Sun Dried Tomato Cream Cheese
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With just a few simple ingredients, you can whip up this delicious sun dried tomato cream cheese that is bursting with flavour and deliciously creamy.
A great crowd-pleaser ready in 10 minutes!
I have tons of great appetizers for any occasion, from Italian appetizers to party food ideas and vegetarian appetizers that please everybody. But this savoury dip in particular is one that you can make ahead or throw it together in a pinch, even if you’re short on time.
And it’s unexpectedly wonderful.
To start, blitz the sun dried tomatoes with fresh basil and some of the infused oil from their jar to make a rich and savoury paste – we want plenty of sun dried tomatoes to maximise their flavor!
Then combine this vibrant paste with the whipped cream cheese. Mix these ingredients thoroughly until you get dip with a fluffy and smooth texture. And you’re done.
The best part? it’s absolutely delicious, and it tastes even better as it sits.
You’ll love how the rich creaminess of the cheese is balanced by the tangy sweetness of the sun-dried tomatoes. The texture! The flavor!
And it pairs perfectly with crackers, chips, or fresh veggies. It’s also a great spread for bagels or sandwiches!
Whether you’re hosting a party or looking for a delicious snack, this sun dried tomato cream cheese is sure to be a hit. Make it ahead of time, and enjoy!
List of the ingredients
- Cream cheese
- Sun dried tomatoes in oil
- Fresh basil
- salt & pepper
How to make Sun dried tomato cream cheese
(Note: this is simply a quick explanation, the full recipe is at the bottom of the page)
- Blend the sun dried tomatoes with fresh basil and 1 Tbsp of the oil from the jar. Or you can use 1/4 cup of this delicious sun dried tomato paste.
- Using a whisker or an electric beater, beat the cream cheese until fluffy.
- Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until well combined and smooth. That’s it.
- But if time allows, make it ahead and refrigerate for at least a couple hours to let the flavors to mingle.
- Serve with breadsticks, crostini, black pepper focaccia, tortilla chips, crudités or use as a spread for bagels or delicious sandwiches like this one!
Recipe notes
Ingredients for sun dried tomato cream cheese
Another short-list-ingredient recipe for you:
Sun dried tomatoes: I use juicy sun dried tomatoes in oil for this recipe and I blend them with their oil which is usually infused with their flavor plus herbs and a touch of garlic. If you have sun dried tomato leftovers, try this pizza!
Cream cheese: the cream cheese works as a blank canvas that brings its deliciously rich cream texture. I used Philadelphia cream cheese. And if you have cheese leftovers to use up, check out this collection of recipes!
Fresh basil: it adds fresh aromatic notes, but you can use either 1/2 teaspoon of dried basil or 1/4 teaspoon of dried oregano.
Salt & pepper: make sure you adjust the seasoning to your taste.
Garlic? No garlic this time. Although I love garlic, for this recipe I preferred to leave the pungent flavor of the garlic out and let the tangy and sweet sun dried tomatoes shine.
How long does it keep?
This sun dried tomato cream cheese dip keeps well for up to 5 days in the refrigerator, stored in an airtight container, so it’s perfect if you make it ahead. But I do not recommend freezing it.
More quick and easy dips?
Check out these versatile 20+ dip sauce recipes!
Below a few of my favs:
- Jalapeño cream cheese dip
- Herbed whipped ricotta
- Green olive tapenade
- Mint yogurt sauce
- Beetroot hummus
- Carrot hummus
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
- Cream cheese muffins
If you make this sun dried tomato cream cheese, or if you 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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Sun Dried Tomato Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- ½ cup (approx 70 gr) Oil-packed sun dried tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon infused oil from the jar (or e.v.o. oil)
- 10 basil leaves (or ½ scant tsp dried basil)
- ½ cup (100 grams) cream cheese
- salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Firstly, slightly drain the sun dried tomatoes before you measure the quantity. You can pick them up from the jar using a fork, it's fine.
- Using a small food processor, blitz the sun dried tomatoes, basil leaves and 1 tablespoon of the oil from the jar until finely chopped.
- In a bowl, whisk or beat the cream cheese until soft and fluffy. Stir in the sun dried tomato paste and mix until well combined and fluffy. Taste and adjust the seaoning (I use about ¼ tsp of fine salt and pepper to taste) and mix again throughly.
- Serve it in a bowl along with tortilla chips, toasted pita bread, crackers, breadsticks or crudities. If you make it ahead, store it in airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. Enjoy!
