This low-carb pumpkin pie dip is an excellent alternative to pumpkin pie. It travels well, is quick and easy to make, and tastes like pumpkin pie! It's also gluten-free and fits into a low-carb or ketogenic diet.
QUICK REFERENCE
Thanksgiving will be here before you know it. It always seems to sneak up on me. Early planning for the Thanksgiving meal and party is critical here, so I've started collecting Thanksgiving recipes. Some are high-carb dishes that need work, and others, like this one, are already low-carb and require just a few minor changes.
My favorite place to hang out online is on RecipeTok or streaming The Food Network. My free time usually includes combing through my bookmarks and making notes about what I could adapt to fit into a therapeutic diet. Anyway, I came across Kitchen Simplicity, a Canadian food blog with great no-bake Thanksgiving recipes. Unfortunately, they're not around anymore, but they had a really great Creamy Pumpkin Pie Dip and Mini "Pumpkin" Cheese Balls. If you can tolerate dairy, this one is so good. I've adjusted Cheri's recipe to lower the carb count to nearly zero, so you can save those precious carbs for something more interesting...like more veggies or maybe an apple slice or two!
📋 WHY THIS LOW-CARB PUMPKIN PIE DIP RECIPE WORKS
- No baking required - just mix and chill. That's it.
- Only 3g carbs per serving - you can actually enjoy this without stressing about your macros.
- Tastes like the real thing - the cream cheese base gives it that classic pumpkin pie richness without any of the effort.
- Naturally gluten-free and keto - and dairy-free with a simple coconut cream swap.
- Perfect for entertaining - it travels well and works for almost everyone at the table.
🥘 INGREDIENT NOTES
- Cream Cheese: Make sure it's fully softened before you start. This is the most important step. Cold cream cheese will leave lumps no matter how hard you mix. Leave it out at room temperature for at least two hours before you begin.
- Canned Pumpkin: Use pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling already has sugar and spices added, which will throw off the flavor balance and the carb count.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: The recipe calls for a tablespoon, but feel free to adjust. If you like your pumpkin spice to actually taste like pumpkin spice, don't be shy with it.
- Cinnamon, Ginger & Vanilla Extract: These round out the spice blend and give the dip that classic pumpkin pie warmth. Feel free to adjust to taste.
- Sour Cream: This adds a little tang and lightens the texture. For dairy-free, swap it for full-fat coconut cream.
📋 SUBSTITUTIONS
This recipe is already gluten-free and keto. Here are swaps for other dietary needs:
- Dairy-Free: Swap the cream cheese for dairy-free cream cheese and the sour cream for full-fat coconut cream. The texture will be slightly softer but still delicious.
- Sugar-Alcohol Free: If you react to erythritol, swap for a few drops of liquid stevia to taste.
If you need help with different dietary accommodations, let me know in the comments, and I'll try to help!
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🔪 INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1: Mix the cream cheese and canned pumpkin together with a hand mixer until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until well incorporated.
Step 2: Transfer to a serving bowl and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving. The dip firms up as it chills and the flavors come together beautifully.
🍴 HOW TO SERVE
Arrange your dipping options around the dip on a large plate or platter. Some of my favorites:
- Apple slices or wedges
- Pear slices
- Celery sticks
- Jicama sticks
- Carrot sticks
- Pecans or walnuts
- Flax or nut crackers
🥣 STORAGE
Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The dip actually gets better after the first day as the flavors develop. Give it a quick stir before serving if it's been sitting.
Pumpkin cream cheese dip doesn't freeze well. The texture gets grainy once thawed.
💭 TOP TIP
Soften your cream cheese. This is the step most people skip and the reason most dips end up with lumps. Plan ahead and take it out of the fridge at least two hours before you start.
Taste and adjust. Everyone's sweetener tolerance is different. Start with the amount listed, taste it, and add a little more if you want it sweeter. The same goes for the spices.
Prep your fruit ahead without the browning. If you're slicing apples or pears ahead of time, squeeze some fresh lemon juice over them and toss to coat. This prevents browning and keeps everything looking fresh for up to 36 hours.
👩🏻🍳 RECIPE FAQS
This usually comes down to two things: the cream cheese wasn't fully softened before mixing, or a granulated sweetener was used instead of a powdered one. Powdered erythritol dissolves smoothly into the fat, while granulated sweeteners don't break down the same way and can leave a dip looser and slightly grainy.
Yes, pumpkin cream cheese dip doubles easily for a crowd. Sugar-free sweeteners like erythritol can taste slightly different in larger batches, so it's worth tasting as you go rather than doubling the amount blindly.
Yes, a stand mixer works just as well as a hand mixer. Avoid overmixing once everything is incorporated, since that can loosen the texture, especially with full-fat cream cheese.
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Did you try this recipe? Please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know what you thought in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Recipe
Low-Carb Pumpkin Pie Dip
Ingredients
- 8 oz. Room Temperature Cream Cheese
- 1 Cup Canned Pumpkin
- 1 Tbs. Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1 tsp. Cinnamon
- ½ tsp. Ginger
- ½ tsp. Vanilla Extract
- ¼ Cup Sour Cream
- ¾ Cup Powdered Erythritol or Sweetener of Choice
Instructions
- Mix together cream cheese and canned pumpkin with hand mixer until smooth.
- Mix in the rest of the ingredients.
- Chill in refridgerator.
Lauren says
This is such a great and festive appetizer! I have never had pumpkin dip before but I am definitely going to make it this year. I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is only a matter of weeks away and I am rounding up so new Thanksgiving Recipes and that was how I can across this one. I wasn't really thinking about having appetizers but this got me thinking. I work for Better Recipes so I am always reviewing recipes and this sounds like a great one!
Tami says
Just wondering what you would dip in this dip? No grains, so no crackers... so what? Veggies?
LinearChaos says
Hi Tami, you can use any of your favorite veggies, fill celery or sweet peppers with it, top cucumber or jicama slices, carrot sticks would work to, or you could use flax crackers.