Caramel Apple Dip is hard to resist with its creamy texture, sweet caramel flavor, and delicious crunch of toffee bits on top. Serve it with your favorite dessert dipping snacks or freshly chopped apples for a decadent treat! You don't need an excuse to enjoy caramel-apple goodness this Fall, but this easy-to-prepare dessert dip is perfect for when the craving hits!
For more caramel apple-flavored treats, check out my Caramel Apple Pie, No-Bake Caramel Apple Eclair Cake, and Caramel Apple Pie Crescent Rolls.
Table of Contents
This delicious Caramel Apple Dip is like my Gourmet Caramel Apples but in an easy-to-eat dip form! It's perfect for an after-school snack or for serving on your party dessert table, giving you more time to enjoy the fun.
This Easy Caramel Apple Dip recipe is made with just 5 ingredients in only 5 minutes!
It's perfect for sharing on a dessert table and you aren't just locked into serving it with fresh apple slices. Try it with strawberries, bananas, or with sweet dipping treats like cookies or pretzels.
If you love this dessert dip, you might also enjoy my S'mores Dip, Easy Oreo Dip, Football Cookies and Cream Dip, and Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips.
What You'll Need
Scroll down to the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Cream Cheese - Use full-fat cream cheese for the creamiest flavor and texture. You can use lower-fat cream cheese if you prefer, but the result will be slightly different.
- Vanilla - Vanilla extract adds a warm flavor that works well with caramel.
- Sugar - Light brown sugar will add sweetness with a slight caramel flavor.
- Caramel Sauce - You can use Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce or your favorite store-bought kind. Ghirardelli is one of the brands I like.
- Candy - Use Heath Bar toffee bits or another chocolate-covered toffee, such as Skor bars, for the crunchy topping.
- Serving - I've used fresh green apples for dipping - their tart crispness is perfect with the rich caramel - but you can use another type if you prefer.
How to Make This Recipe
- Beat cream cheese. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer), beat the cream cheese until it is light and fluffy.
- Add vanilla and sugar. Add the vanilla extract and brown sugar to the beaten cream cheese.
- Mix. Mix with a hand mixer until well combined.
- Make cream cheese layer. Spread the mixture into a medium-sized, shallow bowl or serving dish with a rubber spatula.
- Add caramel. Drizzle the caramel sauce and top, and smooth it out evenly with a clean spatula or the back of a spoon.
- Garnish and chill. Top with crushed Heath Bars, toffee bits, or similar. Chill until ready to eat. Serve with sliced apples.
Recipe FAQ's
Fresh fruit such as strawberries, bananas, or pineapple are also great options with this dip. You can serve snacks with it too, like shortbread cookies, Graham crackers, pretzel sticks, Nilla wafers, or ginger snaps.
A shallow bowl that is 6-8 inches in width is best for a sharing dip. The shallower your bowl, the thinner the layers will be. Alternatively, you can assemble the dip into smaller serving bowls or even ramekins to make single servings for a fancy dinner party dessert!
This dip is best consumed within 24 hours. After that, the toffee bits begin to lose their crunchy texture. The dip without the crunchy topping will last for up to a week, so you can make it ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator if you want. Simply sprinkle the toffee bits on top just before serving.
Store the dip without the crispy topping in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 2 months. This works best when you're using full-fat ingredients.
Tips for Success
- Let the cream cheese sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes, as this will make mixing it easier.
- Using an electric mixer is the best way to ensure your cream cheese mixture is light and fluffy and the ingredients are completely combined.
- A thick caramel sauce is best for this recipe. If your mixture is too thick for your liking once mixed, you can thin it with some heavy cream or cool whip.
How to Prevent Apple Slices from Browning
Fresh apple, pear, or banana slices are perfect for serving with this dip, but they usually go brown after sitting out for a while. There are some great tricks you can try to slow down this process of browning, which is called enzymatic browning, and it usually involves changing the pH of the environment the slices are in. This can be done by reducing the oxygen around the fruit (tightly storing or vacuum packing it), introducing citric acid like lemon juice, or using salt. All of these methods will interrupt the oxidization process around the slices, which will slow down the browning.
Try one of these methods for yourself:
- Salt: Soak cut apples or pears in a solution of kosher salt and water for about 10 minutes, then rinse them in cold water, pat them dry with paper towels, and present them in your serving bowl. This method may not work as well for banana slices, but it's my favorite for sliced apples.
- Lemon Juice: Slice the apples and place them in a bowl of water, then squeeze a little lemon juice on top. Use a fresh lemon for best results. You'll need the juice of half a lemon for this.
For more information on why apples go brown and how to prevent this, check out this article!
Substitutions and Variations
- Use different apples. I've used Granny Smith apples, as the tart apple flavor works well with the sweet dip. You can use Pink Lady apples, Honey Crisp apples, or Gala apples—whatever you can get your hands on in or out of apple season!
- Try a different topping. You can use any caramel-chocolate candy on top of this dip. If you can’t find pre-crushed Heath Bar bits or if you are using Skor, purchase whole bars of chocolate and crush them in their candy wrapper using a rolling pin (affiliate link) or meat tenderizer. To do this without making too much mess, put the candy in a Ziploc bag before crushing it.
- Go nuts! Sometimes in place of the toffee bits I will use chopped toasted pecans for a nutty version that is delicious. Chopped pretzels are another great option!
- Add-ins. Add some chocolate chips, caramel chips, or peanut butter chips to the topping or to the dip for extra sweetness and flavor.
More Apple Dessert Recipes
- No-Bake Caramel Apple Eclair Cake
- German Apple Cake with Streusel Topping (Apfelkuchen mit Streusel)
- Apple Strudel
- Apple Pie Macarons
- Sour Cream Apple Pie
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Caramel Apple Dip
Ingredients
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 16 ounces caramel sauce homemade or store-bought (like Ghirardelli)
- 4 ounces Heath Bar toffee bits (or other chocolate covered toffee such as Skor bars)
- Apples, for dipping
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer), beat the cream cheese until it is light and fluffy.
- Add vanilla and brown sugar and stir until well combined.
- Spread the mixture into a medium-sized, shallow bowl or serving dish.
- Drizzle with caramel sauce and top with crushed Heath Bars, toffee bits, or similar. Chill until ready to eat. Serve with sliced apples.
Notes
- How to Keep Apples From Browning: Salt Method - Soak cut apples or pears in a solution of kosher salt and water for about 10 minutes, then rinse them in cold water, pat them dry with paper towels, and present them in your serving bowl. This method may not work as well for banana slices.
- How to Keep Apples From Browning: Lemon Juice Method - Slice the apples and place them in a bowl of water, then squeeze a little lemon juice on top. Use a fresh lemon for best results. You'll need the juice of half a lemon for this.
- Storage: This dip is best consumed within 24 hours. After that, the toffee bits begin to lose their crunchy texture. The dip without the crunchy topping will last up to a week, so you can make it ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Simply sprinkle the toffee bits on top just before serving.
- Freeze: Store the dip without the crispy topping in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 2 months. This works best when you're using full-fat ingredients.
