Cranberry Jalapeno Cream Cheese Spread

This cranberry jalapeno cream cheese spread is full of fresh herb flavor with a bit of spice and some sweet cranberries. The balance is delicious and it is the perfect spread for crackers.

small bowl of cranberry jalapeno cream cheese spread on plate with crackers, ready to eat.

It’s holiday party season!  And do you know what that means?  Snacks!  

Whether it is a starter while the turkey is roasting on Thanksgiving or something to nosh on during the Christmas parties ahead, this cranberry spread will be a nice change to the standard fare.  

It has a really fresh flavor from the herbs and lime juice and just enough spice from the jalapeno to make it interesting.  I don’t think it would be too hot to upset anyone’s pallet.

I put this out when Chloe and MiMi came to help set up for Kristie’s shower and Chloe LOVED it.  When my husband and Little Dude came home, I got some out for them to snack on while I made a pizza for dinner.

We had the whole thing eaten between us by the end of the night!  We all thought it was pretty darn tasty and a bit different than anything we had ever tried.

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You could form this mixture into a cheese ball if you would like, but we like the ease of putting it into a bowl. It’s a no muss no fuss way of serving this tasty appetizer, just have plenty of crackers ready!

Can I use something besides cilantro?

Yes. If you don’t like cilantro you can just leave it out or substitute in more green onion, chives or parsley.

Close up of cranberry cracker spread in bowl with some spread on crackers.

Storage

Keep any leftover cracker spread in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a few days. The herbs will start to wilt and oxidize if it is stored much longer than that.

small bowl of cranberry jalapeno cream cheese spread on plate with crackers, ready to eat.
5 from 13 ratings

Cranberry Cream Cheese Spread

Author: Carlee
Servings: 12 Servings
Turn up your holiday appetizer game with this tasty cranberry jalapeno cream cheese spread. It is a perfect combination of sweet, heat, fresh herbs in a creamy base. It is great with crackers.
Prep: 10 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients 

  • ½ cup dried cranberries
  • ½ cup loosely packed cilantro
  • ¼ cup green onions
  • 1 jalapeno
  • 8 oz cream cheese softened
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 Tablespoon lime juice
  • salt and pepper

Instructions 

  • Roughly chop the ½ cup dried cranberries, ½ cup loosely packed cilantro, and ¼ cup green onions
  • Remove the seeds from the 1 jalapeno and finely dice.
  • Put the 8 oz cream cheese in a medium bowl and add the ½ teaspoon garlic powder, 1 Tablespoon lime juice, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Add the cranberries, herbs, and jalapeno. Stir until uniform.
  • You can serve immediately, but it is good to cover it and refrigerate it for at least an hour to let all of the flavors come together.
  • Serve with crackers or toasted bagel chips or baguette slices. 

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Nutrition Information

Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 84kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 60mg | Potassium: 42mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 333IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 0.1mg
“Cooking With Carlee” is not a dietitian or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.

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5 from 13 votes (10 ratings without comment)

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47 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Easy and delicious to make. My brother and husband loved it. I made mine without the jalapenos. Enjoyed by all.

  2. Sharon Sharp says:

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious. I will have to triple the recipe to bring to the next family gathering!! Thank you so very much.

  3. Do you think it would still be good minus the cilantro? Or should I just move on lol….it sounds wonderful otherwise. (Sorry I’m one of the 1%)

    Thanks

    1. I think it would be good without. Maybe add a little bit more green onion than is called for? I like the pop of freshness in there, but I do think it would be tasty without.