Cranberry Pepper Jelly Dip
Cranberry Pepper Jelly Dip is just 3 ingredients and everyone’s favorite festive appetizer! Comes together in just minutes, perfect for the holidays!
Cranberry Pepper Jelly Dip is one of the most popular recipes on the blog and for good reason! Just 3 ingredients and literally 5 minutes and you have a stunning appetizer everyone is going to love!
Pepper jelly is a southern staple and is always served over cream cheese for a quick appetizer or snack. We have it often during the holidays and I thought mixing a little cranberry sauce with it would make it festive and be another pop of flavor. This is the perfect holiday appetizer.
My grandma always sets out a platter of pickles, olives and celery on Thanksgiving for everyone to munch on to keep their tummies from grumbling too loud while smelling the turkey and all the pies baking away, I always bring this Cranberry Pepper Jelly Dip to nibble on, it is the perfect solution to keep guests from picking at the turkey while they wait. This cranberry jalapeno dip is so pretty on the holiday table.
This recipe takes only 3 ingredients and 5 minutes to prepare which makes it a dream dish while your up to your elbows in mashed potatoes and green bean casserole. You can whip this up and look like a super star in no time! This delicious appetizer is also a great way to use up any leftover cranberry sauce. The sweet heat combinations on top of the cream cheese makes a perfect holiday party appetizer.
Just spread some softened cream cheese on a platter, mix some red pepper jelly with some canned cranberry sauce, spoon that over the cream cheese, throw in some crackers and you have an amazing appetizer that is sure to disappear before the wishbone snaps. The spicy jalapeno jelly with the tangy cranberries makes such a great flavor combo. My favorite for the holiday season.
Now don’t let the face that this is only 3 ingredients fool you, it is packed full of flavor. My favorite appetizer is the pepper jelly over the cream cheese but by adding the cranberry you get the sweet tartness from that and Thanksgiving and cranberry sauce just go together.
So relax, focus on the turkey and sweet potatoes because you got the appetizer under control! Oh did I mention you can make this ahead of time and pop it in the fridge until your guests arrive or you can make it in seconds right before they come, either way it is a delicious simple appetizer perfect for the holidays.
And if by any chance you have leftovers just mix it all together and you have an awesome spread for leftover turkey sandwiches!
Ingredients
- Cream cheese – Make sure this is softened. You could also substitute goat cheese if you like.
- Red pepper jelly – You can find this jar of red pepper jelly in the jam and jelly aisle at your store.
- Cranberry sauce – Jellied or whole berry sauce will work in this recipe.
- Crackers and pretzels – For dipping, you can use anything you like.
How to make this Cranberry Pepper Jelly Dip
- Spread the block of cream cheese onto a small serving dish.
- Mix the tart cranberries and pepper jelly together in a bowl.
- Spoon the delicious cranberry pepper jelly mixture over the cream cheese.
- Serve with crackers!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Presentation Ideas
You can swirl the cranberry pepper jelly into the cream cheese to create a pretty marbled look.
You can line a small round bowl with plastic wrap and fill with softened cream cheese, chill. Then remove the cream cheese dome from the bowl and plastic wrap, use a spoon to create an indentation in the top and fill with the cranberry pepper jelly.
You can also just mix the cream cheese and the pepper jelly together and serve it that way.
I highly recommend garnishing with fresh cranberries and parsley for a very festive look!
Where can I find pepper jelly?
I find it right with the regular grape and strawberry jelly at any grocery store, I have even found it at Target.
I can only find green pepper jelly, will that work?
That will work, the flavor will be a little different and the color might not be as pretty.
What kind of red pepper jelly am I looking for?
Any brand will work but I usually use Braswell’s Red Pepper Jelly.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Sure! Just mix together the pepper jelly and cranberry and refrigerate, then when you are ready to serve just spoon it over the cream cheese.
Can I just mix the cream cheese and the pepper jelly cranberry mixture together?
You could, it might not be as pretty but it will still taste yummy!
Can I use homemade cranberry sauce?
Of course! I would say use about 1 cup of homemade sauce to the one cup of pepper jelly. You can also use whole berry cranberry sauce.
Leftovers?
If you have leftover just mix it all together and use an amazing spread for your leftover turkey sandwiches or leftover ham sandwiches, believe it is life changing!!
Are veggies good to serve with this?
Sure! This would go great alongside a veggie platter, with assorted crackers, pretzels and even little bread slices or rolls. I love it best with ritz crackers.
Can I double this cranberry jalapeno dip?
Yes! In fact I would recommend doing that, it goes fast lol. Just place two cream cheese blocks next to each other and spoon on the cranberry pepper jelly mixture.
Is this spicy?
Not really! There is just a tiny bit of minimal heat, just enough to pair perfectly with the sweetness and the creaminess, the perfect combo. You could top it with some candied jalapeños if you wanted to give it more heat.
Can I use low fat cream cheese?
You sure can!
Can I use whipped cream cheese?
Yep!! If you want to make this recipe even quicker you can use whipped cream cheese and you won’t even have to wait to soften it making this come together even faster! Just spread the cream cheese on the serving dish and top with the cranberry mixture, easy peasy!
Looking for more appetizer recipes? Check these out!
- Slow Cooker Cranberry BBQ Little Smokies
- French Dip Biscuits
- Homemade Goldfish Crackers
- Cranberry Club Sliders
- Mississippi Sin Dip
- Dill Pickle Dip
Cranberry Pepper Jelly Dip is just 3 ingredients and everyone's favorite festive appetizer! Comes together in just minutes, perfect for the holidays!
Cranberry Pepper Jelly Dip
Ingredients
Instructions
This looks so yummy. I love pepper jelly, but I wouldn’t have thought to pair it with cranberry. I’ve got to put this out for the holiday table this year. Thanks for sharing!
Recently came across your wonderful blog and your recipe for cranberry pepper jelly dip. Decided to give this recipe a try for Thanksgiving and it was a big hit with my family. I did use my own holiday cranberry-raspberry sauce, adding 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts as a topping. Thanks for sharing a perfect holiday appetizer recipe!
This sounds heavenly! I love pepper jelly, but this is a nice twist, especially for the upcoming holidays! So happy I found it on Pinterest. I pinnned it from here and am sharing it over at FB and G+.
I love your blog and was wondering what photo editor you use to add text to your images. Thanks!
I just use PicMonkey and it is wonderful, so many tags and fonts and other options, it is great!
Wonderful! Will make again.
A store called “Harry and David” sells a pepper jelly that is out of this world delicious! They have stores in some outlet malls and their own catalog. Great place to go for some nice gifts. They make up gift baskets that are beautiful and ship all over the USA.
I think their recipe calls for mixing the pepper jelly with the cream cheese but adding the whole berry cranberry sauce would really make this divine! Great for the holidays or anytime of the year…any event. or social gathering with an assortment of crackers to choose from. I’ve printed this out for myself and a friend that does a lot of entertaining and has large family gatherings.
Oh I love Harry and David!!! I could spend all day in there lol! Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Do u mind telling what kind of crackers do u have it in the picture?
thanks in advance
Sure thing! They were I believe Keebler Club Crackers. :)
Made this today but cut recipe in half for a small crowd. The pepper jelly that I used had a slight kick to it and mixed it with whole berry cranberry sauce. Great recipe, will use it often.Got eaten up. Lots of liquid came out of jelly and sauce so make it on a rimmed dish.
Is pepper jelly hot/spicy?
Not at all, it has a little kick to it but nothing on the super spicy scale, with the cranberry and the cream cheese it is toned down even more, so it adds just a hint of spice.
I made this for Thanksgiving and it was great. I added some finely chopped shallots, lemon juice, and parsley. I could only find red jalapeno jelly, so it had a bit of a kick, but I think that made it even better!!
This looks incredibly delicious! What a great appetizer idea for the holidays. I also like your note about spreading it on leftover Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches. I am always trying to think of new ideas for using all of those leftovers!! Thank you for sharing!
I just made a test batch of this loveliness for dinner at a friends. It tastes great! Yummy, light and festive!! It will definitely be on the list for Thanksgiving apps!
Thanks for posting and Happy Holidays!
Yay! I am so glad you liked it!! Happy Holidays!!
were do you buy the jelly in Utah
I am not sure exactly where in Utah you can buy it but I always find mine in the jam and jelly section of Walmart :)
This cranberry pepper jelly was absolutely delicious! I used the tabasco brand pepper jelly and made my own cranberry sauce and everyone loved it! Will definetly make again. Thanks for the recipe!
I love this recipe! It tastes fantastic. I did only use 1/4th of a cup of pepper jelly instead of a cup.
I made this last Christmas and im doing it again but for our big family get together!
The only thing i do diffetently is make own cranberry sauce!
Recipe is so delish!
How did you soften the cream cheese? And are you just softening to get to a spreadable texture point?
I just leave it out on the counter for a bit to soften and it is just to get it to a spreadable texture. Thanks for stopping by!
I would love to make this as gifts. Does it have to be refrigerated?
Yes, because it is made with cream cheese it does need to be refrigerated but would still make a great gift. Thanks for stopping by!
Love this recipe. I want to make for Christmas. How much ahead of time can you make this and still be good and fresh? Thanks.
I would mix the cranberry and the jelly together a day or 2 ahead of time, but would hold off putting it on the cream cheese until ready to serve.
This looks so good! It is so pretty and festive! I wouldn’t have thought to put cranberry and pepper jelly together!
It all comes together so good!!
Thanks for sharing! I love that this appetizer has such simple prep and is so pretty!
Thank you!!! I love anything easy!
Hi! Loved it! Put roasted almonds on it! Thank you! Have a great Thanksgiving!