Cream Cheese Pumpkin Dip

This luxurious cream cheese pumpkin dip comes together quickly with only a handful of ingredients. So good you'll want to dig in with a spoon!

Why You Should Make This

There's no lack of fun flavors around during the fall season, and this cream cheese pumpkin dip is a real people pleaser. It has a smooth texture with a medium consistency - not too thick and not too thin - filled with pumpkin pie spices, real pumpkin, and a slight bit of tang from softened cream cheese.

Dips are simple to make, and this one is no different. It only takes minutes to have a big bowl sitting around for your guests to snack on ahead of your celebrations for Thanksgiving, Halloween, or any fall meal gathering.

Which Canned Pumpkin Is Best?

As far as flavor is concerned, the answer to this question is largely individual. When testing this recipe, I used the classic and widely-available choice - Libby's. Epicurious did a taste test of nine different canned pumpkin purees and agreed that Libby's is a tough one to beat. In addition to having good flavor, Libby's also has a less liquid-y consistency, which is perfect for preventing this dip from becoming too runny.

While I do like the flavor of Trader Joe's canned pumpkin, it is thinner and looser and won't work as well in this dip. The same is true for homemade pumpkin puree. If you make your own puree, make sure to strain it so that it's not too thin before adding it to the dip.

As always, though, make sure that whatever you use is plain pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling! The latter has already been pre-sweetened and spice and will throw off the balance of your cream cheese pumpkin dip.

Ingredients and Substitutions

This pumpkin cream cheese dip uses a small list of simple ingredients.

• pumpkin puree - I use canned pumpkin for convenience. Make sure you don't use pumpkin pie filling, which has other added ingredients.
• cream cheese - the magic behind this dip. You can use regular or low fat versions and both will work great.
• brown sugar and maple syrup - for sweetness and flavor
• pumpkin pie spice - to enhance the pumpkin and inject those fall vibes. If you aren't a fan of pumpkin spice, just use plain cinnamon

Can I Make This In Advance?

You can make this pumpkin cream cheese dip several days in advance - just keep it covered and airtight in the refrigerator. You may also need to give it a good stir before serving it. I don't recommend freezing this dip. While cream cheese can be frozen safely, it will undergo a considerable change in texture once thawed, leaving you with dip that is not as creamy as it was originally.

The good news is that it only takes minutes to bring together a batch of this dip, and it's so good I doubt you'll have leftovers anyway!

How Do I Serve this?

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Dip is best served chilled and tastes amazing with a number of dippers. Here are a few ideas:

• ginger snaps
• vanilla wafers
• apple slices
• graham crackers
• pretzels (any shape)

This dip can be served as a starter while people are snacking around as the main dishes are finished up, or it can be served as a straight up dessert. Just put it in these cute Olive Wood Bowls for a little oomph. Either way, I'm sure this will get rave reviews from anyone who tries it. Enjoy!

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