Pairings

Salmon has a delicate texture and buttery flavor as a main course dinner.

Dipping sauces for salmon can use yogurt, aioli, or a butter based sauce as an accompaniment for salmon.

You can make a creamy dill sauce, lemon butter sauce, avocado lime sauce, Dijon tarragon sauce, or Tzatziki sauce for a dipping sauce for salmon.

Lemon and Garlic Butter Sauce

Lemon and garlic butter sauce is a warm white wine sauce.

Olive oil is heated in a saucepan with finely chopped shallots and minced garlic for a couple of minutes to let the aromas come out of the shallots and garlic.

White wine is added to the sauce and cooked until it reduced about 1/3 in volume.

Butter and heavy cream are added to the sauce to make it rich and creamy.

Once the sauce has thickened, it’s removed from the heat.

Fresh lemon juice and dill are added to the sauce for a citrusy herb flavor for the salmon dipping sauce.

Creamy Dill Sauce

Creamy dill sauce has a mayo and sour cream base for the dipping sauce.

Freshly squeezed lemon juice, dill weed, salt, and pepper are added to the base of the sauce and mixed together.

Creamy dill sauce is a citrusy and dill flavored sauce for salmon.

Tzatziki Sauce

Tzatziki sauce is a thick, tangy sauce with a hint of dill and cucumber.

Tzatziki sauce has a base using Greek yogurt.

Greek yogurt is strained through a cheesecloth for about 2 hours to remove the liquid from the yogurt, leaving a thick base for the Salmon dipping sauce.

Olive oil, dill, grated cucumber, vinegar, salt, and minced garlic is added to the yogurt to create a creamy, dill and cucumber flavored dipping sauce.

Avocado Basil Sauce

Avocado basil sauce is a spicy, creamy avocado sauce.

Avocado, fresh basil leaves, diced jalapenos, and lime juice are blended together in a food processor to make this hot, earthy dipping sauce.

Herb Yogurt Sauce

Herb yogurt sauce is a creamy, peppery dipping sauce.

Watercress, mint, and cilantro leaves are blended together in a food processor with scallions.

Yogurt and fresh lime juice are added and blended together with the herbs for the tangy yogurt sauce.

Lemon Butter Sauce

Lemon butter sauce is a simple sauce for dipping salmon.

Butter is warmed in a saucepan, along with fresh lemon juice and garlic powder.

Lemon butter sauce only take a couple of minutes to come together, and has a refreshing lemon flavor with a hint of savory garlic for dipping salmon in.

Dijon Tarragon Sauce

Dijon tarragon sauce is a tart, sharp flavor to it.

Mayo is flavored with Dijon mustard, chopped tarragon, freshly squeezed lemon juice and a little sugar to sweeten the sauce.

Sugar helps to balance out mustard and tarragon in the dipping sauce.

Avocado Lime Sauce

Avocado lime sauce is a refreshing lime flavored creamy sauce for salmon.

Avocado, fresh lime juice, cilantro leaves, Greek yogurt, minced garlic are added to a food processor and blended until smooth.

If you want a little bit of a bite to the sauce, you can add diced jalapeno into the sauce as well.

Whisky Dipping Sauce

Whisky dipping sauce is a whisky infused aioli sauce.

Mayo is mixed together with Worcestershire sauce, ketchup sauce, fresh lemon juice, chopped parsley and a splash of whisky.

Whisky adds a caramel, bourbon flavor to the aioli.

Orange Butter Sauce

Orange butter sauce is a beurre blanc sauce with a orange flavoring.

Freshly squeezed orange juice, orange zest, white wine, and shallots are heated in a saucepan over medium heat until it turns into a syrup consistency.

Cold butter is added to the sauce and whisked into it to emulsify the sauce. It’s added only 1 tbsp at a time, and whisked constantly, preventing the sauce from coming to a boil.

Add salt and pepper at the end of the cooking the citrusy beurre blanc salmon dipping sauce.

Celery is a crunchy, textured vegetable you can dip in a lot of foods than just ranch!

You can use celery for dipping into baked brie, hummus, cheese balls, almond butter, blue cheese dip, and lime yogurt sauce.

Roasted Garlic Hummus

Roasted garlic hummus is a homemade chickpea appetizer with hints of garlic, and spicy flavors.

Roasted garlic hummus is made by roasting garlic in the oven.

You can make the roasted garlic by cutting off the top part of garlic to expose the cloves, and then drizzle olive oil on the cloves. Cover the garlic with tin foil, and place in a heat proof dish. This way, the oil drippings will end up in the dish, instead of in your oven.

When the roasted garlic is finished cooking, and has cooled down, squish out the roasted garlic cloves.

To make the roasted garlic hummus, chickpeas, tahini, roasted garlic cloves, lemon juice, olive oil and water are added to a food processor. The mixture is blended until smooth, and then it’s ready to serve.

Jalapeno Corn Dip

Jalapeno corn dip is made by combining cream cheese, sour cream, finely chopped jalapeno, jack cheese, and corn in the slow cooker and cooking on low for 2 hours.

Jalapeno corn dip is a cream cheese based dip that’s cooked in the slow cooker, and served with tortilla chips or corn chips for dipping.

Remove from the slow cooker and mixed with bacon bits. Top the corn appetizer with more bacon bits, fresh cilantro leaves, queso fresco, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Cheese Ball

Cheese ball with cream cheese for a delicious savory appetizer you can serve with celery sticks.

The cheese ball is made by simply using a hand mixer to whip the cream cheese until light and fluffy.

Add a couple of herbs, spices and cheddar cheese to create the base of the cheese ball.

The next part is very messy!!

Shape the cream cheese into a ball shape, and roll into a plate of chopped up walnuts.

Chill for half an hour to make it firm up again.

Serve your cheese ball by slicing off a bit of it, and spooning it onto a piece of celery.

Roasted Cauliflower and Feta Dip

Roasted cauliflower and feta dip is a dip you can serve warm, or chilled.

Cauliflower florets are roasted in the oven with onion powder, garlic powder and olive oil until they are fork tender.

The cauliflower should be cooled for a bit, then you can puree it in a food processor.

Add crumbled feta, Greek yogurt, minced garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice to the food processor and blend together to create a smooth dip.

Top the dip with a drizzle of olive oil, chopped up chives, and a few chili pepper flakes.

Bruschetta Baked Brie

Bruschetta baked brie is made by first creating a tomato bruschetta.

Tomato bruschetta is made by combining diced tomatoes, freshly chopped basil leaves, olive oil, minced garlic, and a bit of balsamic vinegar.

Bake your brie until it’s creamy and soft, then top your baked brie with your freshly made bruschetta.

Serve your bruschetta baked brie by dipping celery sticks into the baked brie.

Almond Butter

Celery can be dipped into almond butter for a crunchy textured snack.

Celery has a circular center, which will hold almond butter nicely in the center of it.

You can also add raisins or chocolate chips to it for even more flavor.

Cucumber and Dill Dip

Cucumber and dill dip is a refreshing creamy dipping sauce for celery.

Mayo and sour cream are mixed together to create the base of the dipping sauce.

Dried dill, seasoning salt, dried minced onion, pepper, and dried parsley is mixed in for the savory herbed flavor of the dip.

Place it in the fridge overnight, and serve the next day with celery sticks.

Garlic Blue Cheese Dip

Garlic blue cheese dip is made by adding crumbled blue cheese to a mayonnaise and sour cream base. 

Fresh chives, parsley, and minced garlic are added to create the earthy garlic tones to the dip. 

Garlic blue cheese dip is thinned out with a bit of milk, until it’s creamy and smooth. 

Garlic blue cheese dip has a sharp cheese flavor for dipping celery sticks.

Lime Dipping Sauce

Lime dipping sauce has a refreshing citrus, yogurt flavor to it.

Lime dipping sauce is made by adding fresh lime juice to Greek yogurt and mayonnaise.

Ranch Sauce

Ranch dipping sauce is one of the most popular celery stick dipping sauces.

Mayo and sour cream are mixed together to create the base of the sauce.

Chives, parsley, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper are added to the dipping sauce and mixed together.

Ranch sauce needs to be refrigerated for at least 30 minutes prior to serving to let the herbs infuse into the dip.

Serve with celery sticks.

Prosciutto is a specialty food that can be added to make an appetizer, pasta, pizza, or a salad.

You can fold it in a couple different ways to make it look enticing, or even wrap food with it for a fancy appetizer.

Folded

You can make intricate appetizers using folded strips of prosciutto that will make them look chef-worthy.

Using a slice of baguette, a crostini, or a cracker, place a layer of your favorite jam or jelly, cheese, arugula, and a folded piece of prosciutto.

You can fold it like an accordion, or for smaller pieces, one fold, and have the fold off to the side. It will make the prosciutto look more eye-catching this way.

Top your appetizers with honey or drizzled balsamic vinegar for a sweeter finish.

Try making this arugula, brie, and prosciutto appetizer.

Wrapped

Prosciutto is sliced into long, thin shapes, which makes it perfect for wrapping up other food with.

Lay the prosciutto out flat, and begin by placing a thin layer of a fruit (apple, pear, etc.) near the edge of the prosciutto, leaving about an inch on one side.

You can put a spoonful of jam, honey, etc. on top of the fruit.

Keep layering with cheese, arugula, etc.

When you’re ready to roll up, place the 1 inch of prosciutto that you left from the beginning, over the layers of filling.

Then continue to wrap your prosciutto until the end. You can put the prosciutto wrap with the edge downward, and put a toothpick in if desired.

You also have the option of wrapping prosciutto, and then baking it, like prosciutto wrapped asparagus.

• Prosciutto wrapped asparagus
• Prosciutto wrapped cantaloupe
• Prosciutto wrapped apple and cheese
• Prosciutto wrapped pears and cheese
• Prosciutto wrapped figs

Flatbread

Prosciutto crisps up in the oven, therefore it serves very well on top of flatbread.

Roll out your flatbread, place your favorite pizza sauce on top, and a little mozzarella cheese. Top with strips of arugula, peppers, onions, pineapple, etc.

After it comes out of the oven, sprinkle arugula and balsamic vinegar on top.

Pasta

Prosciutto doesn’t need to be cooked, therefore it tosses in well at the end of making pasta for a savory finish!

Creamy lemon ricotta pasta has a few strips of prosciutto added at end of making pasta.

It’s a creamy, citrusy lemon flavored pasta that you’ll love!!

Sandwich

Prosciutto layers well with other meats like salami, or turkey to make sandwiches with, or goes well by iteself.

Prosciutto can have a wide variety of spreads with it like pesto, fig jam, cranberry sauce.

Add in a few greens like arugula, and some cheese (Havarti, gouda) and you can eat your sandwich cold or warm to have the cheese melt onto the prosciutto.

• Turkey sandwich with cranberry, brie, and prosciutto
• Pesto and prosciutto sandwich

Skewers

Using the same “folded” look on appetizers, you can fold your prosciutto and then press it onto a wooden skewer.

Skewers are made by adding fruit like melons, grapes, peaches, to the skewers, and a few fresh herbs.

You can add a couple cubes of mozzarella to the skewer as well if desired.

• Cantaloupe prosciutto skewers
• Grape and prosciutto skewers

Salad

Prosciutto is a nice filler for a salad, since it doesn’t need to be cooked. You can add a couple of small strips that are bite sized pieces for a delicious addition to your favorite salad.

• Prosciutto, goat cheese, pear salad
• White bean salad with prosciutto

Everyone looks forward to having appetizers before the main meal!

Finger food can be served with toothpicks or made into small bite sized pieces.

Appetizers served before pizza include savory foods like prosciutto, guacamole, meat balls, and bruschetta.

Prosciutto Appetizer with Cheese

Prosciutto appetizer with cheese is a spicy, creamy appetizer served on a fresh slice of baguette.

The spice of the appetizer comes from a thin layer of red pepper jelly on top of the baguette.

Prosciutto appetizer can be made with either a slice of gouda or Havarti cheese placed on top of the red pepper jelly.

Add a couple of sprigs of arugula and a folded piece for prosciutto.

Drizzle a small amount of balsamic reduction on top of the prosciutto for an added sweet finish to your appetizer.

Roasted Cherry Tomato Bruschetta

Roasted cherry tomato bruschetta is served warm, made on crispy garlic crostini’s.

The roasted tomatoes are tossed with fresh basil leaves, and then placed on top of the crostini’s that have been rubbed with garlic.

The bruschetta topped with a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese, making it look mouth watering! You can drizzle a little balsamic reduction for a more professional looking appetizer.

Avocado Cucumber Shrimp Bites

Avocado cucumber shrimp bites are a refreshing, spicy appetizer to serve. The shrimp is Cajun style, adding a hint of spice to the appy.

Avocado is mashed with a little lime juice for citusy flavor, and added on top of a slice of cucumber.

Top with a shrimp, and it’s ready to serve! These little cucumber bites look elaborate and taste delightful!

Simple Guacamole

Guacamole is the perfect appetizer to serve before pizza because it’s one the favorite dipping appetizers!

Guacamole is a creamy, chunky dip that you can dip tortilla chips into.

It has a little bit of onion, tomatoes, cilantro, and lime juice with a hint of garlic salt to add some spice to mashed avocados.

Meat Balls

Meat balls are a bite sized appetizer that are packed full of savory flavor and sweet sauce.

Sweet and Tangy Asian meat balls are covered in teriyaki sauce for a sweet and savory flavor.

Garnish the meat balls with fresh parsley and sesame seeds.

You can place a toothpick into each meat ball so it isn’t sticky on your fingers.

Watermelon Feta Bites

Watermelon feta bites are a refreshing appetizer to serve before pizza.

Watermelon is cut with a round cookie cutter, and then it hollowed out with a melon baller.

Dice a bit more watermelon to mix with cucumber and feta cheese. The mixture is tossed with a bit of red wine vinegar and olive oil.

The mixture is placed into the center of the hollowed out round watermelon pieces for vibrant, juicy, creamy appetizer.

You can drizzle a little balsamic reduction on top for a sugary sweet taste complimenting the watermelon flavor.

Crackers are one of the most important ingredients in making a charcuterie board.

You’ll want to pair your cracker selection with the cheese you’re planning for your charcuterie board (see pairings below).

The classic cracker choices for a charcuterie board are: crostini’s, water biscuits, and artisan crackers.

Crostini’s

Crostini’s are made by thinly slicing a baguette. The baguette slice is brushed with olive oil, and toasted until it has crisped up. Crostini’s are one of the most popular cracker choices for charcuterie boards.

Crostini’s go well with:

• brie cheese, thinly sliced apple, drizzle of honey, and small amount of fresh ground pepper (recipe)
• brie, fig jam, prosciutto, and arugula
• boursin, salami, and walnuts
• goat cheese, drizzled with maple syrup or honey

Water Biscuits

Water biscuits are a crumbly cracker that has a hint of salt flavor. Water biscuits are a fragile cracker, therefore when you bite into it, it makes a bit of a mess.

Water biscuits go well with:

• sharp cheddar with thinly sliced pickles
• gruyere cheese with whole grain mustard and pecans

Artisan Crackers

Artisan crackers are a classic cracker for a charcuterie board. You can make your own artisan crackers using your favorite additions – dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, pistachios, dried apricots, etc.

Artisan crackers go well with:

• brie cheese, almonds, drizzled honey
• smoked gouda, prosciutto, red pepper jelly

Parmesan Herb Crackers

Parmesan herb crackers have a hint of cheese flavor, along with a few poppy seeds and sesame seeds for a full flavored cracker. Parmesan herb crackers pair well with chardonnay wine for your charcuterie dinner.

Parmesan herb crackers go well with:

• Parmesan cheese, whole grain mustard, and thinly sliced pickles
• Blue cheese with thinly sliced apples and walnuts

Saltines

Saltines are buttery and crispy crackers with a hint of sea salt flavor.

Saltines go well with:

• pimento cheese with thinly sliced pickles
• sharp cheddar with whole grain mustard, and thinly sliced pickles
• gruyere cheese with red peppy jelly and pecans

Learn which spreads go well with your cheese selection for your charcuterie board.

Charcuterie boards are not complete without jams, jelly’s, mustards, or chutney.

You’ll want to pair the appropriate spread with your cheese selections, along with any nuts, pickles or olive accompaniments.

Learn which crackers pair best for your charcuterie board.

Sweet spreads are best paired with soft cheeses.

Tart or spicy spreads go well with aged, sharp cheeses as a rule of thumb.

Fig Jam

Fig jam is a sweet spread aromatic spread that isn’t too overpowering with flavor.

• brie cheese
• blue cheese
• camembert
• goat cheese
• Havarti cheese

Fig jam with cheese can be served a soft cheese along with walnuts, cashews, dried apricots, or sliced apples or pears to top it off.

Whole Grain Mustard

Whole grain mustard is a strong, tangy, medium spiced spread for charcuterie boards. Whole grain mustard is a classic spread for charcuterie boards.

• Parmesan cheese
• aged cheddar cheese
• gouda cheese

Whole grain mustard can be served with salami, aged sharp cheeses, olives, and pickles.

Honey

Honey is a sweet spread for a charcuterie board.

• brie cheese
• camembert cheese

Honey with brie can be paired with walnuts, almonds or sliced apples or pears.

Red Pepper Jelly

Red pepper jelly is a spicy spread for charcuterie boards.

• aged cheddar cheese
• smoked gouda cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• goat cheese
• cream cheese

Red pepper jelly can be served with thinly sliced pickles, salami, prosciutto, olives and your favorite sharp, aged cheese or creamy cheese.

Raspberry Jam

Raspberry jam is has a sweet, powerful flavor as a spread with cheeses.

• Parmesan cheese
• Brie cheese
• cream cheese
• Havarti cheese

Raspberry jam is unique in that it balances the salty flavor of Parmesan cheese, with the sweetness of the jam pairing.

Raspberry jam also goes well with neutral soft cheeses and can be paired with walnuts or pecans.

Orange Chutney

Orange chutney is a chunky, sweet, citrus flavored spread for charcuterie boards.

• gouda cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• aged cheddar cheese

Orange chutney can be paired with nuts on top of your favorite aged, sharp flavored cheese.

Peach Jam

Peach jam has a sweet, refreshing flavor to it as a spread for cheeses

• Parmesan cheese
• gorgonzola cheese
• goat cheese
• brie cheese

Peach jam can be paired with sharp or soft cheeses, prosciutto, and topped with with cashews or pecans.

Black Current Jam

Black current jam is a sweet spread, and is therefore best paired with a sharp, aged cheese.

• aged cheddar cheese
• feta cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• blue cheese

Black current jam can be served with a sharp cheese, along with prosciutto or salami.

Cranberry Pepper Jelly

Cranberry pepper jelly has a strong, bitter, and spicy flavor as a spread.

• goat cheese
• brie cheese
• camembert cheese

Cranberry pepper jelly has a strong flavor, therefore it pairs best with soft, milder flavored cheeses. You can serve cranberry peppy jelly with walnuts or almonds.

Onion Jam

Caramelized onion jam is a strong flavored spread for cheeses. Onion jam goes well with aged, sharp cheeses or medium cheeses.

• Havarti cheese
• aged cheddar cheese
• blue cheese

Onion jam can be served with a strong sharp or medium cheeses, along with chorizo or salami.

Everything bagels can be paired with savory toppings like herbed or plain cream cheese flavors, as well as avocado, eggs, and smoked salmon.

Try out these delicious savory toppings for your everything bagels!

Smoked Salmon with Cream Cheese

Everything bagels can be topped with a layer of plain cream cheese, and thinly sliced smoked salmon.

To give your bagel a hint of refreshing citrus flavor that pairs well with the salmon, add a little bit of lemon zest on top of the salmon.

Add a few thinly sliced red onions, capers, and sprigs of fresh dill to finish off this savory everything bagel.

BLT Bagel

BLT bagels are more of a full, satisfying meal. To make a BLT bagel, smear a layer of plain cream cheese on either side of the bagel.

You can add a little bit of fresh chopped up parsley on top of the cream cheese for an herbed flavored cream cheese.

Top the bagel with tomatoes, lettuce, and crispy bacon. You’ll love the taste of this bagel!

You can serve it as a sandwich to eat it.

Pesto Cream Cheese

Pesto cream cheese has a sweet creamy and earthy flavor to it.

The nutty and herbed flavor of the pesto, combined with the sweet cream cheese goes well with everything bagels.

Roasted Garlic Hummus

Roasted garlic hummus is a creamy, spread with a hint of garlic undertones. Hummus is a filling spread that goes well with an everything bagel.

You can top your bagel with a few thinly sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and a few bean sprouts.

Avocado

Avocado is a filling, creamy food that you can put on top of your everything bagel.

There are a few options for using avocado on top of a bagel.

• Spread a layer of plain cream cheese, then put slices of avocado on top with a few sprigs of dill (recipe)
• mash avocado and spread a layer on top of the everything bagel. Top the bagel with a sunny side up egg (recipe)
• mash avocado with a few spices including: pepper, salt, and paprika. Spread a layer on top of the everything bagel and sprinkle with a few sesame seeds. (recipe)

Caprese Bagel

Caprese bagel is packed with savory, creamy flavors.

Caprese everything bagel is made by spreading a layer of fresh pesto on the bagel.

Add fresh leaves of basil, fresh mozzarella slices, and freshly roasted tomatoes on top of the everything bagel.

Caprese bagels are juicy from the tomatoes, but they also have the creamy, decadent mozzarella cheese finish to it.

Herb and Garlic Cream Cheese

Herb and garlic cream cheese is one of the most favorited toppings for everything bagels.

Herb and garlic cream cheese combines your favorite earthy herbs, with hints of garlic that pair well with a salty, savory everything bagel.

Herb and garlic cream cheese can be made by adding dried basil, parsley, thyme, and minced garlic to plain cream cheese.

You’ll love the creamy, crunchy flavors of your everything bagel paired with herb and garlic cream cheese!

Fries can be dipped into a burst of flavors from your favorite dipping sauces.

Fries are fairly neutral flavored with their crispy edges, therefore fries are best served with an accompanying dipping sauce.

Try making your own dipping sauces for fries right at home using these easy to make recipes!

It takes no time at all to flavor some mayonnaise with ingredients you have on hand.

Garlic Aioli

Garlic aioli is the most classic flavor of aioli you can make. Garlic aioli is made by adding fresh minced garlic, lemon, pepper, and salt to your aioli base.

Honey Mustard Sauce

Honey mustard sauce is a sweet and tangy sauce for dipping roasted cauliflower into. 

Honey mustard sauce is made by adding honey, Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, and garlic powder to mayonnaise. 

Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Chipotle Mayo

Chipotle mayo is a spicy, tangy mayonnaise that pairs well with sweet potato fries.

Chipotle mayo gets its spice from adding chipotle peppers in adobo sauce to mayo, along with a little lemon juice to give it its tangy flavor.

Gravy

Gravy has a creamy, thick sauce with hints of meat flavor. Gravy is a rich dipping sauce for French fries.

Gravy is typically served on top of French fries with cheese curds to make “poutine”. Poutine is more of a meal in itself with the rich cheese curds added.

Cajun Garlic Aioli

Cajun garlic aioli is a spicy, garlic flavored aioli that goes well for dipping fries into. The spiciness of the dip, combined with hints of garlic makes this an savory dipping sauce for fries.

Cajun garlic aioli is made by adding fresh minced garlic, horseradish, cayenne pepper, tarragon, and creole mustard to an aioli base.

Dill Dip

Dill dip is a sweet, pungent, tangy flavor to it. Dill has a strong flavor to it, so it can quite overpowering. If you like dill pickle chips, you’ll love dipping your dries into dill dip.

Dill dip is made by adding herbs, Worcester

Dill dip goes well when paired with sweet potato fries.

Lime Dipping Sauce

Lime dipping sauce has a refreshing citrus, yogurt flavor to it.

Lime dipping sauce goes well with avocado fries, zucchini fries, French fries, or sweet potato fries.

Lime dipping sauce is made by adding fresh lime juice to Greek yogurt and mayonnaise.

Sriracha Mayo

Sriracha mayo is a spicy, tangy dipping sauce that brings the heat to your fries.

Sriracha mayo is made by adding fresh lemon juice, minced garlic, honey, and sriracha sauce to mayo.

The honey makes the sauce have a bit of a sweeter finish, so it’s not all heat that you’re eating with your fries!

Marinara Dip

Marinara dip has a tomato base to it. Marinara sauce has a rich, tomato flavor to it, with hints of garlic and herbs.

Marinara is made by adding oregano, basil, minced garlic, salt, and olive oil to tomato sauce. The flavors come together by heating them on the stove for a couple of minutes.

Marinara dip is best served warm with fries.

Marinara dip goes well with zucchini fries, sweet potato fries, and French fries.

Quesadilla’s can be topped with tangy, spicy, creamy, or refreshing sauces to enhance the flavor of the quesadilla.

You can top your quesadillas with cilantro lime sauce, guacamole, tomato salsa, watermelon mango salsa, or salsa verde.

Cilantro Lime Sauce

Cilantro lime sauce is a tangy, citrusy, sauce for quesadillas.

Cilantro lime sauce is made with yogurt, fresh lime juice, avocado, cilantro, and minced garlic all blended together to create a creamy topping for quesadillas.

Guacamole

Guacamole is a chunky sauce made with mashed avocados.

Guacamole is made by adding diced tomatoes, tomatoes, chopped cilantro, and a pinch of garlic salt to mashed avocado.

Guacamole pairs well with sour cream or salsa for topping a quesadilla with.

Tomato Salsa

Tomato salsa is a juicy, chunky salsa that has a little bite to it. Salsa adds a ton of flavor and compliments quesadillas well as a topping. Salsa can be paired with guacamole well for serving on top of quesadillas.

Tomato salsa is made by adding whole canned tomatoes, and a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies (Rotel tomatoes work well) as the base of the salsa.

Finely chopped jalapeno with the seeds removed are added to the salsa, as well as some diced onions.

A few herbs like garlic and cumin are added, and then the salsa can be “pulsed” only in a food processor. Don’t overmix the salsa until it becomes a mush.

Pulse the salsa 7-10 times to get it just perfectly chunky.

Watermelon Mango Salsa

Watermelon mango salsa is a refreshing fruit salsa that pairs well with chicken or black bean quesadillas.

Watermelon mango salsa is made by hand, by chopping up watermelon, mango, and pineapple into small cubed pieces.

Finely chopped jalapeno gives this salsa a hint of spice. Red pepper and red onion finish off this fruity, refreshing salsa.

Watermelon mango salsa goes well with a bit of guacamole for quesadilla toppings.

Salsa Verde

Salsa verde is a refreshing, spicy green salsa that goes well as a spicy quesadilla topping.

Salsa verde is made with roasted tomatillos.

Tomatillos are green tomatoes that come in a paper husk which needs to be removed prior to roasting them.

Roasting tomatillos neutralizes the acidity of the tomatoes, making it a savory base as a salsa.

After the tomatillos are cooked, they are placed in a food processor with finely chopped onions, serrano pepper, fresh lime juice, cilantro and cumin.

Once the salsa has been “pulsed” until the tomatoes are broken up, it’s ready to serve.

Salsa verge is a tangy, spicy salsa that pairs well with chicken quesadillas.

Nachos can be topped with some of your favorite foods, taking them to the next level with a burst of flavor.

We’ve complied a list of cheeses, meats, protein, vegetables and fruits for nacho topping ideas for you to try out.

Some pairings work better than others, so you’ll have to make your own custom nachos at home to figure out your favorite nacho toppings.

Cheese for Nacho Toppings

Cheddar Cheese

Cheddar cheese is a sharp, hard cheese that melts well in the oven over nachos. Since it has such a strong flavor, it’s best paired with mozzarella cheese to balance out the strong and mild flavors. Blending them together makes the nachos have more of a depth of cheese flavors.

Mozzarella Cheese

Mozzarella cheese has a mild flavor and melts well in the oven over nachos, giving it a creamy taste. Mozzarella cheese has a bit of a tangy, sour flavor, that pairs well with strong cheddar cheese over nachos.

Cotija Cheese

Cotija cheese is a specialty cheese to put on your nachos. It’s unique in that it doesn’t melt, it just softens. Therefore you get a burst of cheese on your nachos when you bite into it. It’s a salty and creamy cheese that is fairly mild and goes well as a nacho topping.

Meat or Protein for Nacho Toppings

Ground Beef

Ground beef can be flavored with your own version of taco seasoning (cumin, chili powder, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper). Once you’ve browned your ground beef and flavored it with taco seasoning, the beef should be drained. Then you can layer it on top of your nachos for a filling, satisfying, flavorful nachos.

Chicken

Chicken can be marinated, BBQed or fried for nachos. There are a ton of different marinades you can make such as: Mexican grilled chicken, Sheet pan chicken nachos, BBQed chicken nachos. Chicken is a mild meat that you can flavor to make it spicy, sweet, or taco flavored.

Shrimp

Shrimp can be flavored with bit of garlic and chili powder for nachos. Shrimp have a dense, chewy texture to them, which is quite the contrast on top of nachos. If you’re wanting to try something a bit different on your nachos, add a few shrimp to your nacho toppings.

Black Beans

Black beans can be flavored with a simple taco seasoning using paprika, chili powder, and garlic. Fry them until they are fully coated, and then you can put them on top of your nachos. Black beans are soft when you bite into them and have a bit of a sweet flavor to them.

Vegetables for Nacho Toppings

Onions

A classic addition to the top of nachos are adding green onions. You can also use red onions which have a bit of a pungent flavor to them. Onions should be cut up into small pieces so you only get a little bit of flavor on top of your nachos.

Corn

Corn adds a ton of color, texture, and flavor to nachos. Corn goes well with beef, chicken, or black beans on top of nachos. Corn can also be paired with a little bit of chopped jalapeno and red onions for a flavor burst on top of your nachos.

Peppers

Bell peppers that are sweet such as red or yellow peppers work well on top of nachos. Peppers add texture, color and a sweet flavor to the top of nachos.

Fruit for Nacho Toppings

Jalapenos

Jalapenos add hot and spicy flavors to nachos. You can slice up jalapenos in rings for a nice look to your nachos but this adds a ton of heat to the nachos, so it can be overpowering. If you chop up the jalapeno into tiny pieces this adds the perfect amount of heat to the nachos so they will have a little bite to them.

Pineapple

Pineapple is sweet and tart flavor to add on top of nachos. It’s best to chop up the pineapple into small pieces and them use paper towel to remove the juices from the pineapple prior to putting them on top of nachos. The water can leak out of the pineapple pieces and make the nachos soggy! Pineapple can be paired with red pepper, red onions, and jalapenos for an incredible nacho topping flavor.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes have a neutral flavor that add some tang to the nachos. Tomatoes should be cut up into small pieces for nachos so the juices don’t leak too much on the nachos. Tomatoes can be paired with green onions and jalapenos for classic nacho toppings.

Garnishes for Nachos

Cilantro

Cilantro can be added to nachos after it comes out the oven for an earthy citrusy flavor. Cilantro adds depth of tanginess to nachos. Salsas are typically made with cilantro, which in turn makes it pair well with nachos.