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Cranberry Cream Cheese Spread

Cranberry cream cheese spread made with finely chopped cranberries and a quick fresh jalapeno-cilantro salsa. Chilled for at least 1 hour, it turns creamy and tangy with a jewel-red topping that’s spoonable and bright.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
chill 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Calories: 230
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

cranberries
  • 12 oz fresh cranberries
sugar
  • 0.5 cup sugar
green onions
  • 2 green onions, sliced
jalapeno
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
cilantro
  • 0.25 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
lime juice
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
salt
  • 0.25 tsp salt
cream cheese
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
crackers
  • 1 Crackers for serving

Equipment

  • 1 food processor

Method
 

Make the cranberry salsa
  1. Pulse the fresh cranberries in a food processor until finely chopped, stopping to scrape down if needed. Aim for pieces that look uniformly chopped, not whole berries.
  2. Stir the chopped cranberries with the sugar, sliced green onions, minced jalapeno, chopped cilantro, lime juice, and salt until evenly combined and glossy.
  3. Cover and chill the cranberry mixture for at least 1 hour so the flavors meld. Keep it refrigerated at 40°F or below.
Assemble and serve
  1. Spread the softened cream cheese onto a serving plate in an even layer, using a flat edge to smooth the top (visual cue: fully covered surface with no bare spots).
  2. Spoon the chilled cranberry mixture over the top just before serving so the spread stays neat. Finish with an even, jewel-red layer.
  3. Serve with crackers on the side for scooping (visual cue: crackers arranged within easy reach of the spread).

Notes

Pro tip: soften the cream cheese at room temperature for 20–30 minutes so it spreads smoothly without tearing. Refrigerate the cranberry mixture up to 3 days and keep the cream cheese covered; assemble up to 24 hours ahead if needed, but for best texture spoon the cranberry topping on just before serving. Freezer: do not freeze the assembled spread; the cranberry salsa can lose texture when thawed. Dietary swap: for a lower-sodium version, use reduced-salt cream cheese and cut the added salt to 1/8 tsp.