Spicy Pumpkin Pecan Dip

While I love pumpkin season and the myriad of favorite recipes that go with it, I always like to add some new ones into the repertoire.  This Spicy Pumpkin Pecan Dip is the perfect new-comer to your fall snack rotation!  This creamy blend of pumpkin and pecan gets kicked up with a sweet and smoky blend of spices and the perfect tang of goat cheese. 

What You Need to Make Spicy Pumpkin Pecan Dip

Equipment

• Measuring Cups
• Measuring Spoons
• Tea Kettle or Saucepan
• Medium Heat Safe Bowl
• Plastic Wrap
• Fine Mesh Strainer or Sieve
• High Speed Blender Or Food Processor
• Silicone Jar Scraper – For getting the dip out of the blender.

Ingredients

• Pumpkin Purée – I use canned pumpkin.  Just make sure you get pumpkin purée and not pumpkin pie mix
• Raw Pecans
• Boiling Water – This will be used for soaking the pecans.  You’ll need to reserve all of the soaking liquid for use in the recipe. 
• Chicken Broth – Alternatively, you could use vegetable broth, if you prefer.
• SoNourished Gold – Or you could use another Brown Sugar Substitute of your choice. 
• Chipotle Powder
• Fresh Grated Ginger
• Freshly Grated Nutmeg
• Ground Allspice
• Goat Cheese – You’ll need to crumble this or buy it already crumbled.  You can omit it if you prefer to keep this dairy free.  
• Smoked Gouda Wine Chips – These are completely optional. However, if you you do, you’ll want to crumble them.

Getting Started with Making Spicy Pumpkin Pecan Dip

As with my other nut dips, this is pretty easy to put together.  

Preparing the Toppers

You can start by spreading out ½ cup Pecans and ¼ cup Pepitas in a sauté pan.  You’ll toast them over medium high heat until they become fragrant (about 3 – 4 minutes).  Once toasted, you can remove them from the heat and set them aside.  

Soaking the Pecans

You’ll start by placing 1 cup of Raw Pecans in a medium heat safe bowl.  Then you can pour in 1 cup of Boiling Water, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and allow it to sit for 10 minutes.  After the 10 minutes are up, you’ll drain the Pecans and reserve all of the soaking liquid.  

Blending the Dip

To mix up the dip, you’ll pour the Pecans into a high speed blender or food processor with all of the reserved Soaking Liquid, 1 cup of Pumpkin Purée, ½ cup of Chicken Broth (or vegetable broth if you prefer), 2 tablespoons of SoNourished Gold (or another brown sugar substitute of your choice), 1 ½ teaspoon of Chipotle Powder, ½ teaspoon of Freshly Grated Ginger, ½ teaspoon of Freshly Grated Nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon of Ground Allspice. 

Then, you’ll process the mixture until it’s smooth.  You’ll want to start by pulsing and then working up to the highest speed setting.  

Topping and Serving

Once the dip is smooth enough, you can remove it to a serving bowl or an airtight container (if you are making this dip in advance).  To finish it off, you can stir in 4 ounces of crumbled Goat Cheese. Then sprinkle the toasted Pepitas and Pecans on top.  Crumble on additional goat cheese if desired.  Another great optional topper is ½ ounce of crumbled Smoked Gouda Wine Chips.  Serve with veggie dippers or pork rinds.  

Related Recipes

Looking for some more nut-based dips?  If so, you should take a look at these: 

• Creamy Za’atar Cashew Dip
• Garlicky Spinach Cashew Dip

If you’re feeling like more pumpkin, here are some recipe ideas for you:

• Savory Pumpkin Soup
• Pumpkin Sage Low Carb Lasagna
• Broccoli Pumpkin Queso Casserole
• Keto Dulce de Leche Pumpkin Cookie Cups
• Low Carb Pumpkin Bread Pudding