Our easy roasted pumpkin dip is a savory celebration of the fruit's sweetness. Must make in fall!
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About This Savory Pumpkin Dip Recipe
Typically savory pumpkin recipes for dips and snacks include cheese in some form, most commonly cream cheese. Ours however is a savory pumpkin dip without cream cheese.
It is a wonderful fall appetizer, suitable for Thanksgiving and the total time needed to make it goes with surprising ease in the sense that there is not much active work involved.
Savory Pumpkin Dip Ingredients
This is our original recipe and I feel obliged to explain why each ingredient is there. Roasty, lightly smokey, spicy, sweet and umami flavors come together and because we add a bit of pumpkin ale to thin it out there are warming aromas of Fall spices.
Sweet pie pumpkin or butternut squash - for their mellow sweet taste which explodes after roasting and results in a beautiful caramelization
Brown sugar - to aid said caramelization
Onion and garlic - for their sweet and savory contribution after roasting
Jalapeno - for the toasty heat it contributes
Tomato paste - for its deep, concentrated acidity and body
Salt & pepper - season to taste
Smoked paprika - for an elegant hint of smokiness to underlay the rest of the flavors
Pumpkin ale - for its pumpkin & spice malty flavors which beautifully tie together with the other ingredients. When seasonally available try to use a pumpkin ale - it is absolutely worth it. Otherwise substitute with a brown or amber ale, even a red IPA. If you'd like to go alcohol free thin out with a bit of chicken broth but add half a teaspoon of pumpkin spice to the dip as well.
NOTE: If you really crave cheese what you could do is mix in a bit of finely grated earthy and salty Parmesan or Pecorino in the end. No more than 2 tablespoons at first, then adjust to taste.
For this post we used New Belgium Brewing Atomic Pumpkin Ale which is actually not your ordinary pumpkin ale. Even though it has the bold pumpkin and malty sweetness the style is known for - it is also spicy! The Atomic Pumpkin is brewed with Habanero peppers, spicy Saigon Cinnamon, Aji and Del Arbol chiles. A real winner for the purposes of this dip.
How to Make Roasted Pumpkin Dip
Both the step-by-step picture collage below and the brief instructional video in the recipe card show the simple process of making this pumpkin dip.
- Step 1. Place your cleaned raw pumpkin pieces, onion, jalapeno and unpeeled garlic cloves (you'll get to peel them later) on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle the pumpkin with brown sugar to accentuate its natural sweetness and help caramelization along while roasting.
- Step 2. Roast at 450 F for about 15-20 minutes, depending on the strength of your oven. You may want to check on the garlic cloves before the time is up, especially if they were smallish, and take them out first so they don't burn.
- Step 3. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of its peel (it will be mushy and sweet) + remove the top of the jalapeno and de-seed it (scoop the seeds out with a small spoon or the tip of a butter knife). Place all the roasted ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Add salt and pepper, smoked paprika, tomato paste and the pumpkin ale. Process until you get to your desired consistency - we like ours pureed but still quite coarse.
NOTE: Taste the dip and doctor up the seasonings if needed. Sometimes, depending on the brand of tomato paste, we find that a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar makes a good addition if the tomato paste didn't contribute enough acidity.
Healthy Flavor Punch
This happens to be quite a healthy pumpkin dip. With the exception of some brown sugar sprinkled on the pie pumpkin before roasting and the addition of all natural pumpkin ale everything else can withstand the scrutiny of various diets. It is gluten-free as well.
Not that this has anything to do with why we love it. Simply observing. We love to eat it with charcoal grilled wings among other more standard choices. There is so much flavor in the dip that we don't bother tossing the wings in much more than a bit of sage brown butter.
Tortilla chips are an obvious one here, but cheese crackers or pita chips can be even better depending on the kind you choose. Also seed crackers or savory shortbread. Then of course you can dip with veggies or sweet potato fries.
Pumpkin Hummus
An alternative use of this dip is to make pumpkin hummus. Simply rinse canned garbanzo beans (chickpeas) and blend together with the dip. You can add a bit of lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil to balances out the flavors.
Other Recipes You Might Like
Salsa Borracha | Pub Cheese | Smoked Trout Dip | Herbed Ricotta Dip
Recipe
Roasted Pumpkin Dip with Pumpkin Ale
Ingredients
- 1 lb pie pumpkin or butternut squash flesh only, peeled, seeds removed
- 1 onion small
- 1 jalapeno pepper
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 ½ tablespoon tomato paste
- ¼ cup pumpkin ale (sub with brown or amber ale, red IPA or chicken broth for non-alcoholic)
Instructions
- Heat the oven on to 450 F.
- Place the pumpkin (or butternut squash), jalapeno, peeled and quartered onion and unpeeled garlic cloves on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle brown sugar over the pumpkin.
- Roast for 15-20 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft when pierced with a fork and nicely caramelized. CHECK on the garlic cloves after 15 min if they are really small and remove them from the oven earlier to prevent them from burning.
- Let roasted ingredients cool off a bit and squeeze out the garlic from its peel. Remove the top from the jalapeno and deseed it using a small spoon.
- In a food processor combine the roasted ingredients with the salt, pepper, smoked paprika, tomato paste and pumpkin ale (or substitute) and pulse until blended to your desired consistency.
- Taste to check if seasonings need to be adjusted and serve.
Katherine | Love In My Oven
This is one perfectly fall recipe! That dip would be great with crackers or really, anything!
CraftBeering
For sure! Especially cheese crackers:)
Kelly Lynns Sweets and Treats
I am so happy it's pumpkin season! My favorite time of year. I love that this pumpkin recipe is savory! PINNED!
Catherine Baez Sholl
Oh my, so flavorful! I think I need to add this to our Thanksgiving pre-dinner snacks!
annie@ciaochowbambina
WOWZA! This is flavor-packed! The perfect snack, my friends! Pinned!
Marvellina Goh
I just hauled back some pumpkins. Love how this dip is easily put together and truly is a flavor bomb! I would love it with chips, but I would totally take it with grilled chicken wings too LOL!
CraftBeering
You are on our side - it's awesome with grilled chicken wings:)
Dawn H-M
I'm definitely adding this to my upcoming fall app menu for guests! Looks and sounds amazing and I was having a hard time accommodating one of my lactose intolerant friends. Another beertiful masterpiece! Thanks for sharing!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
Loving the colour and imagining the great flavours! Looks like the perfect snack for our upcoming snowy Sunday, where we will be stuck inside watching football. Sounds just about a perfect Sunday, to me 🙂
CraftBeering
Oh, yes! Snowy afternoon with roasted pumpkin dip sounds just about perfect!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
I love the way you have prepared this and I wouldn't change a thing! It looks unbelievably creamy and totally dip-able, perfect for some weekend eats with a cold one....maybe a pumpkin ale 😉 ?? I love the idea of dipping fries in here too. Can't wait to give this one a go 🙂 Happy (almost) Friday!
CraftBeering
Thank you Dawn! Maybe even paired with a winter warmer ale:)
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen
I cannot get enough pumpkin right now (or ever!) but I'm mostly enjoying it in sweet preparations. I'll have to try this dip because it sounds SO good and it's perfect for game day! Have a great weekend!
CraftBeering
Definitely!