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Why You’ll Love My Recipe

Cranberries don’t just have to be relegated to a side for turkey! Their tangy tartness and citrusy flavour pairs wonderfully with japapenos to make a vibrant colored dip that goes with just about anything!

Make sure to make your own Whipped Cream Cheese for this recipe! Or, to make the ultimate holiday treat, check out this Bacon & Brown Sugar Chex Mix recipe to go with your dip!

A plate of creamy dip topped with cranberry salsa and sliced jalapeños, surrounded by lime halves, crackers, green chili peppers, and a bowl of fresh cranberries on a white countertop.

Karlynn’s Recipe Notes

Skill Level: This cranberry salsa is easy to make and perfect for parties, or as a side dish to jazz up a weekend dinner!
Total Time: Although this recipe requires you to chill it overnight, the main component of the salsa only takes 5 minutes to prepare!
Variations: I suggest serving this cranberry salsa on a bed of whipped cream cheese to make it a delicious tart and creamy dip for crackers and chips! However, it can also be served as a tangy, spicy accompaniment addition to a cheese board, alongside white fish and poultry dishes, or even as a spread for sandwiches!
Tools For This Recipe: You will need a blender or food processor to make this recipe!

A hand holds a cracker topped with creamy cheese and cranberry sauce, above a plate of cheese spread with cranberry sauce. Crackers, a bowl of cranberries, and a sliced lime are visible in the background.

What You’ll Need for Ingredients

Cranberries: Cranberries are often only used when it comes to the holidays, but they have a unique blend of tart bitterness and almost citrusy sweetness that makes them perfect to pair with other bold flavor like jalapeno peppers.

Jalapeno: Jalapeno peppers are delicious, with plenty of sweetness and a floral spiciness that many other peppers lack. However, they’re not the hottest pick. If you’re the sort of person who loves to bring the heat, try using habanero peppers—but be warned, they’re not for the fainthearted!

An assortment of ingredients on a white surface, including a bowl of cranberries, green onions, limes, cilantro, jalapeños, round and square crackers, cream cheese, lime juice, sugar, and salt.

Cilantro: For those folks to whom cilantro tastes like soap, parsley can be used as a substitute. Fresh basil can also be used if you don’t mind the addition of a bit of basil sweetness!

Cream Cheese: This cranberry salsa is delicious on its own, but serving it over a bed of fluffy whipped cream cheese adds extra substance and depth of flavour that takes it from a great bite to an excellent treat that your friends and family are sure to request again!

How To Make Cranberry Jalapeno Dip

This is a quick overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients & complete step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.

A food processor with cranberries, chopped green onions, cilantro, and sugar sits on a white surface surrounded by crackers, limes, jalapeños, cream cheese, cilantro, and green onions.

A food processor with blended cranberry mixture is surrounded by crackers, limes, green onions, cilantro, whole cranberries, jalapeños, lime slices, and a jar of spread, all arranged on a white countertop.

Add cranberries, cilantro, onions, jalapeno, lime juice, and white sugar into the bowl of a food processor or blender and pulse until finely chopped.
Taste test and add more sugar as necessary.
then spoon out into a bowl and cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to blend together.
When you’re ready to serve the dish, prepare a batch of whipped cream cheese and spoon it into a shallow bowl or rimmed plate in an even layer, then place the salsa on top. Serve with crackers and chips, and enjoy!

A hand dips a rectangular cracker into a plate of creamy dip topped with cranberry salsa and sliced jalapeños. Fresh cranberries, crackers, and green chili peppers are visible in the background.

Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Cranberry Jalapeno Dip

Spice is Nice: If you want the salsa to have an extra kick without using a particularly hot pepper, make sure to look for a jalapeno with white lines (like stretch marks) on its flesh. Usually the more of these marks a chile has on it, the spicier it will be!
Use The Best You’ve Got: A good rule of thumb is to try to use fresh fruits and vegetables when you can, but fruits that are frozen are usually picked at the peak of their ripeness, so they’re usually fresher and more juicy than what you can get on the shelves at your local supermarket—especially when they’re out of season. Since these cranberries are going to be blended into a salsa, you don’t really need to worry about the fact that frozen fruit tend to be softer than fresh after they thaw.

A white plate holds a creamy dip swirled with cranberry sauce, topped with green herbs and served with two crackers. Fresh limes, jalapeños, cranberries, and more crackers are arranged in the background.

Storage Instructions

Refrigerator: This cranberry salsa can be stored in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

Freezer: The cranberry salsa by itself can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months! When you’re ready to serve it, allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight and then come up to room temperature before serving!

More Delicious Dip Recipes

Looking for a delicious accompaniment to fries? Why not try my Garlic Aioli!
For another fun option for parties, or a date-night delight, give my Cheese Fondue a try!
If you want an easy, healthy, and perfect way to enjoy eggplants, give my Baba Ganoush Recipe (Roasted Eggplant / Aubergine Dip) a try, either as an appetizer or an offering at your next party buffet!

And there you have it! A delicious, fruity salsa that can be served on its own or on a bed of fluffy whipped cream cheese as a dip with crackers, chips, or crusty bread! I love dishes like this that take an often overlooked ingredient and gives it a new lease on life!

Try out this dip and let me know what you think in the comments below!

Happy Cooking,

Karlynn