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Last Updated on September 24, 2019

If you need an easy appetizer for the holidays, this Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip will do the trick! Just three ingredients including cream cheese, cranberry sauce and sugar. 

I’m going to keep this post light and fluffy, kind of like this easy Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip! The reality is that a lot of us aren’t in charge of getting a Thanksgiving meal on the table. If you’re like me, your Mom still keeps a firm hold on the Thanksgiving festivities. I will typically contribute, either a side dish or an appetizer. If we’re smoking a turkey, my husband will help out. But, I’m not complaining that the days of prep needed for a Thanksgiving meal aren’t on me! My busy season at work typically runs from August until the week before Thanksgiving, and I would really struggle to put together the full meal for our big family.

Last year, I decided that we needed something sweet on the appetizer bar, and I threw together this Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip! It was a total gamble, but I love sweet cream cheese dips, and I figured that the ingredients were so inexpensive that it was worth a shot. There are just THREE ingredients in this easy dip; softened cream cheese, sugar, and cranberry sauce! I used whole canned cranberry sauce, but YES, please use your leftover or excess homemade cranberry sauce. It will be great! One of my personal favorite homemade sauce is my blogging friend Derek’s Cranberry Mango Sauce. So yummy!

 

If you have Cool Whip on hand, throw a few spoonfuls in. It will add some extra airiness to the dip! If not, no sweat, you will still have a deliciously sweet and creamy dip on your hands! I serve this dip with cut fruit, ginger snaps, and graham crackers. There are some graham cracker dipping sticks made now that are PERFECT because they won’t break like your traditional, thin grahams. 

I hope you all have a relaxing Thanksgiving with your family and friends! If you do make this Easy Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip, let me know what you think. My family LOVES it! 

Easy Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip

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Ingredients

• 2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened*
• 1/2 cup sugar**
• 7 ounces whole berry cranberry sauce***
• optional: 1/2 cup cool whip

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients into a medium sized mixing bowl. Mix for 2-3 minutes until well blended and creamy.
2. Cover and allow to chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 20 minutes.
3. Serve with fruit or sweet crackers and cookies.

Notes

• * I allow to soften for 45 minutes to an hour on the counter before using.
• ** Start with 1/3 cup, taste, add more if desired.
• *** Canned or homemade