Carrot Cake Dip takes all the flavors of your favorite cake slice and turns it into a creamy, no bake treat! This homemade dessert tastes like the Easter Bunny brought it straight to your table! Serve with cookies, fresh fruit, crackers, or sample it straight from the spoon!
Carrot Cake Dessert Dip
Our easy Carrot Cake Dip recipe is filled with all the flavors of carrot cake, but made without the baking! With a creamy cheesecake texture combined with the warm spices of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg, this dip is perfect for pairing with graham crackers, apple slices, or even pretzels.
This creamy dessert dip comes complete with the same delicious carrot cake flavor from mom’s favorite carrot cake recipe. With nothing to cook, this dessert dip brings all the comfort of carrot cake in a no-bake, crowd-pleasing, gluten free form.
If your favorite part of the classic cake is the cream cheese frosting, you’re in luck! This dip delivers the same tangy taste, but served as a creamy dip instead of spread on top.
What Does Carrot Cake Dip Taste Like
Carrot Cake Dip has a creamy, tangy base from the cream cheese, with a sweet kick from the brown sugar. The spices add warm, spicy notes, while the shredded carrots bring a touch of natural sweetness. Chopped pecans add a bit of crunch, making it taste like a creamy twist on mom’s favorite carrot cake recipe without the baking!
Ingredients For Carrot Cake Dip
- Cream cheese: Make sure your block cream cheese is softened to room temperature to make mixing with the other ingredients easier.
- Light brown sugar
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground ginger
- Ground nutmeg
- Ground cloves
- Shredded carrots
- Chopped pecans: Walnuts are a great alternative to the pecans in this recipe. Both types of nuts pair well with the other flavors, and ingredients, of this carrot cake dip.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Make Carrot Cake Dip
- Make The Cream Cheese Mixture: In a large bowl, using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the cream cheese at medium-high speed until light and fluffy with no lumps remaining. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and spices. Beat again until the ingredients are fully combined.
- Prepare The Produce: Place the shredded carrots in between paper towels and squeeze out as much moisture. Set aside.
- Fold And Firm Up: Fold the dry carrots and pecans into the cream cheese mixture using a rubber spatula. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours to firm up.
- Serve: Transfer the carrot cake dip to a serving dish and start scooping with your favorite dippers! Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
This creamy carrot cake batter dip is the perfect dessert for spring parties, Easter brunch, or sweet treat to end to a family dinner! Serve it beside my Peeps S’mores Dip and Bunny Butt Dessert Cheeseball Cookie Dip for the cutest holiday spread!
- Top Your Treat: Feeling fancy? For an extra touch, garnish your dip with a sprinkle of chopped nuts, shredded coconut, or additional grated carrots.
- Delicious Dippers: Choose your favorite finger foods for dipping, like graham crackers, cinnamon sugar pita chips, fresh apple slices, pretzels chips, vanilla wafers, ginger snap cookies, animal crackers, or any sweet or savory snack.
- Skip The Dip: Instead of using this spread as a dip, you can use it as a creamy filling for carrot cake stuffed cookies, frosting for carrot cake cupcakes, or sandwich it between 2 carrot cake mix cookies. It tastes delicious as a spread for toast and bagels and even makes a great celery stuffer!
Tips & Variations
- Grab A Grater: A large box grater is best for shredding the peeled carrots. I suggest using the fine grate side of the box grater.
- Skip A Step: If your grocery store sells pre-grated carrots, you can use that as well in this dip. You will just want to ensure that they are finely grated for the best texture for your carrot cake dip.
- Cut The Calories: You can replace the regular cream cheese with reduced-fat cream cheese for a lighter version.
- Make With Mix-Ins: Feel free to stir in some raisins or add crushed pineapple and sweetened coconut flakes for a tropical flair. Vanilla extract can also help offset the tang of the cream cheese in creamy treats like these.
More Delicious Dip Ideas
Sweet dip recipes that start with a cream cheese base are perfect for adding your favorite mix-ins. Stir in colorful sprinkles to make a Sugar Cookie Dip, some cocoa powder to create a Hot Chocolate Dip, Funfetti cake mix to mimic my Funfetti Dip (aka Dunkaroo Dip), or hazelnut spread (like my Nutella Dip). For more simple recipes made for scooping, try my Candy Cane Dip and Twix Dip.
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Carrot Cake Dip
Ingredients
- 16 ounces (two 8-ounce blocks) of cream cheese softened to room temperature
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup packed, finely shredded carrots squeezed dry, removing as much excess moisture as possible
- ¼ cup finely chopped pecans
Optional dipping items for serving
- Graham crackers, cinnamon sugar pita chips and fresh apple slices (red or green) Optional dipping items for serving
Instructions
- To a large mixing bowl add the softened cream cheese and beat on medium-high speed, with a handheld mixer, for 1-2 minutes or until light and fluffy with no lumps remaining.16 ounces (two 8-ounce blocks) of cream cheese
- Add the light brown sugar, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg and ground cloves to the bowl. Beat again for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until all the ingredients are fully combined.½ cup light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- Place the shredded carrots into 2-3 layers of large paper towels and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Remove the shredded carrots from the paper towels and set aside.½ cup packed, finely shredded carrots
- Add the squeezed dry carrots and pecans into the cream cheese mixture. Gently fold together, using a rubber spatula, just until evenly distributed into the cream cheese mixture.¼ cup finely chopped pecans
- Cover the bowl of carrot cake dip with a piece of plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until ready to serve. This will allow the flavors of the dip to fully combine and will firm up the dip slightly.
- After the dip has chilled, and is ready to serve, transfer the carrot cake dip to a serving bowl. Serve with a platter of optional dipping items such as graham crackers, cinnamon sugar pita chips and fresh apple slices.Graham crackers, cinnamon sugar pita chips and fresh apple slices (red or green)
Jenn’s Notes
- This carrot cake dip is best served at a cool room temperature. It is best to keep this dip refrigerated until ready to serve.
- This dip can be made up to 24 hours in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve. If the dip has been refrigerated for longer than 2 hours, you may need to allow it to sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes to soften to a dippable consistency before serving.
- A large box grater is best for shredding the peeled carrots. I suggest using the fine grate side of the box grater.
- If your grocery store sells pre-grated carrots, you can use that as well in this dip. You will just want to ensure that they are finely grated for the best texture for your carrot cake dip.
- You can replace the regular cream cheese with reduced-fat cream cheese for a lighter version.
- Feel free to stir in some raisins or add crushed pineapple and sweetened coconut flakes for a tropical flair. Vanilla extract can also help offset the tang of the cream cheese in creamy treats like these.
