Cranberry Jalapeño Cream Cheese Dip
This creamy Cranberry Jalapeño Cream Cheese Dip is the perfect festive appetizer for the holiday season! Serve it at your next party and watch it disappear!
Servings: 16
Calories: 105kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ - 1 jalapeño pepper, seeds and ribs removed
- 4 scallions, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- 1 bag (12 ounces) fresh cranberries
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lime juice
- ⅛– ¼ teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
- 2 blocks (8 ounces each) reduced fat cream cheese (Neufchatel cheese), softened
Instructions
- Place the jalapeño, scallions, and cilantro in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times until roughly chopped. Add the cranberries, sugar, salt, lime juice, and cumin. Pulse several times until cranberries are finely chopped but not completely pureed.
- Place the mixture to a bowl or Tupperware and cover. Refrigerate until ready to serve, at least several hours, ideally overnight. It can be made a day or two before and refrigerated- the longer it sits, the more the flavors will develop.
- Place the Neufchatel cheese in a large bowl. Using a hand mixer, whip the cheese until soft and fluffy. This step is optional but will make the cream cheese extra fluffy.
- When ready to serve, drain the cranberry mixture in a colander to remove the excess liquid.
- Spread the cream cheese in an even layer on a serving platter or in a 9-inch pie dish. Spoon the cranberry mixture on top. Garnish with sliced scallions or chopped cilantro. Serve with crackers of your choice.
Notes
- The cranberry mixture needs to be made at least a few hours in advance for the flavors to develop. You can make it a day or two ahead and store it in the refrigerator. The longer it sits, the better. Taste it again before serving and adjust seasoning to taste.
- As the cranberry mixture rests, a lot of liquid will accumulate at the bottom. Be sure to drain most of the liquid before spreading it on top of the cream cheese so that it doesn’t get runny.
- I like some texture to the cranberry salsa rather than totally puréeing it. Pulse the ingredients in the food processor in the food processor until it's just done, so that it doesn’t liquefy.
- Leave the cream cheese out at room temperature so that it softens and whips up nicely.
- For a stronger flavor, you can use boursin or goat cheese instead of cream cheese (or a mixture of cream cheese and one of these).
Nutrition
Serving: 2 tablespoons | Calories: 105kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 139mg | Potassium: 102mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 223IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 0.2mg
