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Close up of cranberry dip on a toasted crostini

White Cheddar and Cranberry Dip

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.7 from 19 reviews
  • Author: Katya
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 35 mins
  • Total Time: 50 mins
  • Yield: 6 1x
  • Category: Appetizer
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American

Description

White cheddar cranberry dip with homemade cranberry sauce and fresh cranberries. It’s salty, sweet, and so festive. 


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2 cups Extra-Sharp White Cheddar cheese, freshly shredded (2 Tbsp. reserved)
  • 8 oz. block cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup cranberry sauce (recipe below)
  • 1/2 cup fresh cranberries

Cranberry Sauce

  • 1 (12 oz.) bag fresh cranberries, rinsed
  • 1 cup + 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
  • 3 Tbsp. orange juice
  • 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup water

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat 1 – 1 1/2 quart oven-safe baking dish with non-stick spray and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the white cheddar and cream cheese. Fold in the cranberry sauce and fresh cranberries.
  3. Transfer the mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake 18-23 minutes or until heated through and bubbly. If the dip begins to brown too quickly around the edges, loosely cover with aluminum foil.
  4. Sprinkle the reserved 2 tablespoons of cheddar cheese on top and place under a broiler for few minutes or until the cheese is melted. Keep an eye on it as the cheese burns easily.
  5. Best served immediately with crostini, pita crisps, grainy salty crackers, and sweet apple slices.

Cranberry Sauce

  1. Add all ingredients into a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook over medium-low heat, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the cranberries burst, about 15-20 minutes. Sauce will thicken and reduce.

Notes

  • Slow Cooker Instructions: Lightly coat the inside of a small slow-cooker with non-stick spray. Prepare the dip ingredients as written in step #2. Add the mixture to the bowl of a slow-cooker. Cover and cook on low for 1 hour or until heated through and the cheese is melted. In the last 5-10 minutes of cooking, add the reserved cheese over the top.
  • Make Ahead: Cranberry sauce can be made up to 1 week in advance and stored covered in the refrigerator. The dip can be mixed and transferred to a baking dish without baking up to 1 day in advance. Keep covered in the refrigerator until ready to bake.
  • Cranberry Sauce: Cranberry sauce recipe makes enough for this dip plus extra for another batch.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 307
  • Sugar: 5.6 g
  • Sodium: 365.6 mg
  • Fat: 25.6 g
  • Carbohydrates: 9 g
  • Protein: 11.1 g
  • Cholesterol: 75.5 mg