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What to eat in North America? Top 17 North American Dips

Last update: Fri Mar 21 2025
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Guacamole
Guacamole infographic
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Guacamole is a world-famous buttery delicacy dating back all the way to the Aztec empire of the 1500s. It’s a healthy blend of ripe, mashed avocados, onions, chiles, optional tomatillos and selected seasonings such as sea salt and coriander.


The star of this incredibly simple dish is the avocado, high in unsaturated fat, potassium, vitamins, minerals and protein, its name stemming from the Aztec ahuacatl, meaning testicle or testicle tree, which is why it was believed that it was an aphrodisiac by the Aztecs.


Guacamole is sometimes prepared in the molcajete, a traditional Mexican mortar and pestle where onions, chiles, and salt are ground to a paste and added to the coarsely mashed avocados. Of course, guacamole is only as good as the avocados it is prepared with, and among the best are the nutty and creamy Hass and smooth Fuerte avocados. 

MOST ICONIC Guacamole

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Frijoles puercos is a traditional bean-based dish. This appetizer, side dish, or even a dip is usually made with a combination of cooked beans, chipotle chili peppers, beef or pork chorizo, lard, jalapeños, and Oaxaca or Chihuahua cheese (or any other Mexican melting cheese).


The chorizo is cooked in lard, then mixed with a combination of puréed beans and chipotle peppers. The shredded cheese and the jalapeños are added to the mix, which is cooked over low heat so that the flavors blend together. Once done, frijoles puercos are served hot with tortillas and served as a dip, or as a side dish with a variety of meat dishes.

03

Dip

YUCATÁN, Mexico
4.3
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Sikil pak is a thick Yucateco dip with Mayan origins. It is prepared with a combination of tomatoes, onions, pumpkin seeds, coriander, orange juice, and habanero chili pepper. Spicy, sweet, and sour, it is typically seasoned only with salt, then served with tortilla chips on the side.


The name sikil pak is derived from the words sikil, meaning pumpkin seeds, and pak, meaning tomatoes.

04
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Unlike most other types of salsa, pico de gallo is of solid consistency, made with a combination of coriander, onions, tomatoes, and hot peppers such as serranos or jalapeños. Pico de gallo is very popular due to its bold flavors and the fact that the preparation process is quite simple: the ingredients should only be chopped, seasoned, and mixed together, and the salsa is ready to be served.


Its name is means rooster's beak, but the origins of the name remain a mystery. However, there are some interesting theories about the origin of its name. Some believe that the dish got its name because the salsa was consumed using the thumb and index finger, an action reminiscent of the rooster's beak sting. 

MOST ICONIC Pico de gallo

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05

Sauce

WINNIPEG, Canada
4.1
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Honey dill sauce consists of honey, mayonnaise, and dried dill – an ingredient that is unique to Manitoba. It was created by accident, when the owner of a Winnipeg restaurant mistakenly invented it by trying to copy the sauce from another restaurant.


The sauce was a great success and remained a Winnipeg staple. It is typically used as a dipping sauce for chicken fingers and sweet potato fries, although some people use it with salmon, roasted carrots, and even with spaghetti.

MOST ICONIC Honey dill

06

Dressing

SAN FRANCISCO, United States of America
3.8
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Green goddess is an American dressing or a dip made with a combination of anchovy paste or fillets, mayonnaise, sour cream, garlic, parsley, chives, tarragon, and lemon juice. The ingredients are simply blended together until smooth. It is recommended to garnish the concoction with black pepper, if desired.


Green goddess dressing is typically served as a salad dressing or as a dip for crudités. It can also be drizzled over seafood and grilled chicken or stirred into pasta or rice. It is believed that the dressing originates from the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, where it was made in 1923 by the hotel’s executive chef named Philip Roemer, who prepared it as a tribute to actor George Arliss and his play The Green Goddess.

07

Dressing

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
3.7
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Blue cheese dressing is commonly used on salads but it can also be served as a dip accompanying crudités or Buffalo wings. It is prepared with a combination of blue cheese, milk, vinegar, sour cream or yogurt, mayonnaise, onion powder, and garlic powder.


Not much is known about its origins, but the first written evidence of it was found in Edgewater Hotel Salad Book in 1928, although an earlier version of the dressing can be found in Fannie Farmer's 1918 cookbook. By the 1930s, blue cheese dressing gained popularity through the famous cookbook called The Joy of Cooking, written by Irma Rombauer.

08

Dressing

SANTA BARBARA, United States of America
3.5
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Ranch is a salad dressing or a dip consisting of buttermilk, salt, garlic, onion, herbs (such as dill, parsley, and chives), and spices (such as mustard seed, black pepper, and paprika) mixed into a mayonnaise-based sauce. Today, it is the number one salad dressing in the United States, but it was invented a long time ago, in 1954 by Gayle and Steve Henson on their ranch near Santa Barbara in California.


The ranch was opened for visitors, who loved the flavors of their homemade salad dressing, which was named Ranch shortly after that, and it became the only dressing to ever be served at the ranch. The dressing gained huge popularity, and in 1972, the Hensons sold their brand to the Clorox Company for $8 million. 

MOST ICONIC Ranch Dressing

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09

Sauce

SALT LAKE CITY, United States of America
3.5
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MAIN INGREDIENTS

Originating from Salt Lake City, Utah, fry sauce consists of a simple combination of equal parts ketchup and mayonnaise or one part ketchup and two parts mayonnaise. The sauce has a thick, smooth consistency and is characterized by its pink color.


Originally, it was invented in the 1950s by Don Carlos Edwards, a chef who first served it in his restaurant called Don Carlos' Barbecue in Salt Lake City. Today, fry sauce is typically used as a dip for french fries or as a condiment for burgers, and some people add extra ingredients to the sauce such as garlic and various spices.

MOST ICONIC Fry Sauce

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10

Dip

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
3.5
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Pepper jelly is a spicy American condiment that is mainly used with snacks and appetizers. It is traditionally prepared with sugar, vinegar, sweet bell peppers, and hot peppers, although it can also be made with fruits such as mangos, pineapples, apples, and plums.


Food coloring is added to make it look more interesting, so it can be red, amber, green, or golden colored. It is incredibly versatile and has many uses – it can be a dip when used with meat, vegetables, or shellfish, a glaze for poultry or other types of meat, and it can even be used as a flavoring in some desserts.

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Dressing
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
3.4
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Dip
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
n/a
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Appetizer
NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS, United States of America  and  one more country
n/a
15
Dip
KENTUCKY, United States of America
n/a
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Dip
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
n/a
17
Sauce
NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS, United States of America  and  one more country
n/a

TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 17 North American Dips” list until March 21, 2025, 2,212 ratings were recorded, of which 1,746 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.

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North American Dips