Pumpkin Cream Cheese Dip

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Pumpkin cream cheese dip is a luscious dip to enjoy at any party with fruit, graham crackers, and more! It’s not too sweet, so you can dip away to your heart’s content.

While everyone else might be planning their big bird for Thanksgiving, I’m just over here planning what we’re going to have for Snacksgiving.

What, you don’t have Snacksgiving?

Thanksgiving always starts pretty early, especially if you have kids. By the time the Macy’s parade starts up they’ve already had breakfast, and halfway through they’re wondering when they can start in on the turkey and Maple Pecan Pie.

Because we tend to not have the big dinner until, well, dinnertime, keeping everyone’s tummy grumbles at bay for hours requires having snacks on hand.

Our snacks are usually simple things like platters of fresh veg with green onion dip, different kinds of cheeses, and cured meats. This isn’t too different from what I had growing up: cheddar or Swiss, summer sausage, and veggie with dill dip.

My kids don’t eat very many raw vegetables though, so I also offer up a bowl of fruit dip and their favorite fruits. My peanut butter fruit dip is always a hit, but when the holidays roll around I want to serve up something a little more seasonal.

This pumpkin cream cheese dip is the perfect thing for festive fall snacking!

Why you’ll love this recipe

If you love pumpkin pie, this is a dip for you. With minimal ingredients, it comes together in just a few minutes with no cooking involved — even the kids could do it!

Other pumpkin fruit dip recipes I’ve seen call for quite a lot of sugar. In my opinion, that’s no longer pumpkin dip, it’s sugar dip. When you’re using sweet apples, strawberries, and graham crackers for dippers, who needs that added sugar?

I use just a touch of maple syrup for sweetness and flavor, but otherwise the pumpkin really shines in this dish.

You can always add more maple (or more spices) to your tastes, if you prefer.

Ingredients for pumpkin cream cheese dip

You need just a few things to make this recipe. You might even already have everything on hand!

Pumpkin purée – You can either use canned pumpkin, or make your own pumpkin purée. If you make your own, you’ll need about 1 ¾ cups to equal a 15-ounce can.

If using canned, make sure you use plain purée, not pumpkin pie filling.

Cream cheese – Let the cream cheese soften at room temperature before making this recipe. You can also soften cream cheese quickly in the microwave if you forget to take it out in advance (which I almost always do).

You can substitute lower fat cream cheese (neufchatel cheese) or a vegan cream cheese if you like.

Maple syrup – I always recommend real maple syrup over imitation. It just tastes better! You only need 2 tablespoons, so you’ll have plenty leftover for a batch of pumpkin pancakes.

Spices – For this recipe, I use a mix of classic fall spices: cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, and allspice. 

These are basically the components of pumpkin spice blend, so if you have a favorite pumpkin spice mix, go ahead and use that!

How to make this recipe

To make this recipe, combine the pumpkin and softened cream cheese in a large mixing bowl.

Using a hand mixer, beat together until smooth and blended.

If your cream cheese is not soft enough, you will end up with small cream cheese chunks in the mixture. You can use a silicone spatula or spoon to soften those chunks and beat the mixture again.

Add the maple syrup and spices, and beat until blended and fluffy.

Taste and add more maple syrup or spices as desired. 

Cover bowl or transfer to an airtight container. Chill dip for 1 hour before serving.

What to serve with pumpkin cream cheese dip

Wondering what to serve with pumpkin dip?

Fruit is my go-to when it comes to this dip. Sliced apples and fresh strawberries are always a big hit with my kids. Sliced pears would also be delicious.

If you like a little bit of salty sweetness, try serving with pretzels!

This sweet dip is perfect as part of the dessert table, too. Serve it with graham crackers, gingersnaps, vanilla wafer cookies, toasted pound cake, or even marshmallows.

Want more pumpkin eats this weekend? Try my pumpkin coffee cake or slow cooker pumpkin French toast. They’re great for any autumn brunch!