Recipes & Cooking Appetizers Dips Benedictine Spread Is a Kentucky Derby Classic—Here's How to Make It 5.0 (1) 1 Review The cucumber and cream cheese dip has been a Southern favorite for decades. By Sarah Martens Sarah Martens Sarah Martens is the Senior Editor overseeing food at Better Homes & Gardens digital. She has been with the BHG brand for more than 10 years. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on February 21, 2024 Recipe tested by Emily Nienhaus Recipe tested by Emily Nienhaus Emily is a recipe developer at Dotdash Meredith in the Better Homes & Gardens Test Kithcen with a focus on food trends, and inventing new ways to bring interesting flavors to your dinner table. When not in the kitchen Emily enjoys hiking, camping and spending time with friends, although these hobbies always lead back to food being the focus. Learn more about the Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen Rate PRINT Share Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Rachel Marek. Prop Styling: Gabe Greco Prep Time: 0 mins Total Time: 15 mins Servings: 16 Jump to Nutrition Facts Benedictine Spread is a cucumber and cream cheese mixture that can be served as a dip or spread on sandwiches and canapes. It's often served at Kentucky Derby parties. Here's how to make Benedictine Spread including our Test Kitchen's secret to achieving the signature green color. What Is Benedictine Spread? The original cucumber and cream cheese sandwich spread recipe was created by Kentucky chef and cookbook author, Jennie Carter Benedict, who operated a successful restaurant and tea room in Louisville. You can find Benedict's regional Southern recipes in her beloved Blue Ribbon Cookbook, which was originally published in 1902. Kentucky Benedictine Dip Ingredients Some recipes for Benedictine Spread call for green food coloring. Our Test Kitchen chose to color the dip naturally with fresh herbs like dill and chives. If you want more green color, you can add a dash of food dye. Cucumber: You'll need one large cucumber for this dip recipe. For the best texture, grate it finely. Salt: Sprinkling the grated cucumber with salt and letting it sit helps remove excess moisture and keeps the finished dip from being watery. Once you've mixed up the dip, add more salt to taste. Cream Cheese: Let your package of cream cheese soften before adding it to the other ingredients. Sour Cream: Choose your favorite sour cream. You can swap in low-fat versions if you prefer. Mayo: Just two tablespoons of mayo gives the spread an extra-creamy texture. Herbs: A combination of fresh dill and chives flavor the spread and provide the unmistakable green color. How to Make Benedictine Spread A food processor makes quick work of this Benedictine Dip recipe. Here's how to make a batch at home. Prep the Cucumbers: After shredding the cucumbers, place them in a fine mesh sieve. Sprinkle them with 1/4 tsp. of salt and let drain. Mix the Spread: In a food processor, add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. Add Cucumber: Add the drained cucumber to the processor and pulse until just mixed. Small Kitchen Appliance Product Reviews How to Serve Benedictine Cucumber Spread There are many ways to serve Benedictine Spread. For a Kentucky Derby party, we like to serve it with crackers, fresh veggies, and chips. To make a sandwich, spread 2 Tbsp. each on two pieces of white bread, top one half with 4 to 5 thin slices of cucumber and top with other piece of bread. Cut off crusts and cut into triangles. How to Store Benedictine Spread Cover and store the spread in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Stir well before serving. 15 Easy Party Dips to Fill Up Your Appetizer Table Quickly Ingredients 1 large cucumber (14 oz), peeled and finely grated 1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon salt, divided 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup sour cream 2 tablespoons mayonnaise 2 tablespoons chopped dill 2 tablespoons chopped chives Directions Transfer grated cucumber to a fine mesh sieve and sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. salt, let drain for 5 minutes. Squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Meanwhile, combine cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, onion, dill, chives, and remaining 1/8 tsp. salt in a food processor. Cover and process until well combined. Add in cucumber and pulse, until fully combined. Serve with fresh vegetables or crusty bread. Rate It Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 72 Calories 7g Fat 2g Carbs 1g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 16 Calories 72.3 % Daily Value * Total Fat 6.9g 9% Saturated Fat 3.4g 17% Cholesterol 17.2mg 6% Sodium 90.2mg 4% Total Carbohydrate 1.9g 1% Dietary Fiber 0.1g 0% Total Sugars 1.1g Protein 1.2g 2% Vitamin D 0mcg 0% Vitamin C 1mg 1% Calcium 22mg 2% Iron 0.1mg 1% Potassium 61.6mg 1% Fatty acids, total trans 0g Vitamin D 0.1IU Alanine 0g Arginine 0.1g Ash 0.4g Aspartic acid 0.1g Caffeine 0mg Carotene, alpha 2.9mcg Choline, total 6.6mg Copper, Cu 0mg Cystine 0g Energy 303.3kJ Fluoride, F 0.3mcg Folate, total 3.8mcg Glutamic acid 0.3g Glycine 0g Histidine 0g Isoleucine 0.1g Leucine 0.1g Lysine 0.1g Methionine 0g Magnesium, Mg 5.1mg Manganese, Mn 0mg Niacin 0mg Phosphorus, P 24.5mg Pantothenic acid 0.2mg Phenylalanine 0.1g Phytosterols 3.5mg Proline 0.1g Retinol 47.6mcg Selenium, Se 1.5mcg Serine 0.1g Starch 0.3g Theobromine 0mg Threonine 0g Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 0.2mg Tryptophan 0g Tyrosine 0.1g Valine 0.1g Vitamin A, IU 222.4IU Vitamin A, RAE 50.7mcg Vitamin B-12 0mcg Vitamin B-6 0mg Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 8mcg Water 34.5g Zinc, Zn 0.1mg *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.