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These fun homemade cream cheese flavors taste irresistibly fresh! Make these recipes for lunches or a fancy brunch.
Hosting a bagel brunch, or need some ideas on how to step up lunches or snacks? Try these homemade cream cheese flavors! Sure, you can buy tubs at the store. But there’s something irresistibly fresh and craft about making custom deli-style cream cheese flavors at home. Make up a few different flavors for a killer bagel brunch spread, or use it as a veggie dip as an appetizer or snack. There are so many ways to use each one…and we can’t seem to pick a favorite.
And now…our top homemade cream cheese flavors!
First up in our top homemade cream cheese flavors: try homemade Herb Cream Cheese! It’s full of beautiful fresh flavor from bright green chives, dill and basil, punctuated by savory garlic. It’s absolutely worth making it at home, as it gives any appetizer tray a personal touch. Or, whip up a batch for sandwiches or bagels throughout the week!
Love a good sweet schmear on your bagel? Try this delightful homemade Strawberry Cream Cheese! The flavor is so much tastier than the kind you can find at the store. It’s bright and fruity, with just the right light amount of sweetness. Use it for slathering bagels or toast, or even as a dip for strawberries (yum!). Or, it’s great as part of a spread of homemade cream cheeses for a bagel brunch.
Here’s a fun homemade spread for snacks or dipping: Veggie Cream Cheese! Make this spread with fresh vegetables and it tastes even more incredible than the store-bought variety. You can use it as a spread for bagels or bread, or as a dip for vegetable sticks! It’s a great idea for kids, and you can even freeze it for use in lunch boxes.
What’s better than cream cheese on a bagel? Whipped cream cheese! This light, fluffy version of the common spread is even easier to spread on bagels and toast, with a rich, luxurious texture. You can buy it at the store, but you can also try it homemade! Make it at home and you can add fun seasonings to make different flavor variations.
What’s better than the tangy, sweet flavor of blueberry cream cheese? This fruity spread is deliciously satisfying on a doughy bagel or a piece of toast. Did you know it’s simple to whip up a batch of homemade fruity cream cheese, and it tastes exponentially better than store-bought? You can make your own using fresh or frozen berries, or a shortcut version using blueberry jam.
Looking for a fancy spread for parties, or to add some pizzazz to your lunch? Try this Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese Spread! The flavor is bold, creamy, smoky, and herby all at once, and makes the ideal slather for bagels, sandwiches, toasts, and more. Serve it as part of bagel brunch spread, on toast for a light dinner, or on crackers as an easy lunch.
Whip up a batch homemade cinnamon cream cheese! This deli-style spread is cozy spiced, with just the right sweetness and warm flavor. It’s ultra simple to make at home, and you can use it as a bagel schmear, spread for toast, or a quick and easy dip for entertaining.
Try this homemade Chive Cream Cheese! This recipe brings the intense freshness of this bright green herb to the forefront, pairing it with garlic and onion for an unforgettably savory spread. It’s ideal for lunches throughout the week, or an impressive bagel brunch spread for a party.
Ways to serve these flavors
There are so many ways to use flavored cream cheese outside of the bagel schmear! Of course, making up a few flavors for a bagel brunch is the perfect way to use them. But here are a few ideas outside of the bagel:
- Spread on toast
- Use for sandwiches
- Dip for pretzels, crackers or chips
- Veggie dip (for savory flavors)
- Fruit dip (for sweet flavors)
- Graham cracker dip (for sweet flavors)
More cream cheese recipes
Love this rich and luxurious cheese? Us too. Here are a few more recipes using cream cheese:
- Try Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins or Strawberry Muffins
- Go for classic Taco Dip
- Mix up a Smoked Salmon Sandwich or Smoked Salmon & Cucumber Appetizer
- Opt for Easy Pinwheels
8 Cream Cheese Flavors!
These fun homemade cream cheese flavors taste irresistibly fresh! Make them up for lunches or a fancy brunch. See below for Veggie Cream Cheese, or go to Chive Cream Cheese, Strawberry Cream Cheese, Herb Cream Cheese, Whipped Cream Cheese, Cinnamon Cream Cheese, or Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings (2 tablespoons each) 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Food Processor
- Cuisine: Spread
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 medium carrot or 1/2 large carrot
- 1/4 red bell pepper
- 2 green onions
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Optional add in: 1 handful fresh herbs (chives, dill, basil, or other)*
Instructions
- Peel and cut the carrot into 1-inch chunks. Roughly chop the dark and light green parts of the green onion into chunks. Cut the ¼ red pepper into chunks.
- Place the veggies (and fresh herb add-ins, if using) in a food processor and pulse until chopped. Add the cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, dried dill, garlic powder, and salt. Taste and add another pinch of salt (we like to add ⅛ teaspoon more). Dip with veggies or spread on bagels. Refrigerate 1 week, or freeze in dollops on a baking sheet, then transfer the dollops to a sealed container (you can place them right into lunch boxes and they defrost over a few hours).
Notes
*Fresh tender herbs are delicious here, like basil, chives, dill, cilantro, parsley, chopped thyme or oregano. See also Herb Cream Cheese.
Let us know if you have any questions!