Creamy Cranberry Jalapeño Dip

This delicious creamy cranberry jalapeño dip is a copycat of the popular dip Costco often carries. It is creamy, tart, sweet, spicy and so easy to make!

You guys, this dip. 😍 It is everything my cranberry-loving, sweet-and-spicy-loving, dip-loving heart has ever dreamed of. It is perfect for all the holiday parties and festivities coming up!

Cranberry Jalapeño Relish

Let’s start at the very beginning. A very good place to start. 😉

This creamy dip starts with a flavorful cranberry jalapeño relish (the origins of which come from this uber-popular recipe). It can be made in a food processor or blender.

The point is to pulse all the ingredients until they are uniformly and finely chopped.

• fresh cranberries
• jalapeño
• cilantro
• sugar
• lime juice
• green onions

Refrigerate this mixture for a couple of hours to let the flavors develop and sugar dissolve.

Whipped Cream Cheese + A Few Other Additions

A few important tips for the cream cheese part of this recipe:

1. Ensure the cream cheese is softened to room temperature (this will prevent little lumps and clumps)
2. Whip the cream cheese, sour cream, and heavy cream with an electric mixer (handheld or stand mixer) for several minutes so it is very light and creamy
3. Drain all the excess liquid from the cranberry relish mixture before adding to the cream cheese
4. Mix the whipped cream cheese and cranberry relish together until just combined (don’t over mix at this point).

Got it? Good! Armed with those easy suggestions, and you’re basically ready to experience the best holiday dip ever!

The Best Holiday Dip

If you’ve seen the creamy cranberry jalapeño dip at Costco, you’ll recognize the absolute joy of having this knock-off version (I’m sure the dip is in other stores, too, but Costco is definitely my favorite frame of reference, and they have all my money to prove it). 😜

The store bought dip is fantastic, but can I tell you why my recipe is better?

First: this homemade dip has a much fresher flavor with no additives and preservatives to muddy the bright notes of cranberry, lime and jalapeno.

Second: instead of the occasional cranberry showing up, my version has tasty bits of the cranberry jalapeño relish everywhere – so there’s no need to go dip-diving to find the lone cranberry hiding in its depths!

What to Serve With This Dip

This tasty dip is delicious served with:

• thin pretzel crisps
• crackers (any variety, like wheat thins, Ritz, etc)
• baguette slices (toasted or not)
• fresh veggies
• as a spread for sandwiches or wraps (YUM!!)

I like to spoon some of the leftover cranberry jalapeño relish over the top of the dip. It can be stirred in as the dip is served. Or you can leave it off.

It really depends on just how much zesty, fresh cranberry jalapeño flavor you are in the mood for.

Good news! The dip can be mixed and stored in the refrigerator for several days. If you have extra cranberry jalapeño relish, I recommend storing that separately and draining off any liquid that accumulates if you choose to serve it on top or alongside the dip later.

I’m so excited to finally have a homemade version of this amazing holiday dip! I hope you love it, too!

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Creamy Cranberry Jalapeño Dip

Yield: 16 to 20 servings

Prep Time: 25 minutes mins

Chilling Time: 4 hours hrs

5 stars (25 ratings)

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Ingredients

• 6 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups) fresh cranberries
• 2 green onions
• 1 small jalapeño
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 2 to 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro (small handful)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• Pinch of salt
• 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream
• Additional fresh cranberries for garnish, optional

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Instructions 

• In a food processor or blender, pulse the fresh cranberries until coarsely chopped.
• Trim the root end of the green onions and coarsely chop the green and white parts. Add to the food processor or blender.
• Cut off the stem of the jalapeño and slice the pepper in half. Remove seeds if desired (keeping them in adds more heat). Coarsely chop and add to the food processor or blender.
• Add sugar, cilantro, lime juice and salt to the food processor blender and pulse until the ingredients are finely chopped. Scrape the relish into a covered container and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours (or up to 24 hours) so the flavors develop and sugar dissolves.
• With a handheld or electric stand mixer, whip the cream cheese until very light and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the sour cream and heavy cream and mix for another 1 to 2 minutes until well-combined and exceptionally creamy.
• Drain the excess liquid from the refrigerated cranberry relish (important so the dip isn't runny!). Add 2/3 cup of the relish to the whipped cream cheese and mix on low speed until evenly combined.
• Transfer the cranberry dip to a serving bowl and top with additional cranberry relish and fresh cranberries, if desired. Serve with crackers or baguette slices.

Notes

Make-Ahead: the dip can be mixed and stored in the refrigerator for several days. If you have extra cranberry jalapeño relish, I recommend storing that separately and draining off any liquid that accumulates if you choose to serve it on top or alongside the dip later.

Cream: the 1 tablespoon cream may not seem like a lot, but it definitely adds a boost of creaminess to the overall whipped cream cheese mixture. I recommend using it, but you can leave it out if need be.

Light vs Full-Fat: if you want to sub light sour cream and lowfat cream cheese (neufchatel) be aware that it might result in a slightly runnier/thinner dip.

Author: Mel

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Method: No-Bake

Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 85kcal, Carbohydrates: 7g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 5g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 18mg, Sodium: 104mg, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugar: 5g

Recommended Products

Breville Food Processor

Electric Hand Mixer

Silicone Spatula

Small Offset Spatula

Other Recipes Like This:

Cranberry-Jalapeno Cream Cheese Dip

Amazing Cranberry Pecan Cream Cheese Dip {Sweet or Spicy}

Fresh Cranberry Apple Relish

Cranberry Brie Bites

Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe