If your holiday table is packed with baked goods and cheese boards, try this Cran-Jalapeño Crunch Dip. Fresh cranberries are chopped up with a jalapeño and some herbs then mixed with cream cheese. Every bite has sweetness, tangy cranberries and just enough heat to make it stand out.
I love that you can make almost all of this dip ahead of time. It needs at least a few hours in the fridge so no oven involved. Plus with all those speckled colors it’s perfect for displaying next to your holiday appetizer.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
If you love dippings that have some crunch then you’ll love this recipe. It has a nice texture since the cranberries are diced small against the creamy cream cheese. With lime juice and cilantro it tastes really refreshing too. Perfect for the holidays when youre trying to think of what to bring to your potluck and don’t have time to bake. Grab some crackers and you have yourself a fun appetizer.
Not much clean up either which I always appreciate when getting ready for people to come over. All you really have is your food processor bowl and 1 mixing bowl plus utensils to wash. After your cranberry mixture is in the fridge youre pretty much done cleaning up for this recipe.
What You Need
You will need fresh cranberries, jalapeño, green onions, sugar, cilantro, lime juice, salt, cream cheese and sour cream. As you can see there are many fresh ingredients which give this dip it’s amazing flavor.
Fresh Cranberries
Using fresh cranberries will give your dip that nice tangy taste. Chopping them up with the food processor will leave you with small pieces of cranberry. Just pulse it until youre happy with the consistency you want. Some uneven pieces will be okay. If fresh cranberries aren’t available to you you can use frozen. Make sure to thaw and strain your frozen cranberries before placing them in your food processor.
Jalapeño Pepper
A jalapeño will give your dip some nice spice to it. If you’d like your dip milder take the seeds out of the jalapeño before chopping it up. Depending on how hot you want your dip leave the ribs in your jalapeño. Keep in mind that each pepper will have a different amount of heat in it. You can use a small amount of a poblano pepper or crushed red pepper flakes but will alter the taste slightly.
Cream Cheese
Using block cream cheese will allow you to get your dip nice and thick. Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature before you mix it together. I found that when my cream cheese was cold I had trouble making it smooth. Using your hand mixer or a good sturdy spoon should help. Using Neufchâtel will give you a slightly thinner dip.
How To Make It
As you can see making this dip is very easy. Just allow yourself some time for your cranberry mixture to chill in the fridge. Make it earlier that day or the night before.
Make The Cranberry Mixture
Place cranberries, jalapeño, green onions, sugar, cilantro, lime juice and salt into your food processor. Pulse until everything is evenly chopped and you can still see texture.
Refrigerate
Transfer your cranberry mixture into an airtight container. Place in fridge for at least 4 hours. This will allow the sugar to melt and everything to meld together. You’ll notice liquid will start to accumulate.
Make Your Dip
Beat your softened cream cheese in a medium bowl. Mix in your sour cream until all combined. Make sure your scraping down the bottom of your bowl.
Strain And Combine
Remove your cranberry mixture from the fridge and strain the liquid. I found using a mesh strainer helped with draining it. Gently fold your cranberry mixture into your cream cheese. I like to leave it while you still see some striations of cranberry throughout the dip.
Serve
Once youre satisfied with your mixture place it in a serving bowl. Top with cranberries and cilantro if you’d like.
My Tips
- Be sure to drain your cranberry mixture when folding it into your cream cheese. Since you’re using sugar the cranberries will start to accumulate liquid while in the fridge. Be sure it’s draining really well before combining the two mixtures.
- For an easy holiday recipe make your cranberry mixture 2 days in advance. Place it in the fridge and cover well. When youre ready to serve just mix your cream cheese and sour cream together and drain and combine with your cranberry mixture. Not much work to finish your dip.
- Always use block cream cheese for this recipe. I’ve found that store bought cream cheese in a tub can cause your dip to be thin.
Storing Your Cran-Jalapeño Dip
- Store your dip in fridge up to 3 days. Make sure to cover or place in an airtight container.
- I would not recommend freezing this dip. Cream cheese and sour cream tend to separate when thawed.
- No need to heat this up. It’s best served cold!
Serve With
- Tortilla chips. Something salty and hard to hold your dip.
- Ritz crackers or baguette cut into small slices.
- Celery and cucumbers!
- Cheese board! Place the dip next to your charcuterie items.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use dried cranberries?
No dried cranberries will not work in this recipe. They have a chewier texture and most have added sugars.
Is this spicy with the jalapeño?
It depends how much jalapeño you use. By removing the seeds and ribs your dip should be mild. Since you never know how hot your pepper is its always a good idea to go easy on the jalapeño and build the flavor into your cranberry mixture.
Cran-Jalapeño Crunch Dip
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups cranberries
- 1 large jalapeño
- 3 green onions
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 block cream cheese
- 1/4 cup sour cream
Instructions
- In a food processor blend your cranberries, jalapeño (remove seeds if you don’t want your dip too spicy), green onions, sugar, cilantro, lime juice and salt. Pulse until your dip is evenly blended and choppy.
- Add your mixture to a container with a lid. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
- Beat your cream cheese until smooth. Add your sour cream and mix until combined.
- Drain the liquid from your cranberry mixture. Fold into your cream cheese.
- Place in serving bowl. Enjoy with your favorite crackers!
Nutrition
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