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    Home » Recipes » Dips & Salsas

    Holiday Cranberry Jalapeno Dip with Cream Cheese

    Modified: Jul 1, 2021 · Published: Nov 17, 2020 by Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

    1098 shares
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    images of cranberry jalapeno dip separated by a text box with recipe title
    images of chopped cranberries and cranberry dip separated by a text box with recipe title
    a hand holding a cracker with cranberry jalapeno cream cheese dip over a counter
    image of cranberry jalapeno dip under a green text box with recipe title

    My take on cranberry jalapeno dip is heavy on the jalapenos and scallions and a little lighter on the sugar and cream cheese. The result is an incredibly delicious and colorful snack that makes the best Thanksgiving or Christmas appetizer!

    cranberry jalapeno dip in a serving dish next to triscuit crackers on a counter

    This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see my affiliate disclosure.

    Last Thanksgiving, I hosted my family and some of our friends for dinner. My friend Isabel made this DELISH dip with cranberry jalapeno salsa over cream cheese, and I kid you not that I have been dreaming of recreating it for the past 12 months!!

    After a couple rounds of experimentation, and several days of enjoying the leftovers (yum!), I think I finally nailed the ratio. Being that this is a Veg World, I increased the veggies (jalapenos and green onions) in the dip and cut back on the sugar. It’s still got a great sweet taste, with some spicy and savory hints.

    I also used less cream cheese than other recipes have, but I used a hand blender to whip it before serving to create more volume. Oh, and we can’t forget to talk about the color! The gorgeous fresh cranberries and green veggies give it the most FESTIVE appearance.

    If you’ve never worked with fresh cranberries, they have so much to offer! Their pretty color is a result of the anthocyanin pigments they contain. Anthocyanins exhibit anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects. Plus, cranberries are a good source of vitamin C, an important nutrient for immunity.

    Cranberry jalapeno dip is a must-make during the holiday season. It tastes delicious with Triscuit crackers or small pieces of toasted bread. If you’re not feeling the cream cheese, you can just make the cranberry jalapeno relish and serve that with tortilla chips. I’d love to hear your take on this recipe in the comments!

    jalapenos next to a bag of fresh cranberries spread out on a white counter

    How to Make Cranberry Jalapeno Dip

    1. Using a food processor, pulse the cranberries until they are roughly chopped. (See photo below to get an idea of the desired consistency.)
    2. Add them to a bowl with the jalapenos, scallions, sugar, lemon juice, and cilantro. Let the mixture sit for ~30 minutes.
    3. Whip the cream cheese, and spread it out in the bottom of a pie dish.
    4. Drain the cranberry jalapeno mixture through a mesh sieve. Spoon over the cream cheese.
    chopped cranberries in an open bowl of a food processor on a counter

    Expert Tips

    • Make sure you look through the cranberries and pick out any shriveled or bruised ones before putting them in the food processor.
    • Here are the food processor and mesh sieves that I use. If you don’t have a food processor or sieve, you can chop the cranberries by hand and use a cheese cloth for draining the cranberry mixture.
    • And because I can’t help myself, here’s a really fun holiday pie plate that you can use to serve the dip.
    • You can prep cranberry jalapeno dip in advance. The salsa can sit in a bowl covered tightly with plastic wrap for up to 48 hours in the fridge. When you’re ready to serve the dip, just whip the cream cheese and assemble the recipe.
    • Cranberry jalapeno dip goes really well with Triscuit crackers. You can also serve it with regular table crackers, toasted baguette slices, or cinnamon sugar pita chips.
    close image of cranberry jalapeno dip with fresh cilantro next to crackers

    More Appetizer Recipes

    Looking for a different appetizer for the holidays? Check out the Stuffed Endive Appetizer with Blue Cheese, Baked Italian Zucchini Balls Recipe, and Lighter Spinach Artichoke Dip with Greek Yogurt.

    And if you enjoy cooking with fresh cranberries, be sure to try the Low Sugar Cranberry Sauce with Parsnips and the Vegan Mushroom and Cranberry Wild Rice Pilaf.

    a hand holding a cracker with cranberry jalapeno cream cheese dip over a counter

    I’d love to hear how you like this recipe! Rate/review using the stars on the recipe card or in the comments, and follow the Veg World on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Looking for something totally different? Browse the recipe library.

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    cranberry jalapeno dip in a serving dish next to triscuit crackers on a counter

    Holiday Cranberry Jalapeno Dip

    This delicious dip features cranberry jalapeno salsa over cream cheese. It's a colorful and festive dip that makes a great appetizer for Thanksgiving or Christmas!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 15 minutes mins
    Resting time: 30 minutes mins
    Total Time: 45 minutes mins
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 169kcal
    Author: Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN

    Equipment

    • Food processor
    • Pie plate for serving

    Ingredients 

    • 12 ounces fresh cranberries - (1 bag)
    • 2 to 3 jalapenos - seeded and finely chopped
    • 4 green onions - (scallions), sliced
    • 2 heaping tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
    • 1 lemon - juiced
    • ½ cup granulated sugar
    • 8 ounces cream cheese - softened
    • Crackers or bread - for serving

    Instructions

    • Remove the cream cheese from the fridge to soften while you prepare the rest of the recipe. Add the cranberries to a food processor, and pulse until coarsely chopped into small pieces. You don't want to overdo it and risk the cranberries being too pulverized/soggy. **If you want to save time, you can pulse the cranberries, jalapenos, green onion, and cilantro all together in the food processor. I have done this and the recipe still turns out really well. However, the salsa is more wet and slightly soggy if you pulse everything together versus chopping the jalapenos, green onion, and cilantro by hand. It doesn't make a big difference in taste, though.**
    • Add the chopped cranberries to a mixing bowl with the jalapenos, green onions, and cilantro. Drizzle the lemon juice on the mixture and sprinkle in the sugar. Stir until coated, and let the mixture sit for 30 to 60 minutes (and up to 48 hours, see notes).
    • Whip the cream cheese with a hand blender for 1 to 2 minutes. Spread the whipped cream cheese in the bottom of a pie plate. Spoon the cranberry mixture in batches into a mesh sieve over the sink. Use the back of a spoon to press out excess liquid. You don't need to press it all out, because you still want there to be enough flavor in the cranberry mixture. Spoon the drained mixture on top of the cream cheese.
    • Serve the dip with Triscuit crackers, toasted baguette slices, or cinnamon sugar pita chips. Enjoy!

    Notes

    • If you don’t have a food processor, you can chop the cranberries by hand. If you don’t have a mesh sieve, you can drain the relish mixture through a cheese cloth.
    • The cranberry mixture can be made up to 48 hours in advance and stored in a bowl covered with plastic wrap in the fridge. When you’re ready to serve the dip, whip the cream cheese and assemble the rest of the recipe.
    • Nutrition facts do not include the crackers.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 169kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 93mg | Potassium: 101mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 521IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg
    Did you make this recipe?Tag @vegworld_recipes and follow me today!

    Happy holidays! – Lizzie

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    1098 shares

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    Comments

      5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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    1. Heather

      November 06, 2022 at 4:09 pm

      I haven’t tried the recipe, but after reading it, it reminds me of a jalapeno cranberry sauce that I made last year that had rave reviews.

      I also feel like the leftover juice from straining could be used to make a spicy margarita like drink….

      Reply
      • Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN

        November 06, 2022 at 4:49 pm

        Hi Heather, I bet that would be a delicious way to use the leftover juice!! Let me know if you try it!

        Reply

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