30+ Cream Cheese Recipes

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Wondering what you can do with a tub of cream cheese? Check out these simple easy cream cheese recipes to make scrumptious meals and decadent desserts. No matter how you like your cream cheese, I have a recipe for you.

Published Jan 2023/updated Feb, 2024

Top view of a small blue bowl full of sweet cream cheese recipe.

Cream cheese is not only used to top bagels and to make cheesecakes. The smooth, mild cream cheese is highly versatile and works beautifully in both sweet and savory dishes.

You can stir it through delicious spaghetti to smooth out sauces, or you can whip up a quick yet decadent treat.

Cream cheese adds plenty of dreamy, creamy goodness to pretty much everything!

It’s also convenient and economical and keeps well in the fridge for about 10 days, making it a terrific staple to keep on hand at all times. It’s absolutely perfect for a quick, delicious family meal.

If you have a brick or a tub of cream cheese in your refrigerator right now, make the most of it with one of these delicious cream cheese recipes, and each is as good as the last.

Now, let’s dig in and enjoy!

Cream Cheese Recipes

Different types of cream cheese

There are many types of this convenient, inexpensive soft cheese: brick, soft, fat-free brick, fat-free soft, light soft, and whipped, with added flavors such as chives, onion, cinnamon, and more.

But what you’ll surely notice is that cream cheese can be sold in blocks or tubes.

The first one is thicker, and it’s what you need to make cream cheese frostings or cheesecakes. The second one is easily spreadable and perfect for pasta recipes and bagels. If you’re based in the UK, you can only get the spreadable option, not the block.

Fancy to make your homemade version? I’ve found a clever recipe to make your cheese at home; check this out!

Loved cream cheese recipes?

If you’ve enjoyed this collection of cream cheese recipes, you might be interested in more ideas about how to use up ingredients that you might have in your fridge or pantry. Below, you’ll find a few helpful roundups:

If you try and love one of these cream cheese recipes, or if you have any questions, let me know in the comment below. I would love to hear from you!

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30+ Cream Cheese Recipes

Wondering what you can do with a tub of cream cheese? Check out these simple, easy cream cheese recipes to make scrumptious meals and decadent desserts like this easy, sweet cream cheese dip that comes together in less than 5 minutes and tastes delicious. It makes a fabulous no-bake dessert perfect for serving with fresh fruit, cookies, or cakes.
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Dessert
Keyword: sweet cream cheese
Servings: 4
Author: Katia

Ingredients

  • 8 oz (225 grams) full-fat cream cheese (I used Philadelphia)
  • ½ cup (60 grams) powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon milk (optional)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • pinch of salt

Instructions

  • Sift the sugar: Place a fine-mesh sieve over a large bowl, add the powdered sugar into the sieve, and gently tap the side until all of the sugar dust is thoroughly sifted into the bowl. You want to remove lumps.
  • Whip all the ingredients: place all the ingredients into a large bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer on a low speed until the sugar is incorporated into the mix, then increase the speed and beat for at least 1 minute or until the cream cheese looks fluffy and ultra-creamy. You can also use a balloon whisk, but you must beat vigorously, which takes longer.
  • Serve: use a spatula to scrape the sweet cream cheese from the mixing bowl and pour it into a small bowl. Make a few fancy swirls on top using the back of a dessert spoon and serve with fresh berries, summer fruit, cookies, cakes, and more. Enjoy!

Notes

Storage: this sweet cream cheese dip keeps well refrigerated in an airtight container for about 5 days. That means you can make it ahead.
I don’t recommend freezing it.

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