Pecan Pie Dip (Easy Cream Cheese Holiday Dessert Dip)
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This pecan pie dip spreads the same gooey baked filling from my grandma’s pecan pie over a smooth, lightly sweetened cream cheese layer. It’s every bit of a slice of pecan pie, just made for dunking. Set it out with salty pretzels and watch it disappear.
Pecan pie is a must-have for Thanksgiving and Christmas at my house. No Southern holiday dinner is complete without pecan pie (and a bowl of cranberry fluff, if you ask me). This easy dip is a delicious way to turn the classic pie into a dippable treat.
The topping on this dip isn’t a quick stovetop shortcut. It’s our tried-and-true filling, taken straight from my grandma’s Southern pecan pie and baked until it’s thick and spoonable. Melinda and I tried every dipper on the table, and pretzels won by a mile. That little bit of salt against the sweet pecan filling is amazing.
The base is just cream cheese and powdered sugar, with no whipped topping. It’s much less sweet than most pecan pie dips, so you get a tangy, cheesecake-like layer that balances the rich topping. It does take an oven and some cooling time. In return, you get real pecan pie flavor, and you can make the filling ahead so party day is just spreading and serving.
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the pecan pie filling
- Sugar: Plain granulated sugar sweetens the filling and helps it thicken as it bakes.
- Corn syrup: This is what gives pecan pie its classic gooey texture. Use light corn syrup. Dark corn syrup changes the flavor.
- Large eggs: The eggs set the filling as it bakes, so it turns thick and jammy instead of runny.
- Butter: It adds richness and helps the texture.
- Vanilla extract: For warm, rounded flavor.
- Chopped pecans: Rough-chopped pieces make the topping easy to scoop with a dipper. Pulse them only briefly if you use a food processor, so they don’t turn into crumbs.
For the cheesecake dip
- Cream cheese: Use block cream cheese at room temperature. Cold cream cheese leaves lumps that won’t beat out.
- Powdered sugar: It dissolves right into the cream cheese with no grittiness. There’s only ½ cup for a full pound of cream cheese, which keeps this layer tangy.
For serving
- Dippers: Pretzels are our favorite. Cookies, apple slices, graham crackers, Nilla Wafers, and Ritz crackers all work too.
If you already have leftover filling from our pecan pie filling recipe, you can use it here instead of baking a new batch.
How to Make Pecan Pie Dip
Step 1 – Heat the oven and prep the dish. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray an 8×8-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish or a 9-inch pie dish with nonstick spray.
Step 2 – Mix the filling. In a bowl, stir together the sugar, corn syrup, eggs, vanilla, and pecans until everything is well combined. Pour the mixture into the greased dish. Cut the butter into 3-4 pats and distribute over the filling.
Step 3 – Bake and stir. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring the filling with a spoon every 10 minutes. Stirring keeps it from setting like a pie, so it bakes into a spoonable filling instead.
Step 3 – Check the texture and cool. Take the filling out of the oven it should look like a thick jam, thick enough that it doesn’t run off a spoon but still spreadable. Set it aside until it’s fully at room temperature, about 1 hour. The bottom of the dish should no longer feel warm. Warm filling will soften and melt the cream cheese layer.
Step 4 – Whip the cream cheese layer. In a large bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and powdered sugar. Beat with a hand mixer on high until smooth and creamy with no lumps of cream cheese left.
Step 5 – Spread the base. Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly into an 11×7-inch dish.
Step 6 – Add the topping. Spoon the pecan pie filling over the cream cheese and spread it gently to the edges.
Step 7 – Serve. Serve with cookies, pretzels, and/or apples.
Expert Tips & Tricks
- Beat the cream cheese first, then judge. Room-temperature cream cheese whips smooth in a minute or two. If you still see lumps, your cream cheese was too cold. Let the bowl sit a few minutes and beat again.
- Don’t rush the cooling. If the filling is even slightly warm, the cream cheese layer goes soft and runny. Wait until the dish feels cool on the bottom.
- Pull the filling on time. Baking past the jam stage cooks the sugar too far, and the filling turns hard and chewy once it cools.
The Best Dippers for Pecan Pie Dip
- Fresh: Apple slices add crunch and a bit of tartness.
- Salty: Pretzels (our favorite) and Ritz crackers. We think salty, crunchy dippers balance the sweet filling best.
- Classic sweet: Graham crackers, Nilla Wafers, and cookies.
Make Ahead Instructions
The filling is the part that takes time, so make it ahead. Bake and cool it, then refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to a day or two. If it’s too firm to spread straight from the fridge, warm it briefly in the microwave in short bursts, stirring in between. Let it cool back to room temperature before spreading it over the cream cheese. On party day, all that’s left is whipping the base, assembling, and serving.
Storage
At the party: The dip has cream cheese and eggs, so don’t leave it out for more than 2 hours (1 hour if it’s above 90°F). That’s the USDA guideline for perishable food. Set out half and keep the rest in the fridge to refill.
In the fridge: Cover the dish tightly or move leftovers to an airtight container. Refrigerate and eat within 3 to 4 days.
Freezing: Don’t freeze the finished dip. Cream cheese can turn grainy after thawing. The filling by itself freezes well. See our pecan pie filling recipe for how to freeze and thaw it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most versions online skip the oven and cook a quick syrup on the stovetop. This one bakes a real pecan pie filling with eggs, which is why it tastes like a slice of pecan pie. To make assembly no-bake, use filling you made ahead.
Stick with light corn syrup. Dark corn syrup gives the filling a stronger, molasses-like flavor that changes the classic pecan pie taste.
It probably baked too long or too hot. Cooking the filling works a lot like making candy: if the sugar gets too hot, it sets up firm and chewy once it cools. Check your oven temperature, and pull the filling once it reaches thick-jam consistency.
Yes. The filling for a double batch is the full recipe from our pecan pie filling recipe. Use 32 ounces of cream cheese and 1 cup of powdered sugar for the base, and spread it into a large platter or 9×13 inch dish.
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Pecan Pie Dip
Ingredients
Pecan Pie Filling:
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 3/4 cup Corn syrup
- 2 large Eggs
- 2 tablespoons Butter, melted
- 3/4 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 cup Chopped Pecans
Cheesecake Dip:
- 16 ounces Cream cheese, room temperature
- ½ cup Powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Lightly spray a 8″x8″ (2 quart) glass baking dish OR a 9-inch pie dish with non-stick spray.
- Mix sugar, corn syrup, eggs, vanilla, and pecans together in a bowl and stir until they are well mixed. Then pour into your greased dish. Cut the butter into 3-4 pats and add to the top of the filling.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes. Use a spoon to stir the filling every 10 minutes as it bakes.
- When the timer goes off remove the filling from the oven and set aside to let it cool until room temperature, approximately 1 hour.
- In a large bowl combine the softened cream cheese and the powdered sugar. Use a hand mixer on high to whisk everything together until well combined.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture in an 11×7 inch dish.
- Top with pecan pie filling.
- Serve with cookies, pretzels, and/or apples
Nutrition
