This creamy pumpkin dip straddles the line between sweet and savory in the best way. It’s a seasonal riff on my recipe for Baked Goat Cheese that incorporates pumpkin purée and pumpkin spice. If you enjoy pumpkin and goat cheese separately, I’m confident you’ll love this recipe!
The key flavors in this dip are goat cheese, cream cheese, pumpkin purée, pumpkin spice and honey. Then we ramp up the savory side with one clove of garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes (optional, for some heat).
We’ll blend those ingredients in a food processor, transfer the mixture to a small baking dish and drizzle with some extra honey. Bake until warm and golden for a lovely autumnal appetizer or snack.
Since this recipe calls for a relatively small amount of pumpkin purée, it’s the perfect recipe to make with leftovers from your pumpkin bread or pumpkin muffins.
How to Serve Savory Pumpkin Dip
Enjoy this pumpkin dip between visitors from Halloween trick-or-treaters, and serve it at your football watch party or as a Thanksgiving appetizer. It makes a satisfying light meal with a green salad, like this seasonal spinach salad or a simple lemony kale salad.
For dipping, try crostini, toasted slices of sourdough bread, pita chips or toasted pita wedges. For a gluten-free option, try sturdy crackers and wide strips of fresh red bell pepper. Olives and light red wine, like pinot noir, are lovely accompaniments.
For a complete party spread, serve this dip with hummus, a cheese board, sweet and spicy nuts, or Gaby’s Roasted Beets and Labneh.
Leftover pumpkin?
This recipe calls for 1/4 cup pumpkin purée. You’ll have over 1 cup left over from the can, which is plenty for the following pumpkin recipes:
Please let me know how the recipe turns out in the comments. I love hearing from you. You can find more dip recipes here.
Baked Pumpkin Dip with Goat Cheese
This pumpkin dip recipe straddles the line between sweet and savory! Pumpkin purée blended with goat cheese and pumpkin spice makes an irresistible dip. Recipe yields about 2 cups, enough for 4 to 6 appetizer servings.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit with a rack in the upper third of the oven.
- In a food processor, combine the goat cheese, cream cheese, pumpkin purée, honey, garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes (if using).
- Process until the mixture comes together completely and is lightly whipped, about 2 minutes, pausing to scrape down the sides and base as necessary. The mixture will ball up in the food processor and eventually smooth itself out. If in doubt, process a little longer.
- Taste and adjust as necessary—add another pinch of red pepper flakes for more heat, or another teaspoon or two of honey if you’d like it sweeter (we will drizzle it with more honey next, so the finished dip will be a little sweeter than you’re tasting now).
- Transfer the dip to a small oven-safe baking dish with a 3- to 4-cup (1 quart) capacity. Spread it evenly across the base of the dish, leaving some texture on top. Drizzle it with 1 teaspoon of additional honey.
- Bake the dip on the upper rack for 13 to 15 minutes, until the top is turning lightly golden in places and bubbling and puffed around the edges. Drizzle it with another teaspoon or two of honey, and let it cool for about 5 minutes (it’s hot). Serve with your desired accompaniments.
Notes
Make it gluten free: The dip is gluten-free, so choose gluten-free accompaniments like crackers.
Cream cheese note: The cream cheese makes this dip more creamy and luscious. Without it, the pumpkin and spice flavors taste bolder, which you might love if you’re a big fan. I did not need to let the cream cheese or goat cheese warm to room temperature before blending them in my Cuisinart food processor.
Nutrition
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