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Bored by plain bagels? I’ll teach you how to make flavored cream cheese! This helpful guide covers five different options to choose from, ranging from sweet to savory. And all of them take just 15 minutes to whip up!
save this recipe!But making your own flavored cream cheese at home couldn’t be easier. The ingredients are all fresh, and you control the sugar, salt (and best of all…the flavor!).
Plain bricks of cream cheese have a long shelf life and are super affordable, so it’s easy to keep some on hand at all times. This way, you can make exactly what you want, when you want it, without even changing out of your pajamas!
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“Those flavored cream cheese recipes are perfect for my palate, thank you so much!” —Erlinda
Here’s what you’ll need
You don’t need much for ingredients here—your cream cheese and a flavor. Then add salt for savory options and a touch of sugar for sweet-flavored cream cheese, and boom—you’re done. Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements; this is just an overview!
- Cream Cheese: Take your pick! Whether you go for full-fat or low-fat, dairy cream cheese has a familiar tang we all love. Homemade cream cheese will also work. But don’t fret if you’re dairy intolerant or vegan – those options will work, too!
- Flavoring: We’ll dive into specifics below, but basically, anything is up for grabs!
buying Tip
Check the prices when you shop for cream cheese. The standard “brick in a box” is often the cheapest option. It’s no-frills and exactly what we want here, so we can dress it up! The tubs often cost more per ounce, and especially the whipped varieties – you are literally paying for air!
Making flavored Cream Cheese is easy
Truly, the hardest part of this recipe is waiting for the cream cheese to soften! Remember to do that ahead of time. Room-temperature cream cheese is essential to mixing in your flavor options smoothly. This is just a brief overview, jump to the recipe card for the full printable instructions.
Step 1: Prepare the Cream Cheese
Set out your cream cheese ahead of time to soften to room temperature. Depending on the temperature in my kitchen, I find I need at least 30 minutes. It’s usually easiest to remove the brick from the foil wrapper while still cold so it isn’t sticky.
Step 2: Puree the Fillings
Next up, whip it good! I like to use the food processor here. If you don’t have one, you can try a fork or a whisk; however, cream cheese is pretty sturdy even when soft, so it might be a battle.
Step 3: Pick Your Flavor
Whether you are in the mood for sweet or savory, gather what you need from the recipe card and add your option to the mixing bowl. Stir well with a rubber spatula to ensure the flavor is spread evenly.
Step 4: Serve
And now that we have waited what seems like forever to soften the cream cheese, it goes back in the fridge! This allows the flavors to meld as well as get things back to a spreadable texture. You can certainly use it right away if you just can’t wait, but trust me, the flavors will only get better with time!
Flavored Cream Cheese Options
From sweet fruits to savory vegetables, you’ve got options when it comes to making your own flavored cream cheese!
Strawberry Cream Cheese
Add finely diced strawberries and powdered sugar to your softened cream cheese and mix well. Even though the fruit is sweet, the cream cheese’s tang needs just a touch of sugar to make sure it tastes sweet to the tongue.
Chipotle Pepper Cream Cheese
I started with three finely diced peppers. You can always start with less and give it a taste, and also stir in a touch of the liquid from the can. A pinch of salt will bring everything together.
Passion Fruit Cream Cheese
Take a trip to the tropics by stirring in passion fruit puree or the fiber-packed pulp to your cream cheese. This beauty is a bit more tart than strawberries, so don’t forget the sugar. It’s up to you whether to use the seeds; I think they add a really fun texture.
Roasted Garlic Cream Cheese
Roasting garlic is simply…amazing. If you haven’t done this, you need to! The garlic turns into a paste after roasting (or air frying garlic), so it thoroughly infuses the cream cheese and has a mellow garlic flavor. I only add a pinch of salt and pepper here to really let it shine through.
Chive & Onion Cream Cheese
Yes, chive and onion are among the standards you can buy premade at the store. But I guarantee they aren’t using fresh chives! Chive cream cheese is great since you can just snip them from your windowsill garden and pop them in. Besides bagels, I might even dip some chips in here before setting it back in the fridge.
Recipe tips
- Watch Out For Salt: Especially with the vegan cream cheese varieties, double-check for any added salt before you add any more.
- Switch it Up: These are all just really basic ideas. No strawberries? Try raspberries! Instead of passionfruit, try a mango puree! The options are endless here.
How To Make Flavored Cream Cheese
Ingredients
Base
- 8 oz cream cheese
Flavor (choose one)
- Strawberry: ½ cup finely diced strawberries, 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
- Chipotle Pepper: 3 finely chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, ¼ tsp salt
- Passion Fruit: ¼ cup passion fruit pulp or puree, 2 Tbsp powdered sugar
- Roasted Garlic: 6 cloves roasted garlic, pinch each black pepper and salt
- Chive & Onion: ¼ cup finely chopped chives, ½ tsp onion powder, ½ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Prep: Allow cream cheese to sit out until it is room temperature and soft.
- Puree: Transfer cream cheese to a food processor and blitz until it is creamy and whipped. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
- Assemble: Choose your cream cheese flavor, then add all of those ingredients to the mixing bowl. Fold together using a rubber spatula until evenly mixed.
- Serve: Best if chilled in the fridge for an hour before serving to allow flavors to blend together and cream cheese to firm up.
Notes
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
The BEST flavor of all for cream cheese is ginger! You can shred crystalized ginger and beat it into the cheese. Leave it overnight to meld the flavour
YUM! I’ll have to try that! 😀
Those flavored cream cheese recipes are perfect for my palate, thank you so much!
I’m so happy to hear it, Erlinda! Enjoy! 😀
I’m going to adapt my crab dip recipe. Imitation crab, grated onion and a couple splashes of chili pepper water for kick.