Jalapeño Cream Cheese
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Soft, creamy, and loaded with terrific flavors, this jalapeño cream cheese is always a huge hit! It’s super easy, low-budget, and can be made in advance. Serve it with breadsticks, veggies, crackers, or your favorite dippers!
Published on February 2023 /Updated on Nov 2024
With the holidays just around the corner, I feel like now is probably the right time to re-share my easy jalapeño cream cheese dip, the perfect party dip for any time of year.
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The first time I tried it, I was instantly hooked by its irresistible creamy, bright, spicy blend. After making it a few more times, I just loved it.
It’s not fancy, not so impressive. It’s not anything you’ve never heard of. But I’m just regularly making it because it’s really simple … and REALLY GOOD.
The best part? The prep time is minimal, and it’s an absolute breeze to make in just 5 minutes from start to finish: blend cream cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, olive oil, seasoning (Hello, pantry staples!), and the amazing jalapeño peppers, and you’re done!
Your delicious jalapeño cream cheese is ready, creamy, and perfect for entertaining.
Serve it with chips, veggies, bread, breadsticks, nachos, or your favorite crispy dippers. And if you feel like making a double batch while you’re at it, I can vouch that it tastes great as a spread on sandwiches, burritos, bagels, and it keeps well in the fridge, too.
There are so many reasons to make this dip!
List of the ingredients
- Jalapeño peppers
- Cream Cheese
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt & pepper
- Herbs (optional)
How to make Jalapeño cream cheese
(Note: this is a quick description; the full recipe is at the bottom of the page)
- Cut off the stem ends and halve the jalapeños.
- Remove the seeds, set aside, and slice the jalapeños.
Note: the chemical that gives jalapeños heat is concentrated in their seeds and ribs. To lower the heat, scrape out and discard seeds and inner ribs, or keep some seeds with the rest of the jalapeños if you like a touch of heat. It comes down to personal preference.
Equipment you’ll need
- Place all the ingredients into a food processor – except for the jalapeños – and blend until smooth. You can also use a high-powered blender, but a food processor or a mini chopper is easier to use here.
- Add the jalapeño peppers (and part of the seeds if you want some heat), and pulse again until blended and well combined. I like to keep the tiny jalapeño bits, but you can blend them until the dip turns green. It’s more a visual thing, it is totally up to you!
- Taste and adjust the seasoning and heat level by adding more seeds to your cream cheese mixture, if desired.
- Transfer the jalapeño cream cheese to a serving bowl, garnish with chopped cilantro, chives, or seeds (I love using everything but bagels from Trader’s Joe!), and serve with your favorite dippers. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Jalapeno cream cheese ingredients
Jalapeño peppers: Fresh jalapeños are the way to go for the best flavor.
When you buy jalapeños, remember that chiles without striations are usually less hot than red or green ones with many white stretch marks.
Cream cheese: This is the base of this hot, creamy dip. I use Philadelphia soft cream cheese, my favorite. But the recipe works with spreadable or block cream cheese, low-fat or whole-fat—although full-fat cream cheese makes for the best-textured results. It’s your preference.
Onion and garlic powder: These flavor enhancers keep well in the fridge, which is very convenient if you decide to make this jalapeño cream cheese ahead of time.
Extra virgin olive oil: I might sound strange, but instead of using condiments such as mayonnaise, which is rich in saturated fat, I love using a touch of extra virgin olive oil for flavor, texture, and health benefits. I’m obsessed with it.
Salt & pepper: for flavor. Make sure you adjust the seasoning to your taste.
Herbs: I love adding fresh chives to the mixture and a sprinkle of Everything but bagel seasoning on top, but it’s totally optional.
How long does it keep?
It keeps well for up to 5 days in the refrigerator, stored in an airtight container, so it’s perfect if you plan to make it ahead. I do not recommend freezing it since dairy tends to break or split once thawed, and you don’t want weird textures here.
More appetizer recipes for you!
If you are looking for appetizers or party food recipes, check out these collections of vegan appetizers, delicious party food ideas, terrific Italian appetizers, dairy-free appetizers, or easy vegetarian appetizers.
And if you love cream cheese…
These amazing recipes are perfect to turn your cream cheese leftovers into an amazing meal:
- Cream cheese pasta
- Creamy penne pasta
- Tomato pasta sauce with cream cheese
- Cream cheese pizza
- Creamy spinach tomato pasta
- Spinach pasta
- Cream cheese sandwich
- Sun-dried tomato cream cheese
If you make this jalapeño cream cheese or have any questions, just let me know in the comments or rate the recipe. I would love to hear from you!
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Jalapeño Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 2-3 Jalapeños
- 1 cup (225 gr/8oz) cream cheese
- ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ – ½ teaspoon fine salt, or to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- fresh or dried chives or cilantro, to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Wash and cut off the stem ends of the jalapeños. Halve the jalapeño lengthwise, remove the seeds, and slice the peppers (Note: if you prefer a hot dipping sauce, keep the seeds and add them gradually until you reach the right heat. When I prefer it slightly hot, I add only 20% of the seeds to the rest of the ingredients).
- Place the cream cheese, onion powder, garlic powder, olive oil, salt (start with ¼ tsp of fine salt), and pepper in a food processor and blend until creamy and fluffy.
- Add the sliced jalapeño peppers to the rest of the ingredients (along with some seeds if you like a touch of heat), and pulse again until the peppers are blended and well combined. I usually stop before the cream cheese turns green.
- Taste and check seasoning and heat. You might want to add more salt or spiciness. In this case, add more seeds and blend again. This jalapeño cream cheese dip is very forgivable; you can easily adjust it to your taste.
- Serve in a small bowl with your favorite dippers, or transfer to a glass container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Enjoy.
