Name: Santa Dip
Prep time: 5 min
Yield: 4 cups
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 8 oz. cream cheese (softened); 7 oz. marshmallow cream; red food coloring gel; 1 cups mini marshmallows; graham crackers (pretzels and nilla wafers for serving)

Santa Dip

This Santa Dip is a holiday dessert that delivers sweet, creamy flavor with minimal effort. The combination of cream cheese and mini marshmallows creates a smooth, fluffy base that pairs perfectly with graham crackers, pretzels, or Nilla wafers. Shape into a Santa hat for a little bit of holiday cheer on the appetizer table.

Prep

5 min

Serves

4 cups

Calories

I’ve found that this Santa Dip is always a hit at holiday parties. It’s sweet, fluffy, and easy to shape into a Santa hat, making it one of my favorite quick no-bake holiday treats. Serve this dip with Graham crackers, pretzels, or Nilla wafers, and you’ve got a kid-friendly dessert that’s ideal for bringing a little holiday cheer to all those Christmas gatherings.

Ingredients You’ll Need

8 oz cream cheese, softened
7 oz marshmallow cream
Red food coloring gel (I like Wilton Red-Red and Americolor gel)
1-2 cups mini marshmallows, divided
Graham crackers, pretzels, and Nilla wafers for serving

How to make Holiday Santa Dip

In a mixing bowl, beat together softened cream cheese, marshmallow cream, and a generous dollop of red food coloring until smooth and evenly tinted. You can see that mine is a little on the lighter red side, so if you have a deeper red that might even more “Santa”.

Gently fold in 1 cup of mini marshmallows. At this point, you can spoon the mixture into a bowl and serve with your favorite dippers. You will only need the second cup of marshmallows if you choose to do the next step.

santa holiday dip with mini marshmallows mixed together.

How to shape dip into a Santa hat.

If you want to get festive, spoon the dip onto a serving platter and shape it into a triangle for the Santa hat. Make a small circle on top of the pom-pom. Press the remaining cup of marshmallows along the bottom edge and on top for the hat’s trim.

marshmallow dip shaped into a santa hat on a serving tray.

Tips & Variations

Keep It Fresh: Cover and refrigerate your Santa Dip until serving. It stays fresh for about 2 days.
Serving Ideas: The touch of whimsy is terrific for the holiday season—whether leaving out for Santa himself, a Christmas Eve treat, or a fun dessert for a kids’ party.
Color Variations: Adjust the amount of red gel
Ingredient Swaps: Try mixing in a spoonful of vanilla yogurt for a lighter taste or topping it with white chocolate chips for extra sweetness.
Serve in a holiday bowl -Get the same affect by serving in a Santa-shaped or other holiday season serving bowl.

dipping santa did with a graham cracker.

Can I make Marshmallow Santa Dip ahead of time?

Yes! It’s fine to pre the night before. Just cover it tightly and refrigerate. Pull it out of the fridge about 20 minutes before serving to give the cream cheese base time to soften up for easier dipping.

What if I don’t have red gel food coloring?

You can use regular red food coloring, but gel provides a brighter, more vibrant color with less liquid. My favorite brand to change the color of dips and other recipes is this set by Americolor.

Don’t Miss My Other Holiday Dips!

Steps

Add softened cream cheese, marshmallow cream and a generous dollop of red gel food coloring to a mixing bowl and beat together until smooth. Fold in 1 cup mini marshmallows. Spoon into a bowl and serve with pretzels, graham crackers and Nilla wafers.

Shape into a Santa Hat

If creating a Santa hat, spoon dip onto a serving platter and shape into a triangle. Add a circle at the top for the pom pom. Use an additional cup of marshmallows to press into the bottom of the Santa hat and the top of the pom pom. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.