Cheesecake Dip
Cheesecake Dip tastes exactly like cheesecake… without the need to bake a single thing. Creamy, tart and balanced, this dessert dip calls for just FOUR ingredients. Pair it with your favorite dippers—Graham crackers, fruit, pretzels and more—to serve. It’s ready in less than 10 minutes, too, so it’s great for easy entertaining for both kids and adults. Makes 6-8 servings, but can easily be doubled.
Hi, hello. I am on a dessert dip spree, and there is no stopping me!
Ever since I updated my Chocolate Cheesecake Dip recipe, I couldn’t stop thinking about transforming it into a classic Cheesecake Dip… and here we are, months later, with that recipe.
You’re welcome, world.
Why I love this recipe:
If you are a cheesecake lover, but don’t like the idea of spending hours preparing, baking and chilling a cheesecake, this dessert dip recipe is for you.
While I love a slice of cheesecake, let’s be real: I’m never going to make it at home because I am too lazy and not dedicated enough to make one.
However, Cheesecake Dip is right up my alley. All I need is 10 minutes (or less!) to make this creamy, tangy dip that tastes exactly like a cheesecake!
This is brilliant for the easiest entertaining because it’s ready so quickly. Also, I feel like I need to point out that my kids were obsessed with these flavors. (So was I. Obviously.)
Also, you can pair it with basically any dipper you’ve got on hand, and it tastes like a party. I love this dip, and so will you!
Please note that we are not using cool whip or whipped cream to give this dip a luscious texture. We’re simply using cream cheese and some other ingredients for the flavor and texture.
Other easy dessert recipes that are great for entertaining: Snickerdoodle Bars | Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars | Caramel Apple Board | Valentine’s Day Dessert Board | Dessert Nachos | Funfetti Sugar Cookie Bars | Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites | Dulce de Leche Dip
What you need to make this recipe:
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- Hand mixer (or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment)
- Large glass bowl
- Rubber spatula
- Serving dish and platter
Let’s talk ingredients!
In addition to the tools above, you’re going to need some ingredients to make this recipe, too! Chances are, you might already have some of them in your fridge or pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full measurements and instructions.
Here’s what you’ll need to make this dessert dip:
- Cream cheese — I always recommend using the full fat variety of this for the most flavor. This is going to give us that tangy cheesecake flavor.
- Milk — I used 2% milk in this recipe, but you can use what you’ve got on hand. The cream cheese provides more than enough creaminess, so if you want to use a lower fat milk, have at it. We’re using milk in this recipe to thin out the cream cheese and make it more of a dip consistency.
- Powdered sugar — also known as confectioner’s sugar. This provides sweetness, along with the melted chocolate.
- Vanilla extract — if you’ve got the real deal at home, use it. It adds beautiful flavor to this dessert dip!
- Optional toppings — if you’d like, you can add some sprinkles, pecans or a drizzle of a sauce, like caramel sauce
And of course, you’ll need a few dippers, as well. You can have as many or as few as you want, so feel free to have fun with it, especially if you’re hosting friends and sharing this with them.
Here are some of our favorite dippers for this Cheesecake Dip:
- Berries, like strawberries or raspberries
- Apple slices
- Graham crackers (the regular honey kind, the cinnamon-sugar kind or even the chocolate ones!)
- Cookies, like animal crackers, vanilla wafers, shortbread cookies, Oreos, etc.
- Cinnamon sugar pita chips
- Pretzel Crisps or even soft, homemade pretzels
Variations on this Cheesecake Dip:
- Sprinkle mini chocolate chips on top of the dip before serving to add a hint of chocolate flavor! You could also do this with sprinkles, too. (If you like sprinkles, though, check out my Funfetti Dip recipe.)
- Serve Cherry Pie Filling* (affiliate link) over the cheesecake dip to make a cherry cheesecake dip. You could do the same with strawberry pie filling or even blueberry pie filling, if you like that combination of flavors.
- Make it a strawberry cheesecake dip. Swirl in strawberry jam and serve with fresh strawberries and wafer cookies.
- Swirl a little pumpkin puree into the dip to make it a Pumpkin Cheesecake Dip!
How to make Cheesecake Dip
In a large glass bowl, beat the cream cheese and milk with the hand mixer at a high speed until nice and smooth.
It is super important for them both to be at room temperature to have the creamiest texture.
Next, add in powdered sugar and vanilla extract to the cream cheese mixture. Blend until well-combined.
And that’s it.
Serve with your favorite dippers — crispy pretzels (or soft pretzels!), Graham crackers, fruit, etc.
The sky is the limit to what you can pair with this dip, so have fun with it and choose dippers that you personally enjoy!
Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips
Cheesecake Dip is super fun to serve when you’re hosting guests for a variety of occasions. Need an easy dipper for kids and mamas to enjoy during a playdate? This is it. Want a little sweet treat for the end of a backyard barbecue? This would be perfect.
This dessert dip is truly fabulous for entertaining because it takes so few ingredients and about 5 minutes of your time to mix together.
If we’re hosting friends or family and want to serve this dip, here are some things I suggest:
- Double the recipe for a crowd. We’ve hosted friends and served this as an easy entertaining dessert. Three of us have taken down this dip without an issue, and with our kids running around, it was gone in no time flat.
- Make it in advance. Since this keeps well in the fridge, make it a day or two in advance so all you have to do is remove the chocolate dip from the fridge 30 minutes before you plan on serving it.
- Offer all kinds of dippers. Depending on who you’re hosting, you might want more or less of some dips. For us, we went about 50/50 fruit and pretzels/cookies/crackers, but do whatever works best for you!
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s a fun twist on a traditional cheesecake that takes significantly less time. It’s also a no bake dessert! This cheesecake dip has the tangy flavor of a classic cheesecake and is made for dipping.
Place your foil-wrapped cream cheese on a plate. Heat water in a liquid measuring cup in the microwave until the water is almost boiling. Dump out the water and wipe any droplets off the glass, then place it over the cream cheese on a plate. This will soften the cream cheese quickly! If it’s not softened in 5-10 minutes, repeat the process of heating up the water.
Quick tips and tricks for the best Cheesecake Dip
- Room temperature ingredients are best. The cream cheese won’t blend as easily if it’s cold from the fridge. It’s easy if the milk is also close to room temp, too.
- Store this Cheesecake Dip in an airtight food storage container in the refrigerator for up to a week! High fives for being able to make this dip well in advance so you don’t have to fret the day of your gathering.
Other sweet dip recipes you might enjoy:
- Chocolate Cheesecake Dip
- Edible Cookie Dough Dip
- Raspberry Yogurt Fruit Dip
- Brownie Batter Dip
- Cannoli Dip
- Carrot Cake Dip with Cinnamon-Sugar Wontons
Here’s how you make this recipe…
Cheesecake Dip
Ingredients
- 8 oz. cream cheese softened and at room temperature
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Dippers
- Graham crackers
- Animal crackers
- Oreos
- Nilla Wafers
- Pretzel Thins or pretzels
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
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Instructions
- Measure out the softened cream cheese and milk in a large bowl.
- Mix the two ingredients together using a hand mixer, bending until smooth and creamy. (This step will be easier if they both are at room temperature.)
- Sprinkle in the powdered sugar and add the vanilla extract, mixing with the hand mixer until smooth.
- Serve with your favorite fruits, crispy pretzels, Graham crackers or cookies.
Notes
Variations on this Cheesecake Dip:
- Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of the dip before serving to add a hint of chocolate flavor! You could also do this with sprinkles, too. (If you like sprinkles, though, check out my Funfetti Dip recipe.)
- Serve Cherry Pie Filling over the chocolate dip to make a chocolate-cherry dessert situation. You could do the same with strawberry pie filling or even blueberry pie filling, if you like that combination of flavors.
- Swirl a little pumpkin puree into the dip to make it a Pumpkin Cheesecake Dip!
Nutrition
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
This recipe isn’t what I was expecting. The milk makes it terribly thin and runny. I’d leave out the milk if you want it to resemble cheesecake perhaps half the vanilla also. It’s a consistent like yogurt not like cheesecake
Can’t wait to make this again!
I made a batch of this, not very good. I started with a half batch, and it ended up incredibly runny like a milk with some thickener in it. So I added the other half of the cream cheese block, and more powdered sugar, and now it’s the consistency of a weird yogurt that’s way too sweet. I am now looking for recipes that will either use this mess in it or will fix it because I don’t want to waste a full block of cream cheese like that.
Hey Valorie. I’m sorry this didn’t work out for you. It sounds like something went wrong when you halved the recipe. However, it could also be the type of cream cheese used that affected the consistency — this recipe calls for a block of full-fat cream cheese, not fat-free, light, Neufchâtel or any kind of cream cheese spread. The dip should not be runny, and it should not be way too sweet, as the cream cheese is meant to be the star.
You can refrigerate it for an hour or so to firm it up. In the future, I suggest making the full the recipe so you get the correct result. If you are concerned about runniness when making any recipe like this, you can always start with a single tablespoon of milk and add more until you reach your preferred consistency.