Gingerbread Christmas Dip Recipe
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A gingerbread Christmas dip recipe made with cream cheese, whipped cream, brown sugar, molasses, and warm winter spices. Served with graham crackers, ginger biscuits, or homemade gingerbread cookies for dipping, it’s the best (and easiest!) gingerbread dip for holiday entertaining!
Why Did I Create This Gingerbread Christmas Dip Recipe?
When the festive period comes around, I look forward to anything and everything gingerbread. In addition to decorating gingerbread houses (or more elaborate gingerbread creations!) I enjoy making gingerbread cookies, gingerbread hot chocolate, and gingerbread simmer pots to fill my home with the scents of the season.
This gingerbread dip is an easy way to enjoy the same scents and spices without the need for an oven or stovetop. Made with whipped cream, cream cheese, brown sugar, and molasses, plus a mix of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, I like to serve this dip with cinnamon graham crackers or homemade gingersnaps, plus plenty of colorful sprinkles. It’s easy to prepare, make a great addition to holiday snack boards and dessert tables, and tastes just like Christmas in a bowl.
Christmas Dip Ingredients
- Whipping Cream – Whipping cream (or heavy cream, in the US) forms the creamy, fluffy base for the dip. Look for a fat percentage around 35-36%. Do not use Cool Whip, whipped topping, or other, similar products.
- Cream Cheese – Full-fat, American-style block cream cheese works best; British-style cheese or spreadable cheese will produce a much thinner dip. Allow plenty of time for the cream cheese to soften before mixing, or you’ll find it difficult to blend smoothly with the other ingredients.
- Brown Sugar – You can make this recipe with light brown sugar, or dark brown sugar for deeper notes of caramel and molasses. Or, experiment with other dark, moist, sugars, such as molasses or muscovado.
- Confectioner’s Sugar – Confectioner’s sugar (icing sugar, powdered sugar, 10x sugar) adds sweetness and texture. Take time to sift before combining it with the other ingredients, to remove any clumps or hard bits of sugar.
- Molasses – Along with a blend of spices, molasses gives this dip its classic “gingerbread” taste. I test most of my recipes with the Grandma’s brand of unsulphured molasses. Do not use blackstrap molasses. And if you cannot find molasses, you can substitute black treacle instead. Lyle’s is my go-to brand.
- Vanilla Bean Paste – I recommend vanilla bean paste from Nielsen-Massey, Simply Organic, or Taylor & Colledge. If you can’t find vanilla bean paste, a good vanilla extract will also work just fine. Don’t use cheap imitation flavoring.
- Spices – You’ll need ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, ground allspice, and kosher salt to create the gingerbread flavor. You can also experiment with other ground spices, like homemade mixed spice.
- Garnishes – Such as homemade or store bought Christmas sprinkles. For other suggestions, see my notes below.
Gingerbread Christmas Dip Recipe
- Total Time10 minutes
- Yield475 grams 1x
A Christmas dip recipe made with cream cheese, whipped cream, brown sugar, molasses, and warm winter spices.
Ingredients
240 milliliters whipping cream (1 cup)
170 grams full fat cream cheese, softened (6 ounces)
50 grams dark brown sugar (1/4 cup)
20 grams confectioner’s sugar (2 tablespoons)
40 grams molasses or black treacle (2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Pinch ground allspice
Pinch kosher salt
Christmas sprinkles, optional, to decorate
Gingerbread cookies, ginger snaps, graham crackers, or digestive biscuits, for dipping
Instructions
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the cream on medium-high speed until soft peaks form.
In a separate medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, dark brown sugar, confectioner’s sugar, molasses, vanilla bean paste, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, ground allspice, and kosher salt until smooth and creamy.
With a rubber spatula, gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.
Refrigerate at least 2 hours, or until ready to serve. Re-whip with a hand mixer or immersion blender before serving.
Garnish with Christmas sprinkles or gingerbread cookies. Serve with additional gingerbread cookies, ginger snaps, graham crackers, or sliced fresh fruit.
Store leftover gingerbread dip in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Appetizers
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: Christmas
Garnish and Serving Ideas
To garnish: Top your dip with homemade or store bought Christmas sprinkles; homemade or store bought gingerbread cookies (the cookies in the photos are Walker’s Shortbread Gingerbread Men) or crushed ginger snaps; bits of homemade candied ginger; a dusting of ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, or mixed spice; or a scattering of chopped walnuts.
Serving accompaniments: For dipping, I suggest cookies such as ginger snaps, digestive biscuits, Nilla wafers, cinnamon graham crackers, or Lotus Biscoff; miniature pretzels; or fresh fruit like apple or pear slices, blackberries, or strawberries.
I also love the idea of serving this dip as part of a platter or charcuterie board. Fill a big, pretty bowl with gingerbread dip, then surround it with gingerbread cookies; an assortment of fresh and dried fruit; bowls of candied nuts; chocolate truffles; candied ginger and candied orange peels; and sugared cranberries and sprigs of sugared rosemary to garnish.
Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions
To make ahead: You can prepare the dip up to 48 hours in advance and refrigerate until ready to serve. This dip actually tastes best if allowed to rest in the fridge for 2-3 hours prior to serving, giving the flavors time to develop.
Store gingerbread dip in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Other Gingerbread Recipes You Might Enjoy
Gingerbread Hot Chocolate
Gingerbread Cookies
Gingerbread Christmas Simmer Pot
Gingerbread Wreath
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
