Peanut Butter Fruit Dip

Only 2 ingredients and 5 minutes to make it! Trust me, this dip will disappear faster than you can make it! Peanut butter fruit dip might sound too good to be true, but once you taste it, you will realize that you can dip apple slices into fluffy, lightly sweetened peanut butter, and it will be one of the best things you do!

We have been making this one for years. The kids request it by name and I never have to make a store run. The entire recipe is Cool Whip and peanut butter. Here’s what you’ll need to make it right.

How to Make Peanut Butter Fruit Dip

This takes less than 5 minutes once your Cool Whip has thawed.

Step 1: Warm the Peanut Butter

Scoop 1 cup of peanut butter into a bowl that is SAFE TO USE IN THE MICROWAVE. MICROWAVE THE BOWL FOR 15 TO 20 SECONDS. Stir the peanut butter. It should be smooth enough to pour and not bubbling hot. If the peanut butter is still too stiff, microwave it for 10 more seconds. We want the peanut butter warm and fluid, not SCORCHING.

Step 2: Add the Cool Whip

Spoon the thawed Cool Whip into the bowl with the warm peanut butter. Use a rubber spatula to fold them together. Go around the sides of the bowl and under the mixture as you rotate the bowl. The goal is to retain as much air as possible to keep the dip fluffy and not heavy.

Step 3: Check the Texture

Once combined the dip will look like a thick and creamy mousse. If you see streaks of peanut butter, then keep gently folding. If you stirred too much and it looks a little flat, it will still taste the same, it just won’t be as airy.

Step 4: Chill or Serve

You can serve this right now, but chilling it in the fridge for 30 minutes makes the dip firm up a little, which makes it a bit easier to dip into without the dip sliding all over the place. Just move it into a serving bowl, place it in the center of the fruit, and you’re good to go!

What to Serve It With

Apples are always a good choice for a snack. If you’re going for a sweet apple, Honeycrisp or Fuji are both great options. Pair them with some peanut butter and you will have a great, on-the-go snack because these apples can be sliced in advance and will last without turning brown. These varieties are well-balanced in terms of sweet and tart, and will offer a great crunch when teamed with your favorite nut butter. If you want something a little more tart, try pairing your nuts with some Granny Smith apples.

This dip is great with other pairings apart from apples like:

• Strawberries — the classic PB&J flavor combination in dip form
• Banana slices — extra sweet, kids go for this combo especially
• Celery — a little unexpected, but the crunch and slight bitterness work well with the sweet dip
• Graham crackers — turns this into more of a dessert dip situation
• Pretzels — the salt cuts through the sweetness in a good way
• Pear slices — works the same way apples do but slightly softer

Variations Worth Trying

Chocolate Peanut Butter Dip

Before warming the peanut butter, mix in 2-3 tbsp of chocolate syrup or Nutella. Then, as usual, fold in the Cool Whip. The end product tastes like a less caloric Reese’s, which pairs nicely with banana and strawberry.

Honey Peanut Butter Dip

Mix in two tablespoons of honey with the warm peanut butter before you fold in the Cool Whip. This version is a bit sweeter, so it is great for tart fruits, like Granny Smith apples or segments of grapefruit.

Cinnamon Peanut Butter Dip

Adding a little cinnamon to your warm peanut butter will make it taste great. It’s especially good with Honeycrisp or Cortland apples in the fall.

Almond Butter Version

Instead of peanut butter, use almond butter. The dip will be a bit less sweet, and will have a more neutral taste. Some people prefer that. You will use the same method of warming and folding as before.

Helpful Tips

• Don’t skip warming the peanut butter. Cold peanut butter will not fold smoothly into Cool Whip. You’ll end up with visible lumps and an uneven texture. 15–20 seconds in the microwave is all it takes.
• Fold, don’t stir. The difference matters here. Stirring collapses the air out of the Cool Whip and you lose the fluffy texture that makes this dip work. Gentle folding keeps it light.
• Thaw Cool Whip in the fridge, not on the counter. Counter-thawing can make it weep and become watery at the bottom. Fridge thawing keeps the texture intact.
• Make it the day before if you need to. This dip actually holds up well overnight. Cover it tightly and refrigerate. Give it a gentle stir before serving if any liquid has separated.
• Keep apples from browning by tossing sliced apples in a little lemon juice or pineapple juice before serving. A light coat is enough — you don’t want the apples tasting sour.
• A small squeeze bottle works great for kids’ portions. Spoon some dip into a squeeze bottle so kids can portion it themselves without making a mess of the main bowl.

A Tool Worth Having

If you often prepare apple dips and recipes, having an apple peeler/slicer/corer will speed up your apple prep time significantly. The Victorio VKP1010 Apple Peeler does all three in one motion, and it has a suction cup base to keep it steady while you work. It’s one of those tools that seems like a gimmick. That is, until apple season comes and you see just how much time it can save you.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Refrigerator

You can keep leftover dip in the fridge for 3 days in an airtight container. The texture will stay good. However, it may firm up a little while chilling. Just give it a quick stir, and it will be ready for serving.

Make-Ahead

You can prepare this dip a whole day in advance! It gets even better the longer you wait (up to one day). The flavors blend together, and the texture changes to an even better consistency for scooping. Make sure to store it in an airtight container, or wrap a bowl in plastic wrap.

Freezing

This recipe can be frozen since Cool Whip is frozen, but thawing creates a grainy and separated texture. For such an easy recipe, it’s better to make a fresh batch each time.

Leftover Ideas

If you have leftover dip and don’t want to eat it straight, spread it on some toast, use it as a crepe filling, or thin it with a little milk and drizzle it over pancakes! I think of the dip as a light peanut butter mousse, so the flavor combination works anywhere!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use homemade whipped cream instead of Cool Whip?

Sure, but the dip won’t last as long. Homemade whipped cream is much less stable compared to Cool Whip and will begin to deflate and weep in a few hours. If this is for a party and it needs to be out for a while, use Cool Whip. If it’s for the same day, use homemade whipped cream, but make sure to whip it to stiff peaks before folding in the warm peanut butter.

Why did my dip turn out lumpy?

Most of the time this happens because the peanut butter wasn’t warm enough when mixed with the Cool Whip. Cooling at room temperature may result in the peanut butter clumping instead of mixing. Make sure the peanut butter is warm enough so that it is in a liquid state. You then want to stir it, and then combine it with the Cool Whip. If the dip is already lumpy, try to microwave the entire bowl for 10 seconds and then fold again. This method may lose some of its fluffiness while incorporating it.

Can I use crunchy peanut butter?

Yes. The dip will have small pieces of peanuts which will help with texture. Some might even prefer this — the crunch gives you something to bite into. Just remember to warm the crunchy peanut butter first so that the base is fluid enough to fold in smoothly.

Is this safe for people with nut allergies?

No, this recipe is not suitable for anyone with a peanut or tree nut allergy, as it is peanut butter-forward; there really isn’t a suitable substitute. While sunflower seed butter (SunButter) can be used as a peanut-free alternative, you would need to use it in the same way as peanut butter in this recipe, and it would still result in a very different flavor.

How long can the dip sit out at a party?

Since Cool Whip is a dairy-based product, it can’t sit out for more than two hours. For parties, make sure to keep the dip chilled and serve it when it’s time. If the dip has been out for a long time, replace the bowl with a fresh one from the fridge.

Can I double the recipe?

Absolutely, take a 16-ounce container of Cool Whip and 2 cups of peanut butter. Melt the peanut butter in two batches (or one larger bowl) and fold the Cool Whip in the same way. The ratio will remain the same, and everything will have the same texture and taste.

Related Recipes

• 3-Ingredient Strawberry Fruit Dip — the one we make every spring, just as easy
• Cream Cheese Fruit Dip — tangier and a little richer, great for a fruit platter
• Easy Caramel Dip for Apples — the other classic apple dip worth having in your back pocket
• Fruit Pizza — if you want to use leftover dip as a topping, this is the recipe

Peanut Butter Fruit Dip Recipe

There was no recipe card on this post before. Here is a quick reference for the recipe as described above: