Cranberry and Bacon Cream Cheese Appetizer - The Recipe Rebel (2024)

This Cranberry Bacon Cream Cheese Appetizer has the perfect combination of sweet and savory flavors, with cream cheese, smoky bacon, caramelized onions, tart cranberries, balsamic vinegar and a bit of coffee to balance all the flavors. The perfect holiday appetizer!

This Cranberry Bacon Cream Cheese Appetizer is easy to make but has such an impressive presentation.

It’s the perfect appetizer for your holiday spread or even for a fancy dinner party!

Made by topping a large block of cream cheese with a delicious bacon and cranberry mixture that’s so addictive, it’s such a delicious combination.

This is one of my favorite easy appetizer recipes, it takes just 20 minutes to make, and can be served with just about anything, from crackers to veggies!

If you love cream cheese appetizers, try my cream cheese balls for something a bit different! This classicCheese Ball recipeis a great savory appetizer for a crowd during the holiday season, while my Snickers Cheese Ballis a great option for dessert.

Ingredients Needed:

• Bacon:use your favorite kind of bacon for this recipe. I usually use thick cut!
• Onion and Garlic:use freshly minced garlic and fresh onion for a great savory flavor base for the topping.
• Cranberries:dried cranberries and cranberry juice add sweet and tart flavors as well as a great texture to the topping.
• Seasonings:use salt and freshly cracked black pepper to enhance the flavors, with some red pepper flakes on top for a spicy kick.
• Brown Sugar:helps caramelize and sweeten the topping.
• Balsamic Vinegar:adds a burst of tangy sweetness to the topping.
• Coffee:use hot or cold coffee, so save some from your morning brew.
• Cornstarch:a little bit of cornstarch will make the topping a bit thicker.
• Cream Cheese:full-fat cream cheese will give you the flavor and texture you want, but use whichever brand you prefer. You can also use light cream cheese.
• Garnish:top with fresh parsley and fresh cranberries as desired. Serve with Ritz crackers or your favorite kind of crackers on the side for dipping!

How to Make Easy Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip

This recipe is quick and easy to make. Full instructions are included in the recipe card below.

1. Cook bacon: In a medium saucepan, cook the bacon until nicely browned.
2. Remove bacon: Remove the bacon from the pan, putting it into a bowl lined with a paper towel to drain.

3. Sauté: Sauté the onion in the bacon fat and add the garlic.
4. Add remaining ingredients: Add the bacon back to the pan with dried cranberries, cranberry juice, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, coffee, and red pepper flakes. Cook together, stirring often, until thickened slightly. Then, set it aside to cool to room temperature.

5. Thicken: Whisk together some cranberry juice and cornstarch, then stir it into the sauce until thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Assemble appetizer: Place the cream cheese block on a serving platter, then spread the cooled cranberry bacon mixture over the top of the cream cheese and serve with crackers.

Bacon Cranberry Cream Cheese Appetizer FAQs

Tips and Notes

• Use high-quality cream cheese.As it’s the base of the dip, you’ll want to make sure you use good-quality cream cheese for the best flavor.
• Blend it into a dip.You can serve this appetizer as I have, as a block with a topping, or you can blend it together to make a flavorful cream cheese dip that is great for serving with crackers, veggie sticks, or even tortilla chips! Simply stir the cream cheese in a large bowlto break it down, adding some milk if needed to thin it out, and mix in the bacon cranberry topping.
• For a lighter texture, you can whip the cream cheese with some cream or a bit of sour cream, or purchase a tub of plain whipped cream cheese. Spread it onto a serving plate and top with the bacon jam.

Cranberry Bacon Cream Cheese Appetizer Variations

• Cranberry sauce.I love serving this cream cheese appetizer with fresh cranberries on the side for an extra burst of color, but fresh cranberry sauce will work well too!
• ​Adding spice.The red pepper flakes add a bit of spice to this appetizer, but you can add some chopped jalapeño chile or hot sauce to add even more spice if you want.

Serving Suggestions

Serve this amazing appetizer as the center of your Christmas Day starter, or serve it with some of my otherappetizersat a Christmas party.

TheseJalapeno Poppers,Pigs in Blankets, andMozzarella Sticksare also great options alongside this dip or simply make some veggie sticks for a healthier dippingoption.

Try some of myHomemade Breadsticksor myNo Knead Artisan Breadfor dipping instead of crackers if you prefer something a bit heartier!

More Holiday Appetizers to Try