I made this beautiful jalapeno cranberry dip as part of my current obsession with cranberries, America's second favorite berry. It is absolutely divine—sweet, spicy, savory, a little hot, in a word, perfect.
I'm not sure what triggered my infatuation with the shiny red berries this year, but it's real. When I began to see the mountains of bagged cranberries in the produce department, finding as many ways to prepare them as I could before the season ended became a challenge.
But I didn't need to worry about running out of cranberries! I've learned that cranberries freeze beautifully without blanching! You can toss the bags right in the freezer, although I put mine inside a freezer bag first.
You can use frozen cranberries in baking or make relish any day of the year if you stash some away for later! Here's a helpful article on how to use frozen cranberries from the cranberry growers themselves.
Along the way, I've also discovered I enjoy a touch of jalapeno when combined with something sweet, for example, in my cranberry pepper jam. I never thought I'd tolerate jalapenos in any form, but I was wrong! I can't get enough of this jalapeno cranberry dip, which combines cranberries, green onions, jalapenos, and cilantro!
Jalapeno Cranberry dip is easy to make and so pretty! It's unique enough that if you bring it to a party, there probably won't be two of them! Be sure to bring the recipe with you, though!
Use a food chopper to chop the cranberries, green onion, jalapeno, and cilantro. I do not recommend using a food processor for this dip because it can cause the cranberries to liquefy quickly, which you want to avoid. You want texture in this dip!
I like to chop the jalapenos very fine, so there are no hot surprises in my mouth because "I was born to be MILD!"
Combine the vegetables with lime juice, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl, stirring well. Then, cover the bowl with plastic film and let it rest overnight in the fridge. During refrigeration, flavors mingle, and a lot of liquid is released.
When you are ready to assemble the dip on the whipped cream cheese paste, drain off that liquid in a fine strainer so you don't lose any of the vegetables, just the juice.
My strainers either have holes too large or too small for this much volume, so I "MacGuyvered" a sieve using a basket from a large coffee maker and my Pampered Chef batter bowl! It worked great. I hope at least some of you remember the TV series, so you understand my quirky problem-solving mind. 😉
If you don't have a fine enough strainer, you could probably put a cheesecloth liner in it, but I didn't want to make another trip to town!
Without draining, this mixture would be too wet to spread over the yummy whipped cream cheese base. The bowl of cranberries and stuff released nearly a cup of sweet/hot liquid, which I saved to use in another recipe. I don't know what to do with it, but it's too good to throw out!
Whip two 8-ounce blocks of cream cheese until fluffy and spreadable. Spread it in a square baking pan or a pie plate. Looking at this picture, I could have chosen a prettier dish!
Spoon the cranberry mixture over the cream cheese and garnish to your heart's content. This dip is so delicious that the pretty garnish won't last long! Everyone will be swarming around it to get a chipful and another and another! But that's a good thing, right? PS Everyone will beg for the recipe!
Scoop your chip down through the delicious cranberry layer and dredge up a good amount of cream cheese to go with it. The added smooth, creamy tang of the cream cheese layer takes this fabulous cranberry jalapeno dip into orbit! It's a celebration of amazing flavors!
A dip that has it all! Tart cranberries blended with sugar, salt, lime juice, jalapenos, green onions, and cilantro. Pour it over a cloud of fluffy whipped cream cheese and serve with tortilla chips!
And it's cranberry time, folks! So grab them while they're here, and be sure to stash some away in the freezer when you're craving something cranberry! Never enough cranberries, I say!
This sweet-hot cranberry jalapeño dip is the kind of recipe people talk about long after the bowl is empty. It’s bright, fresh, creamy, and completely unexpected — in the best way. Take the recipe with you, you'll need it!
If you’re heading to a party, hosting friends, or just craving something different, this one always disappears fast. Make it once and you’ll understand why it’s become a staple around here.
Here are my most popular cranberry recipes:
Fresh Cranberry and Orange Sauce
Cranberry Pepper Jam, and
What is your favorite cranberry recipe?
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Love, GB (Betty Streff)
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Why can’t you use a food processor to chop the cranberries?
You certainly can! I'd pulse just until they're evenly chopped, but leaving some nice texture.