Best Baked Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip Recipe (2024)

Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip

• 2 cups Extra-Sharp Cheddar cheese grated (divided)
• 8 oz cream cheese room temperature; full fat, or Neufchatel is fine
• ¼ heaping cup cranberry sauce canned, leftover or make recipe below.
• ½ cup fresh cranberries may substitute with frozen, do not thaw
• ⅛-¼ teaspoon nutmeg fresh or ground (optional)

Optional Homemade Cranberry Sauce

• 12 ounces cranberries fresh or frozen (do not thaw)
• 1 cup sugar I use all natural cane sugar, white sugar may be used
• 3 tablespoons orange juice fresh squeezed is best, from a naval orange, but store bought is fine.
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice fresh is best
• ¼ cup water

US Customary - Metric

Optional Homemade Cranberry Sauce

• Remove ½ cup of cranberries for the dip. If making your own cranberry sauce, then add the rest of the cranberries, granulated sugar, orange and lemon juice and water to a small saucepan. Stir to combine, cooking over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.

• The sugar will dissolve and the cranberries will start to burst and pop, you want some cranberries rather whole, while others will disintegrate.

  NOTE: This recipe makes more than needed for the Cream Cheese Cranberry dip, store leftovers in airtight container in fridge and use another time. Or use canned or leftover cranberry sauce.

Make the Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip

• Lightly spray a small 1 ½ quart baking dish with a little spray oil and preheat the oven to 375° F (190° C) (350°F (175° C) if using a convection oven).

• In a medium-large mixing bowl, stir together the cream cheese and 1 ¾ cups aged cheddar cheese until combined.

• If desired, grate some fresh nutmeg into the cheese mixture and combine, this is a taste preference. I like a little more, about ½ a teaspoon (ground may be substituted).

• Gently stir in the cranberry sauce and ½ cup reserved fresh cranberries, then spooning the cranberry mixture evenly into prepared baking dish, and top with remaining ¼ cup shredded cheddar. Baking 18-23 minutes (15 minutes if convection) until bubbly in the middle and the edges.

• Cover if needed with some foil (shiny side down) if browning too quickly.

• A few minutes before you are ready to pull it out of the oven, sprinkle remaining aged cheddar cheese on top and remove foil to brown a bit.

• Serve immediately with crostini, crackers or pita chips. If desired, grate a little more fresh grated nutmeg over the top.

Variations & Substitutions

• Jalapeno Cranberry Dip | Like it spicy? Add two tablespoons of chopped jarred jalapenos to the cheese with cranberries mixture. Sweet, Spicy and YUMMY!
• Swap the cream cheese for Mascarpone cheese for a creamy, cranberry cream cheese dip.
• Love nuts? Add ¼ cup of your favorite chopped nuts, a deconstructed cranberry cheese ball.
• Mix in a little fresh chopped rosemary for an earthy taste.

This dip may be made ahead of time, covered in fridge, bring to room temp before baking in preheated oven.

This cranberry dip is naturally gluten-free, do not use pre-shredded cheese.

Vegan Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip | Replace cream cheese and shredded sharp cheddar with your favorite plant-based substitutions.

This recipe easily doubles | Use a 7x11 or 2 quart casserole dish, double the ingredients and bake until bubbly all the way through.

Dipper ideas:

• Sweet: Go for Nila wafers, graham crackers, cinnamon pita chips, shortbread.
• Savory: Go for crostini, pita chips, bagel chips, pretzels and pretzel chips, wheat thins, Ritz, Triscuit or your favorite cracker.
• Gluten-Free & Low Carb Dippers: Carrot chips, cucumber slices, celery and sliced bell peppers.

Storage & Rewarming

• Make this dip up to 2 days in advance, covered in fridge, bring to room temperature (about 30 minutes) and bake as directed.
• After baking, cool dip completely, store in airtight container in fridge up to 5 days. I do not recommend freezing this white cheddar cranberry dip.
• To rewarm | place in oven safe dish and warm covered with foil in 250 degree F oven for about 20-30 minutes. Or place in microwave safe container and warm in 30-45 second intervals until bubbly. Serve immediately.

PRO TIP| Purchase a fresh French Baguette from the bakery at your store, then run it through the slicer machine, evenly sliced pieces every-single-time!

How to make crostini

• You can purchase these already baked, however; making your own is not only easy, but superior in taste, plus I prefer them slightly less crunchy than store-bought.
• Pour a little olive oil into a shallow bowl, then lightly dip (don’t dunk) one side of the baguette slices into the oil and place on baking sheet. Alternatively, you may use a pastry brush and brush the tops with oil.
• Repeat with as many as you are making. I like to sprinkle with a little flaky sea salt as well.
• Place in toaster oven under the toast setting and set for your desired brownness, I love my new Breville Smart Oven, I set it on toast for 8 slices on the 5-6 setting and they came out perfectly.
• Preheat oven to broil. Place baking sheet in middle of oven, and broil for about 2 minutes, checking often. The crostinis may be made ahead of time.