This cranberry jalapeno dip has a whipped cream cheese base with a bright, fresh cranberry jalapeno chutney on top. The sweet heat and creamy tang are delicious, especially scooped up with your favorite crackers!
Holiday parties are here and so are the festive appetizers! This cranberry jalapeno cream cheese dip looks gorgeous with it's bright red hue AND it tastes amazing!
If you adore fresh cranberries (like I do!), the cranberry jalapeno dip is going to become a staple every year! It's sweet, tart, spicy, creamy - ALL the things!
I look forward to cranberry season (November & December) because of this dip! And my homemade cranberry sauce, of course!
Key Ingredients
- Fresh cranberries - They typically hit grocery stores late September, depending on where you live. This is a seasonal dip! I've not tried this recipe with dried cranberries. Quickly check for any soft, brown cranberries and toss them.
- Jalapeno - For a little bit of sweet heat! I used the whole jalapeno but I removed the ribs and seeds, which holds most of the heat. If you're very sensitive to heat, you can use half of a jalapeno.
- Citrus - Fresh orange and lime give the chutney a bright, fresh flavor!
- Cilantro - I used a small handful from my garden, enough to shove into a tablespoon. The amount is up to you!
- Sugar - Cranberries are naturally very tart, so ½ cup sugar yields only a mildly sweet dip. For a sweeter result, increase the sugar to ¾ cup.
- Salt - A little bit of salt enhances flavor!
- Cream cheese - For the creamy base. You need two blocks. For the best results, get full fat cream cheese.
- Sour cream - Sour cream creates a super creamy mixture that doesn't harden too much in the fridge!
How to Make Cranberry Jalapeno Dip
This creamy dip comes together super fast! The only catch is that the cranberry chutney needs to chill for at least an hour before assembly, so plan accordingly.
- Make the chutney: You need a large food processor for this recipe. I have a Ninja and love it. Don't pulse the mixture too much! It should still be chunky with little bits of cranberries all throughout.
- Chill the chutney: This allows the flavors to marry and the sugar to dissolve. I chilled mine for an hour, but more time is great if you have it.
- Beat the cream cheese: It will get light and fluffy! I like to add a cup of the cranberry mixture to the cream cheese. You don't have to do this. You can leave the cream cheese mixture plain and add the chutney on top if you like.
- Assemble: You can use any dish you like, just make sure it’s large enough to spread the cream cheese mixture to under an inch thick
- Serve: You can use any cracker you like. I prefer to serve it with butter style crackers.
Variations
I like to add some of the cranberry mixture into the cream cheese mixture! It sweetens it just a bit.
If you prefer to keep the whipped cream cheese plain and tangy, you can do that! Just skip mixing some of it in and spread it all on top!
Make it ahead
You can make the cranberry mixture and the whipped cream cheese up to 2 days in advance, but I think it's best about 4 hours after it's made. It's still fresh but the flavors have a chance to marry.
Assemble the same day you plan to serve it.
Storage Instructions
Store leftover dip in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Dip Recipes
Cranberry Jalapeno Cream Cheese Dip
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries
- 1 jalapeno diced (seeds and ribs removed)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
- small handful of cilantro
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 8 ounce blocks of cream cheese
- ½ cup sour cream
Instructions
- In a large food processor, add the cranberries. Blend for 7 seconds. Add the diced jalapeño, lime juice, orange juice, cilantro, sugar, and salt. Blend for 7 more seconds.
- Scrape the cranberry mixture into a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for 1 hour.
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sour cream for 2 full minutes. It should get light and fluffy.
- Remove the cranberry mixture from the fridge and stir well. Add 1 cup of the cranberry mixture to the cream cheese mixture and beat to combine.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture into the bottom of a 9.5 inch pie dish or another similar sized dish. You should make sure the cream cheese mixture is spread no more than an inch thick. You want to get lots of relish in every bite!
- Spread the remaining cranberry mixture on top of the cream cheese mixture so it covers the entire top.
- Serve with crackers.
Leave a Reply