Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip

This Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip is a delicious dip that can be served as an appetizer for the holidays. Christmas is especially a good opportunity to make the recipe, as it looks festive and beautiful on the table.

Cream Cheese Dip With Cranberries and Almonds- a delicious appetizer for the holidays

It is December and in my family, we have many celebrations to attend. We do not celebrate only Christmas, but we also celebrate birthdays, name days and Saint Nicholas on December 6th.

As a food blogger, I am always interested to test the recipes by sharing them with other people, for the feedback. What better opportunity than testing the “waters” with your own family and friends? 

My initial thought was that nobody will enjoy the appetizer. Romanians are not used to appetizers  that are combinations of savory and sweet at the same time, but I was totally wrong.

This cranberry cream cheese dip was the star of the party, everyone loved it and asked about it. 

What is cranberry cream cheese dip?

This dip is usually a simple cream cheese layer topped with cranberry sauce. My recipe is made with cream cheese mixed with green onions, salt and pepper topped with fresh cranberries cooked with warming spices and a serrano pepper for added heat.

I used cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and a little bit of serrano pepper for heat (it is up to you how spicy you make it). I also added orange juice freshly squeezed.

This appetizer is extremely easy to make and absolutely delicious.  In my opinion nothing screams more festive than cranberries and orange together during the holidays.  

How is this cranberry cream cheese dip made?

I started with the cranberries. Of course, you can use canned cranberries, but if you want this dip to go to the next level, use fresh or frozen cranberries. I try to freeze cranberries when they are in season, and take advantage of them later.

To prepare the cranberry sauce:

Rinse the cranberries then add them to a small sauce pot.

Remove the stem from the serrano pepper, slice it lengthwise, scrape out the seeds (or leave some in if you like it extra spicy), then finely dice the pepper. Add the diced pepper to the sauce pot.

Add the rest of the ingredients  and allow the pot to come to a boil. You will notice that after about 5 minutes of simmering, the cranberries will burst open creating a thicker sauce.

Give it a good stir once in a while and let it simmer for another 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Allow them to cool, then add part of the sliced almonds to it and mix. 

How To Make The Cream Cheese Dip:

Chop the green onions and preserve a teaspoon of them for decoration. Mix the cream cheese with the green onions and add salt and pepper to your taste.

Assemble The Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip:

Place the cream cheese on a medium plate or a shallow bowl. Add the cranberry sauce on top of the cream cheese and decorate with the preserved teaspoon of green onions and more almonds. 

Can I make this appetizer in advance?

Of course! You can make the cranberry sauce up to two days in advance and just put the dip together on the day of serving. 

Can I use canned cranberry sauce? 

Yes, you can, but why would you do that? Your canned cranberry sauce might taste a little bit metallic and it takes only 10 minutes to make this sauce from scratch! So much better than anything else you could find in the store.

Also, if you have some leftover Cranberry Chutney with Apples you can also add that too. I sometimes make more and have a jar or two in the fridge so I can use it in later recipes.

What can I serve this dip with?

You could serve it with savory crackers, but you can also be creative and add a few slices of apple, grapes, or even cheese, like Cheddar or anything else you like.

I don’t have cream cheese, what else can I use?

Cream cheese is the easiest and cheapest ingredient for this recipe, but you can also go with goat cheese, baked brie or even a combination of cream cheese mixed with Feta.

I don’t like almonds, can I use something else?

Yes. Some popular recipes use candied walnuts or pecans. I think they are a great option. I make this recipe with whatever nuts I have in the pantry at that particular time, anyway, so go ahead and get creative.

The nuts bring texture and flavor to the dish.

If you would rather use other nuts, you can also try my other recipe for pineapple pecans cheese ball appetizer. It is just as tasty but with a different texture and different nuts.

A few words on green onions:

If you were patient enough to read the article up to here, you saw that I encouraged you to replace the ingredients with what you have available or what you like. One thing I would insist on, though, is to not skip the green onion.

If you do, it is up to you, but I really think that the green onion balances the sweetness of the dish and makes it amazing. Try this recipe with and without the green onion and let me know. 

Pin This For Later:

Interested in more recipes with cranberries? Here are my favorite sweet and savory recipes with cranberries.

If you need more ideas for appetizers for the holidays, I have some great New Year’s Eve appetizers recipes as well.

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Yield: 8 servings

Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip

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Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip- an easy and delicious dip to make for Christmas or any parties during the holidays.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Additional Time 20 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

• 16 ounces cream cheese
• 2-3 medium size green onions chopped finely
• salt and pepper to taste
• 12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries 2.5 cups
• 1 serrano pepper seeded and finely chopped
• juice of 1 large orange or 2 smalled oranges
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds 
• crackers for serving
• few apples to be sliced and served with the dip

Instructions

1. To prepare the cranberry sauce:
2. Rinse the cranberries then add them to a medium sauce pot.
3. Remove the stem from the serrano pepper, slice it lengthwise, scrape out the seeds (or not if you like it extra spicy), then finely dice the pepper. Add the diced pepper to the sauce pot.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients and allow the pot to come to a boil. You will notice that after about 5 minutes of simmering, the cranberries will burst open creating a thicker sauce. Give it a good stir once in a while and let it simmer for another 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
5. Allow them to cool, then add part of the sliced almonds to it and mix.
6. Cream cheese dip:
7. Chop the green onions and preserve a teaspoon of them for decoration. Mix the cream cheese with the green onions and add salt and pepper to your taste.
8. Assemble the cranberry cream cheese dip:
9. Place the cream cheese on a medium plate or a shallow bowl. Add the cranberry sauce on top of the cream cheese and decorate with the preserved teaspoon of green onions and more almonds.
10. Serve with crackers or slices of apples.
    
    
    
    

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 354Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 59mgSodium: 283mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 4gSugar: 27gProtein: 5g

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