Cream Cheese Fruit Dip

There is no better summer dessert than a refreshing fruit salad with Cream Cheese Fruit Dip. Made with cream cheese, yogurt, vanilla, and brown sugar, you could almost eat this dip by the spoonful. 

 

Ingredients

A lot of fruit dip recipes out there use marshmallow fluff (marshmallow cream). And while those recipes are delicious, using Greek yogurt in its place significantly reduces the amount of sugar and sweetness, while still tasting delicious. It’s a win-win! 

• Plain Greek Yogurt- Greek is thicker, while regular is thinner because it has been strained less. Thick is better in this case. You can use vanilla-flavored yogurt too. Or other flavors!
• Vanilla Extract– This can be omitted, but does help to amplify the vanilla essence.
• Cream Cheese- You can use full-fat, reduced-fat, or low-fat. In this case, it will still be rich and decadent.
• Brown Sugar– You need a little something to sweeten it up, I like the molasses flavor of brown sugar, but you can also use powdered sugar.

Variations

This recipe is so easily customizable! Here are just a few ways:

• Extract– Vanilla is optional, but you can swap this out for almond, peppermint, rum, coconut, butter, or any other flavor you want.
• Yogurt– Swap out plain or vanilla yogurt for your favorite flavor- fruit or otherwise.
• Flavored Cream Cheese– Same goes with the cream cheese! Grab a brick of strawberry or blueberry to switch things up.
• Chocolate– Add a quarter cup unsweetened cocoa powder and top with chocolate chips or use a chocolate yogurt base.
• Toffee– Fold in a half cup of toffee bits. Drizzle with caramel and top with more toffee.
• Apple Pie– Blend in 1 teaspoon of apple pie spice.
• Lemon, Lime, or Orange– Replace extract with citrus juice and 1 teaspoon zest of desired fruit.
• Coconut– Fold in 1/3 cup toasted sweetened coconut flakes.
• Caramel or Fudge- Swirl in homemade caramel sauce or fudge sauce. Sweetened condensed milk caramel (dulce de leche) works well too.
• Fruity- Another way to add fruit is to swirl in fruit sauce, jam or jelly.
• Bacon- Don’t dis it until you try it! Top with crumbled bacon candy.
• Peanut Butter– After whipping cream cheese, add a half cup of smooth peanut butter and resume with the recipe.

How to Make Cream Cheese Fruit Dip

With simple ingredients and just a couple of steps, it’s a breeze to whip up this dessert dip.

1. Start by whipping softened cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer (or hand mixer.) It’s super important to soften the cream cheese first, or else your dip will turn out lumpy instead of smooth. Add in the yogurt and blend until smooth and creamy.
2. Once the yogurt and cream cheese are combined, add in the brown sugar and vanilla and beat until completely combined. Transfer to a serving bowl.
3. Serve the dip cold or at room temperature with your favorite fruit — sliced bananas, apples, grapes, blueberries, raspberries, kiwi, and pineapple all work well. You can also use other dippers like graham crackers, pound cake, pretzels, or cookies like vanilla wafers. I served ours with a fruit salad topped with my favorite fruit salad dressing.

Storage

This dip stores particularly well, making it the perfect make-ahead dessert or meal prep snack.

Make Ahead & Storage

Just combine all of the ingredients together and store in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. Refrigerate the dip in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

Freezer

Freeze the dip in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

More Fruity Recipes

If you’re looking for more sweet and fruity recipes, try some of our other favorites: