This easy, no-bake Candy Cane Dip is a fun and festive holiday appetizer or Christmas dessert dip that is a sweet switch from the usual spread. Made with 5 simple ingredients in 10 quick minutes, this rich and creamy treat tastes like peppermint cheesecake and is a perfect accompaniment for all of your dippable indulgences!
Easiest Candy Cane Dip
This Candy Cane Dip combines the cooling sensations of the winter season with the minty-fresh flavor of Christmas candy to create a deliciously creamy peppermint dip. When easy recipes are required to make holiday preparations less hectic, this no-bake, simple spread is the perfect solution for conquering the countdown to your endless Christmas cooking.
A little sweet, a bit tangy, and a whole lot of fun to eat, this pretty pink mixture tastes like a mint-flavored bite of cheesecake but served as a spread or a dip.
Pair it with your favorite crunchy companions as an hors d’oeuvre or an after-dinner dessert, this Candy Cane Dip turns any boring finger food fare or traditional holiday party platter into a fun and festive treat for dipping your favorite cookies, pretzels, and fruit.
Broken candy canes can brighten up any dreary dip, especially when crushed and folded into a creamy Christmas creation!
Looking for more delicious dessert dips? Try my S’mores Dip, Caramel Apple Dip, and Graveyard Chocolate Cheesecake Dip–they’re so good, you’ll want to skip the dippers and eat them with a spoon.
Why We Love This Candy Cane Dip Recipe
- Quick, easy-to-make, no-bake recipe.
- Only uses 5 simple ingredients.
- Creamy sweet treat that can be served as an appetizer or dessert dip.
- Pairs well with a variety of cookies, crackers, and fruit.
- Perfect for serving at a Christmas party, holiday gathering, or as a fun afternoon snack with the kids.
Ingredients
- Cream cheese
- Vanilla Greek yogurt
- Powdered sugar
- Peppermint extract: Mint extract is a good substitution for peppermint extract in case you don’t have any peppermint.
- Candy canes: Peppermint candies of any type can be used, though candy canes are the easiest to crush.
Substitutions and Additions
- Mix-Ins: For extra crunch, you can mix in some crushed cookies, chopped chocolate, or mini chocolate chips.
- Yogurt: Feel free to replace the vanilla Greek yogurt with marshmallow creme, regular vanilla yogurt, honey vanilla Greek yogurt, or plain Greek yogurt. Use a 1:1 ratio for each of these. If you decide to substitute plain yogurt instead of Greek yogurt in your dip, add a Tablespoon or two of powdered sugar because plain yogurt is less sweet than Greek yogurt.
- Skip The Dip: Instead of using this spread as a dip, you can use it as a creamy filling for cookie sandwiches or use it to frost a cake, cupcakes, cookies, or brownies. It even tastes delicious as a spread for toast and bagels.
Recommended Tools
- Hand or stand mixer
- Mixing bowl and spoon
- Measuring tools
SEE FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD BELOW
How to Make Candy Cane Dessert Dip
This Candy Cane Dip recipe is so easy and quick to prepare and makes a fun and festive dessert dip for your Christmas cookies. A simple mix of 5 ingredients creates this pretty pink spread that’s perfectly sweet for snacking and serving at your holiday parties.
- Beat the cream cheese with a mixer until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Add in the yogurt, powdered sugar, and peppermint extract and beat until fully combined, about 1 minute.
- Fold in crushed candy canes.
Pro-Tip: To crush your candy canes, place them in a sealed bag. Use a mallet, hammer, or rolling pin to crush the candy canes on a flat surface. You can also place them in a food processor, which will leave you with a pinkier hue. - Top with remaining crushed candy canes, optional.
Pro Tip: If you are not serving your dip immediately, place it in the refrigerator, covered, and top with remaining crushed candy canes whenever your dip is served (within 48 hours). - Enjoy!
Tips
- If you decide to substitute plain yogurt instead of Greek yogurt in your dip, add a Tablespoon or two of powdered sugar because plain yogurt is less sweet than Greek yogurt.
- To crush your candy canes, place them in a sealed bag. Use a mallet, hammer, or rolling pin to crush the candy canes on a flat surface. You can also place them in a food processor, which will leave you with a pinkier hue.
Storage Tips
- To Store: Stored your prepared Candy Cane Dip in the refrigerator, covered, for up to two days.
- To Freeze: Candy Cane Dip can be frozen for about a month.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can absolutely make this Candy Cane Dip in advance. If you are planning to use your dip within 48 hours, place the dip in the refrigerator, covered, and only top it with the remaining crushed candy canes when you serve it. For storage up to 3-4 days, don’t put any candy canes into the dip at all, and only put them in when you are ready to serve the dip. The candy canes don’t store very well and will melt or liquify, especially on top of the dip.
The best way to soften your cream cheese is by keeping it in the package for a few hours at room temperature. However, you can carefully heat it up in the microwave (be sure to remove the wrapper first!) in increments of 20 seconds at a lower power. If you don’t soften your cream cheese, your dip will come out lumpy.
Yes, anything made with cream cheese should be placed in the fridge to keep it from spoiling.
This Candy Cane dip is great with sweet cookies like Oreos, graham crackers, vanilla crackers, nutter butters, chocolate-covered pretzels, or animal crackers. You can also eat it with strawberries, pineapples, mangoes, or apples.
Other Easy Christmas Dessert Recipes
- Christmas Tree Brownies
- Gingerbread Kiss Cookies
- Sugar Cookie Fudge
- Grinch Cake Mix Cookies
- Peanut Butter Penguins
- Peppermint Patties
- Grinch Cake
- Snowball Cookies
Candy Cane Dip
Ingredients
- 8 ounce package cream cheese softened
- ¾ cup vanilla Greek yogurt
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp peppermint extract
- ¼ cup crushed candy canes (about 4 large candy canes) plus more for garnishing
Instructions
- In a medium sized bowl, use a mixer to beat the cream cheese until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Add in the vanilla Greek yogurt, powdered sugar, and peppermint extract. Beat until fully combined, about 1 minute.
- Fold in crushed candy canes.
- If serving immediately, top with remaining crushed candy canes, optional. Otherwise, place dip in the refrigerator, covered, and top with remaining crushed candy canes whenever your dip is served (within 48 hours).
- Enjoy!
Jenn’s Notes
- To Store: Stored your prepared Candy Cane Dip in the refrigerator, covered, for up to two days.
- To Freeze: Candy Cane Dip can be frozen for about a month.
- The best way to soften your cream cheese is by keeping it in the package for a few hours at room temperature. Barring that, you can carefully heat it up in the microwave (be sure to remove the wrapper first!) in increments of 20 seconds at a lower power. If you don’t soften your cream cheese, your dip will come out lumpy.
- If you decide to substitute plain yogurt instead of Greek yogurt in your dip, add a Tablespoon or two of powdered sugar because plain yogurt is less sweet than Greek yogurt.
- To crush your candy canes, place them in a sealed bag. Use a mallet, hammer, or rolling pin to crush the candy canes on a flat surface. You can also place them in a food processor, which will leave you with a pinkier hue.
Going to try it for a party this weekend will let ya know how it went
Hi Sandra – let us know how it goes!
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