Last week, I put out a call on our Facebook page for pumpkin recipe requests. Many of them were the usual favorites — pumpkin bread, pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin muffins, and all sorts of other pumpkin sweets that I love.
But I was excited to see how many people instead requested some savory pumpkin recipes! Believe it or not, I tend to pick savory over sweet any day. So I love that pumpkin is starting to be popular for both sides of the sweet and savory coin nowadays!
One of the savory requests came from my friend Matt, who even went a step further (gold star!) and sent me a recipe for his famous Savory Pumpkin Dip.
When I saw the ingredient list was full of cream cheese, green onions, pecans and lots of bacon, I was pretty much instantly sold. Plus I randomly had all of the ingredients on hand, along with my total impulse buy of the week — Ritz crackers.
(Sidenote: Had not bought Ritz crackers in about a decade, but after hearing Amanda talk about their supremacy over graham crackers in making s’mores, I was dying to pick up a box. And now, I totally can’t stop eating them. Best. Cracker. Ever.)
So with all of my ingredients and Ritz ready to go, I was able to whip up this dip in about the amount of time it took to cook the bacon. So quick and easy!
I did end up making a few changes from Matt’s recipe. His called for pumpkin butter, which I didn’t have onhand and didn’t have the patience to make. So I just substituted in some pumpkin puree and a pinch of cinnamon, which was terrific. And then I couldn’t resist throwing in a little cheddar cheese and seasoned salt — two of my favorite dip ingredients. :)
Sure enough, the dip was a hit! I ended up taking it to two parties for taste-testing, and everyone gave it the big thumbs up and it quickly disappeared. Most of my friends initially couldn’t put their finger on the main ingredient, as the pumpkin flavor is pretty subtle. But I liked how it wasn’t overpowering, and instead just gave a nice rich undertone to the dip.
Definitely a new savory pumpkin recipe that will go into my rotation. Perfect for game day, a quick appetizer, or even just a delicious snack.
Thanks, Matt!
Savory Pumpkin Dip
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: About 2 cups 1x
Description
Everyone will love this delicious and simple savory pumpkin dip — perfect for all kinds of dipping!
Ingredients
- 1 (8 oz.) brick cream cheese, softened (I used low-fat cream cheese)
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup chopped toasted pecans
- 4-6 slices of bacon, cooked until crispy and crumbled
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
- 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Stir all ingredients together using a wooden spoon or an electric mixer until combined. Serve garnished with extra bacon and green onions if desired, or cover and refrigerate until use.
Made this for a get together with friends and it was delicious! Perfect for a Fall menu!
Unexpectedly delicious. I was skeptical, but wow, the flavors blended beautifully. I will definitely make this one again!
I wanted to make this for thanksgiving so we did a test run and sent it with my husband for their office party. It was a hit. I was a little worried it might be bland because when we first mixed it up and tasted you really couldn’t experience the flavor correctly. But after refrigeration over night those flavors really came together and were delicious!
can i freeze this receipe? for how long?
What is in the “seasoned salt”?
Hi Carol! We just used Lawry’s seasoned salt for this.
I made this for our work “Pumpkin Day”. Everyone loved it! I used wheat thins crackers since the Ritz seemed to break too easily with the thickness of the dip. This was a TOTAL HIT!
We’re so glad it was a hit, CJ! :)
I substituted the pumpkin puree with canned pumkin, and followed the recipe as is, gotta say it turned out great, thanks for the recipe.
That’s great to hear Steve, thanks for sharing with us! :)
Canned pumpkin and pumpkin purée are the same thing
Wow , this looks yummy ….. Just what I’m looking for … I am hosting a Ladies Christmas tea , and have been searching for some new “tea sandwich ” ideas ! I am thinking of spreading this on gingerbread ! Can’t wait to try it, and get the ladies reactions , to this savory ,pumpkin bacon , treat ! Thanks you !!
That’s awesome Carol, we hope you enjoy it and that it’s a hit at your Ladies Christmas tea – how fun! :)
I wonder what Sweet Potato would taste like instead of the pumpkin?
Hmmm we haven’t tried that Vicki, but we bet it would be delicious!
i needed a dip for a meeting and was attracted to this recipe. i substituted for some of the ingredients with what i had. here is the result if you are interested. thanks for the wonderful idea.