Cranberry jalapeño cream cheese dip (vegan holiday appetizer)

To make it, vegan cream cheese is topped with tangy cranberry salsa dotted with jalapeno, orange, and lime.

Cranberry jalapeño dip is a plant-based take on that classic holiday appetizer. Perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas gatherings.

(Prefer to make the salsa on its own? Check out this standalone cranberry salsa recipe.)

In this post:

Here are the ingredients you will need to make this recipe.

For the cranberry jalapeño salsa topping:

Cranberries: Use whole fresh cranberries without brown or soft spots.

Onion: Yellow onion has a nice, mild flavor that picks up the sugar, and the tang of lime juice beautifully while still keeping its crunch.

Red bell pepper: Red bell pepper adds subtle sweetness and crunch. (If you prefer, orange or yellow also works.)

Jalapeño: Either fresh or pickled jalapeño peppers work in this salsa.

Remember, individual peppers vary by spiciness. If you’re spice-averse, check the heat level of your pepper before adding it to the salsa. For a spicier salsa, add more.

Garlic: Use a small clove. Even though it’s going into the food processor, I like to mince it ahead of time to make sure it’s not in too big of chunks in the finished salsa.

Lime juice: For the optimum flavor, freshly squeezed is best.

Orange juice and zest: It’s much easier if you zest the orange before squeezing it for juice.

Sugar: I use organic evaporated cane juice.

Salt: Salt makes the flavors pop.

Cilantro: Look for fresh cilantro that is bright green, not slimy or blackened.

For completing the holiday dip:

Vegan cream cheese: My favorite vegan cream cheese for this dip is classic plain Miyoko’s. Walmart has a new dairy-free cream cheese in their Bettergoods line that is lightly sweet and a good, low cost option.

Garnish: Finish the cranberry jalapeno cream cheese dip with a couple of  jalapeño slices and fresh cilantro.

Crackers: Serve with plain water crackers, buttery crackers like Ritz (many are accidentally vegan), pretzel crisps, pita chips, tortilla chips, or baguette slices.

This section shows how to make this recipe at a glance with process photos of the steps. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.

1. Put all of the cranberry salsa ingredients into the food processor.

2. Turn the food processor to low, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides. Once the ingredients are broken into small, even pieces, move the cranberry salsa to a covered container and refrigerate.

The cranberry salsa will continue to soften and sweeten in the fridge. Let the flavors meld for about a day.

3. Once it’s time to prepare the dip, remove the vegan cream cheese from its container. Use a knife to smooth it.

Drain the cranberry salsa using a fine mesh strainer. (You don’t want excess liquid to pool at the bottom of the plate.)

4. Use a spoon to spread the cranberry salsa on top of the cream cheese. Either pour it across the vegan cream cheese haphazardly, or use the back of a spoon and/or your hands to form it to the cream cheese like a ball.

Finish with a garnish of jalapeño pepper slices and/or cilantro.

You can make this dish your own by varying the ingredients or serving method.

Make it gluten-free

It’s easy to make this dip gluten free by serving it with gluten-free crackers.

Instead of serving it as a dip, offer it as a finger food

Prepare crackers ahead of time by spreading vegan cheese onto crackers with a knife. Then finish with a dollop of bright red salsa onto them one by one. Put them out on a serving tray.

If you have any leftovers, I recommend just stirring the vegan cream cheese & cranberry salsa together. Put it in a covered container, and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 or 4 days.

It gets a beautiful pink color. And it works well as a spread on crackers or a bagel.

Complete your holiday dinner table with any of these tempting appetizers:

• Vegan Thanksgiving charcuterie board
• Vegan cheese balls holiday wreath
• Snowman vegan cheese ball
• Plant-based pickle roll-ups
• Vegan pigs in a blanket
• Fried olives with vegan feta
• Crab-less cakes

📖 Recipe

Cranberry jalapeno cream cheese dip (vegan holiday appetizer)

Author: Cadry Nelson

5 from 3 votes

This festive holiday appetizer is awash with bold red color. It has a beautiful combination of tart, tangy, and sweet. Great for Thanksgiving or Christmas! Serve on a platter with crackers.

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 minutes minutes

Marinating time: 1 day day

Total Time: 1 day day 7 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 people

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American, Vegan

Keyword: holiday food, holiday party food, thanksgiving recipe

Ingredients

• ▢ 7.5 ounces cranberries whole and fresh
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons chopped yellow onion
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons chopped red bell pepper
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon pickled jalapeno slices or fresh, plus 2 jalapeno slices for garnish
• ▢ 1 small garlic clove minced
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon lime juice freshly squeezed
• ▢ Zest of ½ small to medium-sized orange
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon orange juice freshly squeezed
• ▢ 5 Tablespoons sugar
• ▢ Pinch of salt
• ▢ ¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro plus more for optional garnish
• ▢ 1 (8-ounce) container vegan cream cheese plain
• ▢ 1 package crackers for serving

Instructions

• ▢
  Start by making the salsa: In a food processor, briefly combine cranberries, yellow onion, red bell pepper, jalapeno, garlic, lime juice, orange zest, orange juice, sugar, salt, and cilantro until the ingredients are broken down, fully incorporated, and the pieces are small. Stop to scrape down the sides if necessary.
• ▢
  Transfer the salsa to an airtight container, refrigerate, and let the flavors meld for a day. The cranberries will soften and become sweeter with time.
• ▢
  Complete the dip: Use a fine mesh sieve to drain cranberry salsa. (Too much excess liquid will make the cream cheese runny.)
• ▢
  Transfer the vegan cream cheese to a serving plate. Use a knife to smooth it.
• ▢
  Cover the cream cheese with cranberry salsa. You can spoon the salsa loosely over the vegan cream cheese or shape it around the edges like a cheese ball.
• ▢
  Top with optional garnish of a couple jalapeño pepper slices and/or cilantro leaf.
• ▢
  Serve right away with crackers.

Notes

For the vegan cream cheese, I recommend Miyoko’s. However, feel free to use any non-dairy cream cheese that you enjoy.

Depending on how heavily you load up the cream cheese with cranberry salsa, you may have some salsa left over. Serve it on its own with tortilla chips, put it on a Thanksgiving-style leftovers sandwich, or use it as a topping on sweet potato tacos.

Storage: With any leftovers, stir vegan cream cheese and cranberry salsa together. Store in a covered container in the fridge for 3–4 days. Delicious as a spread for crackers, bagels, or sandwiches.

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Nutrition

Calories: 184kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Sodium: 271mg | Potassium: 77mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 149IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1mg

Content updated November 10, 2025. Originally published November 5, 2018.