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Cranberry jalapeno dip with cream cheese on a plate with a plate of crackers in the background.
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Cranberry Jalapeno Dip With Cream Cheese

This easy dip has smooth cream cheese topped with a fresh cranberry-jalapeno salsa that's tart and sweet with some spicy heat. It's the perfect festive appetizer for the fall and winter holidays!
Prep Time15 minutes
Chill Time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 5 (about 4 tablespoons total each; recipe makes about 1¼ cups total)
Estimated Calories: 235
Author: Michelle

Ingredients

For the Cranberry-Jalapeno Salsa

  • 6 ounces fresh cranberries , washed and dried well
  • 6 tablespoons sugar, or to taste
  • ¼ cup chopped jalapeno peppers, ¼-inch pieces; about 1 large jalapeno; remove the seeds and ribs before chopping for less heat, or leave some or all of them in for more heat
  • ¼ cup chopped green onions, ¼-inch pieces; about 2 green onions
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lime juice, about ½ of a lime
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste

For the Cream Cheese Layer

  • 8 ounces cream cheese, softened

Special Equipment

  • food processor

Instructions

Prepare the Cranberry-Jalapeno Salsa

  • Put the cranberries in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse a few times until the cranberries are coarsely chopped.
    We will be processing them further in the next step, so you don't want them too small at this point; you should have fairly large pieces.
  • Add the sugar, jalapeno peppers, green onions, cilantro, lime juice, cumin, and salt; pulse until finely chopped.
    Be careful to not go too far; you want small pieces and some texture, not a puree.
  • Transfer the salsa to a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or up to overnight) to allow the flavors to blend.

Assemble & Serve

  • Right before serving, put the softened cream cheese in a bowl and beat with a spoon to loosen it and fluff it up just a bit.
  • Evenly spread the cream cheese on a serving dish; I use an 8-inch dish (use a dish that is rimmed or that curves up at the edges so that it will catch any liquid that is released from the salsa).
  • Using a slotted spoon to drain off as much of the liquid in the salsa as you can as you go, evenly spoon the cranberry salsa over the cream cheese, leaving a small border of cream cheese around the edges (about a half inch or so).
    It's important to drain off a good portion any accumulated liquid so that your dip isn't too watery. Alternately, you can put the salsa in a fine mesh strainer and gently press to drain off even more of the liquid.
  • Serve immediately with crackers (I like to use wheat crackers) or your favorite dippers, such as tortilla chips, pita chips, pretzel crisps, or crostini.

Recipe Notes

  • If you don't have a food processor, you could do all the chopping by hand; it will just take longer.
  • You can adjust the amount of sugar depending on how tart your cranberries are and to suit your own tastes.
  • If you're not a fan of cilantro, you can omit it.
  • Because the salsa will continue to produce some liquid even after draining, you'll want to wait until right before serving to assemble the dip.
  • I like to serve this dip with a butter spreader, butter knife or something similar; spreading the dip onto crackers is easier and less messy than dipping.
  • If you're serving a larger crowd, double the recipe and use a larger dish.
  • Estimated calores shown are for 4 tablespoons of the dip only and do not include crackers or other types of dippers.
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