This quick, easy appetizer is ready in minutes - perfect for everything from holiday parties to Super Bowl.
Table of Contents
🗝️ Key takeaways
- Easy cranberry jalapeno dip is a fresh and flavorful appetizer that’s always a big hit.
- This festive snack is perfect for holiday gatherings, family get-togethers, and while watching the big game!
- Let the excess liquid drain from the cranberry mixture before blending it with the rest of the ingredients—this prevents it from being runny.
This cranberry jalapeño cream cheese dip is a copycat recipe of the popular Costco version—it's better and available anytime you want! It's super cute served in this bread bowl for dip that looks like Cinderella's carriage!
Sweet cranberries and zesty limes perfectly balance the spiciness of the jalapeños in this mouthwateringly creamy dip.
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Variations
- You can use either frozen or fresh cranberries in this easy cranberry dip.
- For an extra spicy kick, leave in the seeds from the fresh jalapeño.
- If you prefer to use natural sweeteners, replace the cane sugar with ¼ cup of honey or maple syrup. Keep in mind that the extra liquid will change the texture of your cranberry cream cheese dip, though.
- Mix up the citrus flavor if you don’t like lime. Use lemon juice and lemon zest or orange juice and orange zest instead.
- For a more authentic Costco cranberry jalapeno dip, add a sprinkling of freshly grated asiago cheese when mixing everything together.
🔪 Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Roughly prep the green onions, jalapeno pepper, and cilantro.
- Combine them with the lime zest, sugar, and fresh cranberries in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
- Put the chopped cranberry mixture in a sieve over a bowl and chill.
- Blend the softened cream cheese, sour cream, and lime juice until smooth and creamy. Combine with the refrigerated mixture and serve.
🍴 Equipment
You’ll need a good food processor to finely chop the cranberry mixture. It works better than a blender or doing it by hand.
🥫 How to store leftover cranberry jalapeno dip
The sweet and spicy flavors of this creamy dip mean it's gobbled up quickly—it's tough to resist! However, you can refrigerate leftover dip in an airtight container for one or two days.
Stir well before serving if some liquid separates on top of the cream cheese mixture. That's normal—without the preservatives of Costco's cranberry jalapeno dip, the homemade version is best enjoyed as soon as you make it.
💭 Things to know
Expert Tip: You'll want to finely chop the cranberry mixture, not puree it into juice. Use the chop setting on your food processor and pulse it a few times until the mixture is finer but still a little chunky.
- Freeze cranberries and you can have this yummy dip all year long!
- Make sure your cream cheese is softened to room temperature—this will prevent lumps and clumps in your dip.
- I don’t recommend using light sour cream or low-fat cream cheese in this dip. It'll be thinner and less creamy.
- Drain all of the extra liquid from the cranberry relish before adding it to the whipped cream cheese mixture. Otherwise, you’ll have a soupy dip.
- Make a double or triple batch to feed a crowd on game day or at holiday parties. I like to portion it into multiple bowls to avoid anyone hogging it!
👩🍳 FAQs
I wouldn’t. Store-bought lime juice contains preservatives, which create a more bitter and less concentrated lime flavor. Use fresh lime juice for the best results—you’ll thank me later!
Nope! Fresh cranberries give creamy cranberry jalapeno dip its signature crunch and bright, sweet-tart flavor. Dried cranberries are dry and chewy—they'll ruin the creamy texture of this flavorful dip!
Prepare the cranberry mixture and cream cheese mixture and store them in separate airtight containers in the fridge for 3-4 days. Drain the excess liquid from the cranberry jalapeno relish before blending the mixtures in a serving bowl.
Nah, I wouldn't. Cream cheese-based dips thaw with a weird texture and tend to taste runny. Enjoy this within a day or two for best results!
Serve it with your favorite crackers, tortilla chips, pita chips, baguette slices, pretzels, or fresh veggies like baby carrots and celery sticks. It’s also a delicious spread for toast, sandwiches, and wraps!
Nope! Cranberry jalapeno dip from Costco is a seasonal item, and hard to get your hands on. That's why I love this copycat recipe! Plus, if your family is smaller, you can make just as much as you'll enjoy—no more wasting the bathtub-sized container from the store!
📚 Related recipes
- This Jalapeno Cream Cheese Dip is an easy dip recipe with the awesome texture and flavor of jalapeno poppers—without the hassle!
- Rich, creamy, and authentic, Southern Jalapeno Pimento Cheese is the perfect dip, sandwich spread, appetizer, or burger topping!
- Buffalo Chicken Dip is one of the best dip recipes ever—it’s an easy, flavorful appetizer that’s oh-so-addicting!
🍽️ Serve with...
Serve this festive holiday appetizer with toasted Homemade Baguette slices. The chewy, crusty bread is perfect for scooping up big bites of dip!
Need another side dish for your next Super Bowl or holiday party? An authentic Texas recipe, Jalapeno Sausage Kolaches are sausages made with spicy jalapeños wrapped in soft, pillowy pastry—yum!
When you're talking about finger foods there's nothing like these cream cheese sausage balls!
📞 The last word
You can never go wrong with a good dip during the holidays! This festive cranberry jalapeno dip is a family favorite - I can't get enough of it!
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Cranberry Jalapeno Dip
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 8 ounces cranberries, about 2 ½ cups
- 3 green onions, chopped
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro, chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
- ⅓ cup sugar, more to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- lime zest from 1 lime
Instructions
- Combine the cranberries, green onions, cilantro, jalapeno, sugar, and lime zest.
- Pulse until very finely chopped.
- Put the mixture into a sieve over a bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Place the softened cream cheese, sour cream, and lime juice in the bowl of a food processor or a medium bowl.
- Whip the cream cheese mixture until it has a soft and smooth consistency.
- Drain excess liquid from the cranberry jalapeno mixture.
- Add the cranberry mixture to the cream cheese mixture, stirring until combined.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
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- Be sure to finely chop the cranberries but don't puree them!
- Freeze cranberries and you can have this yummy dip all year long!
-
- Make sure your cream cheese is softened to room temperature—this will prevent lumps and clumps in your dip.
-
- I don’t recommend using light sour cream or low-fat cream cheese in this dip. It'll be thinner and less creamy.
-
- Drain all of the extra liquid from the cranberry relish before adding it to the whipped cream cheese mixture. Otherwise, you’ll have a soupy dip.
-
- Make a double or triple batch to feed a crowd on game day or at holiday parties. I like to portion it into multiple bowls to avoid anyone hogging it!
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
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