Smoked Cream Cheese
Smoked Cream Cheese Recipe – This smokey, gooey cream cheese loaded with flavor is perfectly dippable. Get ready for an easy party appetizer and dip ingredient that will please every palate. 😋
This recipe is practically magic, my friend. You take a humble block of cream cheese, rub it down with spices and seasonings, and toss it in the smoker. Voila, you’ve got an easy appetizer that’s just as gorgeous as delicious. I wish all fancy party appetizers were this easy!
You can smoke cream cheese as sweet or savory (more on that later), giving you plenty of options for serving. Depending on your flavor profile, you can serve it with veggie dippers, crackers, tortilla chips, or anything else you love to dip!
How to Customize Smoked Cream Cheese
To customize smoked cream cheese, simply change up the spices. I’ve included instructions for a sweet cream cheese smoked with cinnamon sugar, but you can use just about any dry spices. Your favorite BBQ rub, taco seasoning, and bagel seasoning are all excellent options.
You can also season cream cheese with sweet or savory sauces! Barbeque sauce, fruit compotes, hot sauce, etc. There are so many ways to flavor this smoked cream cheese to your liking. Serve smoked cream cheese dip with bagel chips, tortilla chips,
Recipe Ingredients
- Cream Cheese – You can use any block or cream cheese for this. That said, get you a full-fat cream cheese for a richer dip. You’ll thank me later. 🤩
- Cinnamon Sugar – As you may have imagined, this blend involves cinnamon, sugar, and just a touch of salt. 😜
How to Make Smoked Cream Cheese
Make the Cinnamon Sugar
- Cinnamon Sugar – Mix the sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Store your mixture in an airtight container until ready to use it. (Photos 1-2)
Prep and Smoke the Cream Cheese
- Prep Cream Cheese – Line an aluminum tray or cast iron skillet with foil. Set aside. Remove the cream cheese from its package and gently pat it dry with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture. (Photo 3)
- Season It – Place the brick of cream cheese on the prepared tray and score the top surface with a knife, making shallow cuts in a crosshatch pattern about ¼-⅓ inch deep. Sprinkle your desired seasoning evenly over it, making sure it gets into the scored cuts and covers all sides. (Photo 4)
- Smoke – Place it in the smoker, close the lid, and let it smoke for 1-2 hours, or until the cream cheese has a nice smoky flavor and the score marks open up. (Photos 5-6)
- Serve – Remove from the smoker and let it cool slightly before serving. Once cool, transfer it to a serving tray with the aluminum foil.
Recipe Variations
- Sweet and spicy! Can’t decide between sweet or savory? Do both! Drizzle some maple syrup or hot honey over your savory dry rub for a complimentary hint of sweetness.
- Add a dash of heat. Brush the cream cheese with Buffalo sauce and smoke it for your next sports party. Serve it with crackers, celery, and carrot sticks.
- Skip the cinnamon. You can make smoked dessert cream cheese by coating the brick with just sugar! Even this simplified version of the recipe tastes great served with pear or apple slices, cinnamon pita chips, or cannoli shells.
- Creative touches. Smoked cream cheese makes for a deliciously creamy pasta sauce, is awesome for stuffing mini peppers, and tastes insanely good atop smoked burgers. Don’t limit your use of smoked cream cheese to just a party dip. 🙌
Tips and Tricks
- If you’re using a pellet grill, you can use hickory, apple, or cherry wood chips.
- If cooking for a crowd, make a few blocks of cream cheese and use a variety of seasonings to offer your guests options. One block of cream cheese will feed 4-6 people, so plan accordingly.
- Always score the cream cheese. It can be tempting not to, but scoring leaves a party-worthy pattern on top. Plus, it makes the cream cheese absorb more smokey flavor. 🤤
Make-Ahead Instructions
Since you can serve smoked cream cheese warm or cold, making ahead is a definite option. Feel free to make this a day or two before serving it. Refrigerate it in an airtight container, then take it out and serve as a cold spread when ready.
Serving and Storage Instructions
While this recipe can work beautifully as a cold spread, I like to serve it while it’s still warm and creamy, fresh off the smoker. Serve it with all your favorite dipping foods and watch it disappear.
Store leftover smoked cheese in the fridge for 3-5 days and use it as a cold spread or incorporate it into other dishes.
FAQs
Technically, you can. You can freeze your smoked cream cheese in an airtight container for up to three months. Just know that the texture might be slightly off when you thaw it out. To get that creamy, dippable texture back, put thawed cream cheese in a food processor or blender for a minute or two before serving.
This low and slow-cooking method infuses smokey goodness without turning the cream cheese into a puddle. Avoid cooking it at high temperatures, though, which might just melt it.
Yes. Keep it to 1-2 hours in the smoker. If you go longer than that, the smoke flavor could become acrid and overpowering. 😬
What Goes With Smoked Cream Cheese
Smoked cream cheese goes with just about anything that tastes good with dip. Try it with homemade pita chips, or spread it on grilled bread. You can also use it to top juicy smoked burgers with a side of grilled potato wedges or add it to your salmon burger.
More Smoked Delicacies to Try
- Sweet Smoked Pineapple
- Smoked Beef Tenderloin
- Savory Smoked Meatballs
- Pellet Grilled Lobster Tail
- Tri-Tip Sandwich
Conclusion
This creamy, smokey, dippable cream cheese is truly out of this world. I promise it will be your new go-to appetizer from here on out. Give it a shot, and let me know how it turned out for you in the comment section below. 😄
Smoked Cream Cheese
Equipment
- Pellet grill
- Wood chips (such as hickory, apple, pecan, or cherry)
Ingredients
- 2-3 8-ounce blocks cream cheese, softened
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons seasonings (Creole, taco, Italian, or your favorite seasoning)
- Crackers, vegetables, or bread for serving
Instructions
Cinnamon Sugar
- In a small bowl, mix sugar, cinnamon, and salt thoroughly. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
Smoked Cream Cheese
- Preheat your smoker to a low temperature, around 225°F (107°C). If using a pellet grill, hickory, apple, and cherry wood chips work great.
- Line an aluminum tray or cast iron skillet with foil paper and set aside.
- Remove the cream cheese blocks from their packages and gently pat them dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
- Place cream cheese on the prepared cooking pan. Score the surface with a knife, making shallow cuts in a crosshatch pattern about ¼-⅓ inch deep.
- Sprinkle your desired seasoning evenly over the cream cheese blocks, ensuring it gets into the scored cuts and covers all sides. If cooking for a crowd, using various seasonings offers your guests options.
- Place in the smoker, close the lid, and let it smoke for 1-2 hours or until the cream cheese has a nice smoky flavor and the score marks open up.
- Remove from the smoker and let them cool slightly before serving.
- Once cool, you can transfer them to a foil-lined serving tray.
Notes
- Use cold cream cheese or slightly chilled. This helps maintain its shape during the smoking process.
- Keep an eye on the cream cheese while it’s smoking to prevent it from becoming too soft or over-smoked. Start checking after an hour.
- If you’re using a pellet grill, you can use hickory, apple, or cherry wood chips.
- If cooking for a crowd, make a few blocks of cream cheese and use a variety of seasonings to offer your guests options. One block of cream cheese will feed 4-6 people, so plan accordingly.
- Always score the cream cheese. It can be tempting not to, but scoring leaves a party-worthy pattern on top. Plus, it makes the cream cheese absorb more smokey flavor.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
This recipe is amazing
Thanks for the recipe, it’s the best I’ve tried so far
Yay! Thanks so much for the feedback.