Savory Pumpkin Dip

This Savory Pumpkin Dip is a new way to eat pumpkin that doesn’t involve anything sweet. Dig some crackers into this creamy dip made with cream cheese and Parmesan.

It’s that time of year when people (food bloggers especially) lose their minds over all things pumpkin. Except me. For most of my life, I really didn’t care for pumpkin (give me some chocolate Halloween bark or stuffed apples instead!).

Young Lori had a nauseating experience with the smell of the pumpkin “guts” that had to be extracted from the gourds before carving jack o’lanterns.

Man, doing that task in an unventilated kitchen as opposed to outside in the fresh air was traumatizing. I blame you for this, Mom. Just kidding. I know it was probably too cold to be outside that year. Still love you.

But yeah, for a long time, that smell of raw pumpkin really put me off from eating most pumpkin things except pumpkin creme brulee (because I love any and all creme brulee).

In recent years, I’ve tried to suppress my fear and have tried little nibbles here and there of pumpkin pie and pumpkin cookies. OK, they weren’t half bad. And I actually like fall squash, like sweet dumpling squash soup.

As I’m always more of a fan of savory rather than sweet, I started branching out and experimenting with pumpkin lasagna.

This is where I really hit my stride with pumpkin. Savory was the way to go for me, and now pumpkin and I are on speaking terms again. Heck, you could even consider us friends.

Not the kind of friends who can drink wine and talk about nothing for hours, but the kind of friends who maybe meet up for coffee once a year. Hey, do you think if I met pumpkin for a coffee, it would order a pumpkin spice latte? No? Anyway . . .

This Savory Pumpkin Dip requires just seven ingredients:

This Savory Pumpkin Dip is the combination of seven simple ingredients. Stir them up, refrigerate the dip for a little bit if you’d like, and then enjoy.

Be sure to use good Parmesan cheese for this savory pumpkin dip!

Because the ingredients are so simple, it’s really important to use high-quality ones, especially the cheese. This is not the time for that powdery parmesan sold in cans.

For this dip, I like to use Parmesan cheese. I buy a whole wedge and then shred it up myself. This cheese has a subtle, slightly nutty flavor that pairs perfectly with pumpkin.

Baked Pumpkin Parmesan Dip

Author: Lori Yates

Yield: 6 servings

Prep: 10 minutes minutes

Cook: 25 minutes minutes

Stand: 5 minutes minutes

Total: 40 minutes minutes

This Savory Pumpkin Dip is warm, cheesy and completely on the savory side. Cream cheese, Parmesan, fresh sage and smoked paprika turn pumpkin puree into a baked fall appetizer even a pumpkin skeptic can get behind.

4.3 from 7 ratings

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Ingredients

• ▢ Nonstick cooking spray
• ▢ 8 ounces room temperature cream cheese
• ▢ 1 small garlic clove grated or finely minced
• ▢ ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese divided
• ▢ ½ cup pumpkin puree
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh sage finely chopped
• ▢ 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray small baking dish (something around 3 cups capacity) with cooking spray.
• Place cream cheese in bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat at medium speed for 30 seconds or until smooth, scraping down side of bowl as needed.
• Add garlic, 1/2 cup Parmesan, pumpkin, sage, lemon juice, salt, pepper and paprika and beat at medium speed 30 seconds or until well combined, scraping down side of bowl as needed.
• Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish and spread dip in even layer. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese.
• Transfer to oven and bake 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbling around the edges. If desired, broil 1 to 2 minutes to brown the top of the dip.
• Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving with desired accompaniments.

Notes

The dip doesn’t need a garnish, but either of these adds a little texture and makes the orange color look especially good for a fall or Halloween appetizer.

• CRISPY SAGE – Line a small plate with paper towel. Make sure your sage leaves are completely dry, blotting them with paper towel if needed. Heat 1/4 cup canola oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the sage leaves and carefully toss with tongs for about 20 to 30 seconds, until crisp. Transfer to the prepared plate to drain and immediately sprinkle with a pinch of kosher salt. Scatter over the dip just before serving.
• TOASTED PEPITAS – Toast pepitas in a dry skillet over medium heat for a few minutes, stirring often, until fragrant and starting to pop. Sprinkle them over the dip just before serving.

Calories: 177kcal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 45mg, Sodium: 460mg, Potassium: 117mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 3799IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 124mg, Iron: 1mg

This website provides estimated nutrition information as a courtesy only. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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