose High-Quality Dairy

Dairy is a common ingredient in many appetizer recipes. In this buffalo chicken dip, you mix cream cheese and shredded cheese to prepare the sauce. You can also substitute sour cream if you can’t find organic cream cheese. When grocery shopping, select full-fat, organic, and preferably grass-fed dairy products for a keto-friendly dish.

Select Fattier Cuts of Meat

Most traditional buffalo chicken dip recipes call for shredded chicken breasts, which is the leanest part of the chicken, or even canned chicken. To make this recipe more keto-friendly, swap out the breasts for chicken thighs, which are a better source of dietary fat. Plus, chicken thighs are typically a more rich and flavorful cut of meat (and less expensive to boot).

Tip: If you don’t have time to prepare this recipe for the full cook time of six hours, simply shred a rotisserie chicken and stir with the rest of the ingredients until well combined.

Shop Around for Quality Condiments

When purchasing condiments for your keto recipes, be sure to triple-check the label. Many condiments are unhealthy because unnecessary ingredients — including hidden sugars — are added to the product.

Take mayonnaise, for instance. Real mayo contains just three ingredients: olive oil, raw egg, and acid (usually vinegar or lime juice). However, if you look at many commercial brands, you’ll find a host of other ingredients including artificial flavors, fillers, preservatives, and even sugar.

You’ll also want to pay close attention to products like blue cheese dressing, ranch dressing, and red hot buffalo sauce. While these condiments can often be quite unhealthy, they do exist in a healthier form. Either make a homemade version or shop online for a trusted brand — Primal Kitchen and Tessemaes are both great options.

In this buffalo chicken dip, you’ll add Frank’s hot sauce to your recipe. Frank’s original hot sauce contains cayenne, water, salt and garlic powder — perfectly suitable for the keto diet[*].

Enjoy This Easy Buffalo Chicken Dip on Game Day

Now that you know all the tips and tricks to prepare a low-carb appetizer, it’s time to dig in.

This creamy, spicy, low-carb buffalo chicken dip is sure to please any crowd. And the best part? It’s incredibly easy to prepare. All you do is combine all the ingredients in the slow cooker, then “set it and forget it,” for a total time of six hours. By the time your party rolls around, you’ll have a crowd-pleasing dish (with zero dishes in the sink).

Looking for even more party-friendly recipe ideas? Check out the dinner section of the Perfect Keto recipe library, then follow the above suggestions to transform them into a shareable appetizer.