Name: Cranberry Jalapeño Dip with Cream Cheese (Festive & Easy)
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 12 ounces fresh cranberries; ¼ cup sweet onion; ½ cup sugar; 1 jalapeno pepper; 1 lime (juice and zest); 1 lemon (juice and zest); 1 orange (zest and orange segments); ¼ cup cilantro (chopped); 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger; 8 ounces cream cheese (softened)

Cranberry Dip is for anyone looking to break out of the ordinary party dip routine. It’s a mix of tart cranberries, fresh herbs, and a kick of spice, mellowed with cream cheese until it’s just right for scooping with chips. It comes together in 15 minutes and is the perfect party appetizer.

A black bowl filled with creamy pink dip garnished with chopped herbs and cranberries, placed on a napkin-covered plate. Tortilla chips and extra cranberries are next to the bowl on a light blue surface.

Cranberry Jalapeño Dip Is the Festive Appetizer You Didn’t Know You Needed

This cranberry cream cheese dip doesn’t hide its personality. It’s bold, a little spicy, and completely fresh from real citrus juice and zest from lime, lemon, and orange. The ginger and jalapeño give it just enough heat and zip to balance out the sweetness, while the sugar smooths out the cranberries’ tart flavor.

While this has a bit of sugar, it’s not as sweet as homemade cranberry sauce. Salty chips work best with the flavors and textures in this festive appetizer.

A hand holds a chip topped with creamy pink dip, with a bowl of the same dip and a plate of chips in the background on a light blue surface.

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The cream cheese is what ties everything together. Mixing in a little of the cranberry blend first helps it loosen up so you don’t end up with lumps. Once folded in completely, the texture becomes thick, creamy, and easy to serve.

If you’re short on time, you can serve it right after mixing. But letting it chill overnight makes a noticeable difference. Those flavors mellow and mingle for the best flavor.

If you want something more like a salsa, skip the cream cheese entirely. The cranberry mixture holds its own as a vibrant, citrusy condiment that works with chips, grilled meats, or even on a holiday cheese board, but I prefer the cream cheese with it. Contrast the flavors and serve it with a warm baked boursin appetizer.

A black bowl filled with a pink cranberry salad, garnished with whole cranberries and chopped herbs, sits on a beige napkin atop a blue surface. A small plate with cranberries is in the background.

Serve this dip with pretzel crisps, tortilla dips, or crackers, for an easy appetizer for Thanksgiving or Christmas when fresh cranberries are available. It makes a great contrast of flavors when served next to a creamy warm spinach dip.

Grab some fresh cranberries while they’re in season and freeze them. This dip is great along with other game day appetizers.

Your Tart and Spicy Shopping List

A collection of fresh ingredients on a blue surface, including a bag of cranberries, cilantro, ginger, jalapeño, lemon, orange, lime, a yellow onion, and a bag of granulated sugar.

This grocery list is full of flavorful ingredients to bring this cranberry dip to life. Don’t forget to check the recipe card for the full list.

A black bowl filled with creamy cranberry salsa, garnished with whole cranberries and chopped herbs, sits on a light cloth with tortilla chips nearby. A bowl of chips is in the background.

Making the Cranberry Jalapeño Cream Cheese Dip Everyone Will Beg You For

Step One: Chop the Cranberry Mix

Note: You’re aiming for mostly fine bits with a few larger chunks.

A bowl of mixed citrus zest sits beside a zester, with whole ginger, a lemon, a lime, and an orange on a gray surface. — Grate the ginger, orange, lime, and lemon.

A food processor bowl containing finely chopped red and green ingredients, possibly a fresh salsa or relish, with visible bits and juices around the blade. — Pulse cranberries, onion, jalapeño, sugar, citrus juice and zest, cilantro, and ginger in a food processor.

Step Two: Loosen the Cream Cheese

A glass mixing bowl containing a light pink creamy mixture with red specks, being stirred by a pink spatula with a wooden handle, set on a blue surface. — Stir in a spoonful or two of the cranberry mix to soften up the cream cheese.

Step Three: Combine the Dip

A glass bowl filled with a pink, chunky strawberry mixture. A pink spatula with a wooden handle rests inside the bowl, and the bowl is placed on a gray textured surface. — Fold in the rest of the cranberry mix. Stir gently until evenly combined.

This dip is the kind of appetizer that surprises people. Tart cranberries, a little heat from the jalapeño, all wrapped up in creamy, citrusy goodness, there’s nothing subtle about it, and that’s why it never lasts long. Serve it with salty chips or pretzel crisps and enjoy all season long.

A collage of four cooked dishes, with text reading "Just getting started in the kitchen? Shop my favorite cooking essentials to help find everything you’ll need!" and icons of a shopping cart and whisk at the bottom.

If you loved this recipe, give it a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating! Also, snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #butterandbaggage and tagging me @butterandbaggage.

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Cranberry Jalapeño Dip with Cream Cheese (Festive & Easy)

Cranberry Jalapeño Dip Is the Festive Appetizer You Didn’t Know You Needed

Your Tart and Spicy Shopping List