After experimenting in the kitchen with a new apple galette, I realized I had some whipped cream cheese with sugar and vanilla left over. And of course I can’t let that go to waste. It would be just wrong of me, right? So I dug in my cabinets and came up with this Cherry Lemon Cheesecake Dip based on ingredients I had on hand like lemon pudding and cherry pie filling. This cheesecake dip is a perfect appetizer or dessert year round. For the holidays, consider switching out the lemon for white chocolate or french vanilla for a beautiful red and white color scheme. Chocolate would also work well. I found the cherry and lemon together to be a refreshing combination, but blueberry pie filling with the lemon would also be delicious, don’t you think?
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1 box (3oz) instant lemon pudding
- 1 cup milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ cup graham cracker crumbs
- 1½ cups cherry pie filling
- additional graham crackers, cookies or pretzels
- In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, pudding, milk, vanilla, and sugar until well blended.
- Add graham cracker crumbs in the bottom of a 3 cup serving bowl.
- Gently spread cream cheese mixture over crumbs.
- Top with cherry pie filling.
- Serve immediately with additional graham cracker, cookies or pretzel. (You can also store in refrigerator until ready to serve.)
I found dip is easier to eat when served immediately after making it, but you can definitely prepare in advance and let it warm up a bit before serving.
Serve with extra graham crackers, cookies or even pretzels. Yum! I served mine just with graham crackers because it was all I had on hand. I would have loved to try it with some vanilla wafers.
Sometimes the best recipes are those you never planned to make in the first place.
This cheesecake dip is a nice alternative to regular cheesecake. You can use it to dip fruit, graham crackers, and even chocolate! It is also a fun alternative to traditional desserts.