Cranberry Orange Dip
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Creamy, velvety cranberry orange dip made with jammy cooked cranberries and thick pieces of orange zest. Perfect for dipping with tart Granny Smith apples, spicy gingersnap cookies, salty pretzels and crackers, or even used as a spread on bagels or other toasted breads and rolls. Check out my 50+ Thanksgiving Dishes for more ideas for your holiday spread!
THIS DIP WAS INSPIRED BY SOMETHING DELICIOUS AT TRADER JOE’S
In the fall of 2025, I tried a cranberry orange dip from Trader Joe’s and admittedly thought about all fall and winter long. It was creamy, tangy, and sweet, with flecks of actually detectable orange peel in every scoop. I loved it, but I wanted more cranberry.
So I did what I always do: I took to the kitchen and tried to recreate it at home, just with a little more punch.
This bright and beautiful cranberry orange dip is the result. It’s a velvety, cheesecake-like base swirled with jammy cooked cranberries and chewy bits of orange zest. It’s the kind of dip that disappears first at a party, then leaves you wanting another batch and thinking about all of the things it would pair well with.
But here’s the thing, and I’ll be totally upfront about it– this recipe started as a copycat, but it definitely didn’t stay one. The version that inspired it was lovely, but I kept wanting the cranberry to be the star of the show instead of a supporting player.
So that’s the whole idea behind my version. It’s more cranberry-forward, with a brighter, tarter punch against the creamy citrus-infused base.
THIS IS WHY I LIKE MY VERSION BETTER
The ingredient list is simple. To get started, I studied the ingredient label. It listed cream cheese, sour cream, and ricotta, and honestly, that felt like too much going on. I settled on just cream cheese and sour cream, which makes a creamier base than cream cheese alone. It basically acts like unbaked cheesecake (in fact, this is how I start all of my cheesecakes). The result is velvety smooth with a little tang and a thinner “dip” consistency thanks to the sour cream.
The cranberries are cooked. Simmering them with sugar, orange juice, and orange zest turns them into a jammy, spoonable mixture that’s tart, sweet, and deeply cranberry. Raw cranberries would be too sharp and too chunky, so this step matters.
The base is simple. The base is simply full-fat cream cheese and sour cream, sweetened with powdered sugar. Powdered sugar dissolves instantly, so there’s no grittiness.
It uses half a bag of cranberries. That means you’ll have the other half left over, and I highly recommend making a half batch of my sugared cranberries with it. Nothing goes to waste, and you’ll have a pretty garnish, too.
How THIS DIP comes together
Prepare the cranberries: pulse the fresh cranberries in a blender or food processor a few times, until you have a mix of coarsely and finely chopped pieces. You’re not making a purée, but a little texture is what you want since we’re only cooking down the berries a bit (we want CHUNKS!).
Cook the cranberries: transfer the crannies to a saucepan with the sugar, orange juice, and half of the orange zest. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and allow it to simmer until the cranberries start to break apart and the liquid turns jammy.
Let the cranberries cool: you can do this while you work on the base, and please know that this step matters. Stirring hot cranberries into the cream cheese would loosen it, and we want that thick, velvety texture.
Make the creamy dip base: make sure your cream cheese and sour cream are at room temperature first so you don’t end up with lumps!
Bring it all together: add the cooled cranberry mixture and the rest of the orange zest, then stir with a large spatula, scraping the bottom of the bowl, until everything is evenly mixed.
Chill: another must! Cover and refrigerate the dip for at least 4 hours before serving. This gives the flavors time to meld, and the dip sets up thick and scoopable.
A note about the orange zest
Here’s one of my favorite details: the dip that inspired this recipe had actual pieces of orange rind in it, more like little bites of orange than a zest afterthought. I loved that, so I used the larger holes on my box grater to get thicker pieces of zest.
If you have a box grater with different hole sizes, try the bigger one. If all you have is a zester or microplane, that’s completely fine. You’ll still get plenty of orange flavor, just without the chewy bits.
Make-ahead, storage, and freezing
This dip is a great make-ahead option since it needs to chill anyway. Store leftovers covered tightly in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months.
CAN I USE FROZEN CRANBERRIES?
Yes, you can absolutely use frozen cranberries, and HURRAY, there is no need to thaw them before proceeding with the recipe.
If you’ve ever wished a store-bought favorite had a little more of the flavor you love, this is a good reminder that you can fix it in your own kitchen. Plus, you’ve got half a bag of cranberries left over to play with– the sparkle that sugared cranberries make is the perfect garnish for your serving plate.
MORE CRANBERRY RECIPES YOU WILL LOVE
Cranberry Orange Dip Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 ounces (170g) fresh cranberries1 frozen are fine; no need to thaw before using
- ⅓ cup (67g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (30mL) fresh orange juice approximately half an orange
- zest of one orange divided; thick zest2
- 8 ounces (227g) full fat block cream cheese softened to room temperature
- ½ cup (113g) full fat sour cream room temperature
- ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar3
Video
Instructions
- Using a blender or food processor, pulse the fresh cranberries a few times until they are a blend of coarsely and finely chopped. Transfer to a medium size saucepan, then add the sugar, orange juice, and half of the orange zest.
- Heat the mixture over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, then reduce the temperature to medium-low and simmer until the cranberries start to break apart and the liquid is jammy (about 5-7 minutes). Remove from the heat and allow to cool while you prepare the rest of the dip.
- In a medium size bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, and powdered sugar3 until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Add the cooked cranberry mixture and remaining orange zest, then stir everything together with a large spatula, taking care to scrape the bottom of the bowl, until everything is incorporated and evenly dispersed. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving. Store leftovers covered tightly in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Cranberries: this is half of a standard bag of cranberries. I highly recommend making a half batch of sugared cranberries with the rest of the bag.
- Thick zest: if you are able, use a larger hole to zest your orange, as you are looking for detectable pieces of zest and not just the flavor. I have several hole sizes on my box grater, but if all you have is a small hole zester, that’s ok.
- Powdered sugar: if your powdered sugar is particularly clumpy, it’s best to sift it into the mixture to avoid lumps in your dip. This is only an aesthetic problem and does not affect the taste.
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.