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This classic Cream Cheese Fruit Dip is easy to make and delicious alongside fruit, diced pound cake, or even pretzels! 

Plates of strawberries, cubed pound cake, and grapes on a marble countertop with a bowl of fruit dip

Say hello to your new favorite way to eat fruit. This Cream Cheese Fruit Dip is the perfect combination of sweet, tangy and oh-so fluffy goodness!

Serve it up with your favorite dipable fruit for an absolute treat everyone will love.

Trust me, even the cream cheese haters in my life are all about dipping ripe strawberries and little cubes of grilled poundcake into this creamy fruit dip! We love making it for every occasion, from holidays to summer barbecues to game-day parties.

Strawberries surrounding a bowl of fruit dip on a black plate. A whole strawberry sits on top of the dip.
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My favorite easy fruit dip

You know the drill. I love dips of all kinds. If I can dip it or dunk it, I am a happy camper.

It doesn’t matter if it’s savory – like Homemade Ranch Dip, Spicy Guacamole, Buffalo Chicken Dip, or French Onion Dip – or sweet, like Cookie Dough Dip or this Cream Cheese Fruit Dip. I am ALL IN.

This Cream Cheese Fruit Dip is an easy classic. It’s quick to make (like, 5 minutes!), doesn’t use a lot of ingredients, and is always a hit at parties.

Honestly, it’s pretty great as a family game or movie night snack, too.

And if you’re a parent who is forever trying to get more fresh fruit into your kids, consider this your secret weapon.

Ingredients for fruit dip in a glass mixing bowl set on a marble countertop

What goes in fruit dip?

Most of the ingredients for this sweet dip are things I tend to keep in my fridge or pantry on a regular basis, so it’s pretty simple to whip this up for last-minute gatherings.

To make this dip, you’ll need:

  • 1 8-ounce package room-temperature cream cheese
  • ⅓ cup powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 7-ounce container marshmallow creme
  • 1 heaping cup thawed Cool Whip
  • 2 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice
Spatula stirring together fruit dip in a glass mixing bowl set on a marble countertop

See? I told you the ingredients were simple! The cream cheese makes the dip nice and tangy, while the marshmallow creme and Cool Whip make it sweet and light. 

The maraschino cherry juice is totally optional, but I love the subtle pink color it adds.

If you’re out of powdered sugar, don’t panic. I’ve got a post that will teach you how to make a powdered sugar substitute that you can totally use in this recipe.

I’ve also got some tips for softening cream cheese in a jiffy if you forgot to set yours out ahead of time.

Black plate holding whole strawberries and a bowl of fruit dip set on a blue plaid dish towel

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How to make cream cheese fruit dip

This dip is so easy, it only takes about 5 minutes to mix together!

Just use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese for about 3 minutes. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla and beat for an additional minute.

Use a spatula to fold in the marshmallow creme, followed by the Cool Whip and maraschino cherry juice.

Cover the dip and refrigerate it for at least 2 hours before serving.

See? Wasn’t that easy??

Fruit dip on a serving platter surrounded by strawberries, set on a marble countertop

Can this dip be made ahead of time?

Even though I love throwing this Cream Cheese Fruit Dip together for last-minute gatherings, it’s great if you’re planning ahead, too!

You can easily make this dip the day or night before you plan to serve it. Just keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve it.

If you want to freeze it, keep in mind that you will need to whip it with an electric mixer after thawing. Cream cheese tends to split after being thawed, but a good mix with your hand mixer should bring it back together for serving.

Close up of fruit dip in a serving bowl surrounded by whole strawberries

Serving suggestions

The most obvious answer of what to serve with Cream Cheese Fruit Dip is right in the name – fruit! 

Any fruit will do, but I particularly like strawberries, grapes, pineapple, and even cherries.

But don’t limit yourself to just fruit! Try serving it with cubes of cream cheese pound cake or Whipping Cream Cake. If you love the sweet-salty combo, you could even serve it with pretzels! 

(How good would it be with homemade soft pretzels or cinnamon sugar soft pretzel bites??)

This dessert is so fun and easy, I know it’ll become a new favorite at your family gatherings. Try making a whole dessert dip table with this recipe, nutella fruit dip, orange fruit dip, and snickers dip!

Platter of fruit dip and strawberries set on a counter next to platters of grapes and cubed pound cake

Recipe FAQs

I don’t have any maraschino cherry juice. Is it really ok to leave it out?

The maraschino cherry juice really is optional! It gives the dip a pretty pink tint, but this cream cheese fruit dip is still totally delicious if you leave it out.

I don’t like using Cool Whip. Can I just use whipped cream instead?

The nice thing about Cool Whip is that it has stabilizers in it that keep it from breaking down when added to recipes like this fruit dip. Regular whipped cream won’t hold up as well over time, especially if you plan to make this dip more than a couple hours ahead of time.

If you don’t want to use Cool Whip, I would use stabilized whipped cream instead. It will hold up better and allow you to make the dip farther in advance.

Can I freeze this dip?

You can freeze it, but keep in mind that cream cheese can take on a strange texture after it has thawed. You will need to use your electric mixer to beat the dip for a few minutes to make it smooth again, and the texture may not be 100% the same.

It will still be delicious, though, so it’s an option if you need it!

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Cream Cheese Fruit Dip

By: Jamie
4.41 from 346 ratings
Prep: 5 minutes
Total: 5 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
This classic Cream Cheese Fruit Dip is easy to make and delicious alongside fruit, diced pound cake, or even pretzels! 

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
  • cup powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 7 ounces marshmallow creme
  • 1 heaping cup thawed Cool Whip
  • 2 tablespoons maraschino cherry juice optional

Instructions 

  • In a medium bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium speed for about 3 minutes. Add in powdered sugar and vanilla and beat for an additional minute. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the marshmallow creme. Then fold in the Cool Whip and maraschino cherry juice until everything is thoroughly combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Serve with fresh fruit.

Notes

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 221kcal, Carbohydrates: 33g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 30mg, Sodium: 96mg, Potassium: 48mg, Fiber: 0.04g, Sugar: 26g, Vitamin A: 397IU, Calcium: 38mg, Iron: 0.04mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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38 Comments

  1. Kimberly says:

    I was wondering if I can make this the night before. I wasn’t sure if the Cool Whip would hold up that long

    1. Jamie says:

      Hi Kimberly – Yes, you can make this the night before and keep it in the fridge. It should hold up just fine. Happy baking!
      Jamie

  2. Mary Green says:

    Delicious. Very light and tasty. I served with strawberries. Comment from my book club members “to die for “. Thinks for making available!

    1. Jamie says:

      So glad you all enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your feedback! Happy baking –
      -Jamie

  3. Katie says:

    I halved the recipe for a girl’s brunch and everyone complimented it, several times each. Legitimately, one friend licked the serving spoon and the other took a spatula to the bowl to scrape out the last bits.

    1. Jamie says:

      I love that! Thanks for stopping by to share your feedback! Happy baking –
      Jamie

  4. Ashley says:

    This was super easy to make and tasted delicious! Everyone that had it said the same! I will definitely be putting this one into my recipe cards. Thank you!

    1. Jamie says:

      So glad you loved the dip, Ashley! Thanks so much for stopping by to share your feedback. Happy baking!
      -Jamie

  5. Robin says:

    I tried this dip and it was the best fruit dip I’ve ever tasted. SO good. Thank you for sharing.

    1. Jamie says:

      I am so glad you liked the dip, Robin! Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing your feedback. Happy baking!
      -Jamie

  6. Dixie says:

    I made this as written–something I very seldom do. I could not be happier with how it turned out. I tried it before I added the juice from the cherries and it was good before that but the cherry juice did add to the taste in a good way not to mention what it added to the color. This one is going into my recipe box.

    1. Jamie says:

      So glad to hear you loved the dip, Dixie! Thanks so much for stopping by to share your feedback.
      -Jamie

  7. Ashley Sharkey says:

    OH MY GOODNESS! I was a little nervous at first because who isn’t with new recipes. But oh my this is DELICIOUS! The best of all fruit dips, basically all of them combined! I recommend making this for every party!

    1. Jamie says:

      Yay! I am so glad to hear you enjoyed the fruit dip! It’s one of our very favorites!
      -Jamie

  8. Karen LeBoutillier says:

    TOO involved! My sister Rochelle mixed equal parts cream cheese & marshmallow fluff- that’s all! Perfectly delicious!!

    1. Jamie says:

      I wouldn’t say TOO involved, just maybe different than the one your sister Rochelle makes. There are a ton of different ways to make.

    2. Deb says:

      @Karen LeBoutillier, your rude comment was unnecessary. Why bother looking for a recipe if you already have a “perfectly delicious” one?

  9. Karen says:

    Ha! Hate the auto correct…..can you freeze this dip?

    1. Jamie says:

      Hi Karen-
      I would not recommend freezing this dip. The texture will not be the same once it’s defrosted.
      -Jamie

  10. Adrienne says:

    I know a lot of people love Cool Whip, but I try to stay away from it because of the chemicals. Is it possible to make this using real whipped cream? If so, how much cream should I whip?
    Thanks!

    1. Jamie says:

      I would recommend TruWhip – which has cleaner ingredients. Freshly whipped cream will not be stable enough to last very long in this recipe.
      -Jamie

    2. Mabes says:

      @Adrienne, I make my own cool whip. I use a recipe without gelatin