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There’s nothing better than homemade herb cream cheese! Packed with fresh herbs, it’s an easy appetizer or spread for bagels.
Sure, you can buy herb cream cheese at the store. But for the very best flavor, try this homemade herb cream cheese! It’s full of fresh, herbaceous flavor from bright green chives, dill and basil, punctuated by savory garlic.
I find this recipe absolutely worth making it at home: it gives any appetizer tray a personal touch, or you can whip up a batch for sandwiches or bagels throughout the week! It’s great on a Smoked Salmon Sandwich or as a dip for crackers. (In fact, it reminds me both of Boursin and the Rondele cheese spread my grandma always served!)
5 Star Reader Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Great recipe! I used fresh herbs and eyeballed the measurements, and chose the whipped method. Perfect for an Herby Turkey Sandwich!” -Whitney
Ingredients in Herb Cream Cheese
This herb cream cheese is full of bright, fresh homemade flavors from fresh chives and dill. It’s best in the summer when herbs abound, but that doesn’t stop us from making it in the dead of winter! It can be expensive to buy fresh herbs in the winter, so you may only want to use one type of herb here: that’s okay! It tastes delicious no matter what you use. The ingredients you’ll need are:
- Cream cheese: Use a full-fat block of cream cheese, not the whipped tub kind
- Fresh herbs: Chives, dill, or basil are my favorite here. Parsley and oregano work too (just use less oregano because it can be very strong fresh). See more notes below!
- Garlic powder: It distributes evenly and isn’t quite as strong as fresh garlic
- Dried dill: The dried herb brings the savory notes; don’t just use fresh.
- Greek yogurt, sour cream, or milk (optional): These are optional if you want a more spreadable texture
The Best Herbs to Use (And Easy Substitutions)
A few notes on the herbs to use for herb cream cheese! Fresh herbs can be pricey in the winter, so here are some tricks to make this spread simpler:
- If you’re using just one herb, use chives. So you don’t have to buy separate packages, just use chives! It tastes great too.
- Grow herbs in the summer. They’re simple to grow in pots so cost effective! See How to Grow Herbs.
- Use only dried herbs. Substitute ½ teaspoon dried oregano and ½ teaspoon dried basil for the fresh herbs: it tastes different but still good!
- Either way: don’t omit the dried dill. It’s worth buying for your pantry and it completes the herbaceous flavor.
How to Soften Cream Cheese Fast
It’s impossible to stir fresh herbs into cold cream cheese, so here are two methods I like to use depending on how much time I have:
- Counter method: Leave the block at room temperature for about 1 hour.
- Microwave method: Set the block on a plate, microwave 5 seconds, flip, microwave 5 more seconds. Add a few seconds at a time if needed.
How to Make Fluffier, Spreadable Herb Cream Cheese
This herb cream cheese is fantastic with just cream cheese, herbs and seasonings. The texture comes out similar to regular cream cheese: pretty solid. So if you want it to be fluffier or more spreadable, here are a few options:
- Add a few tablespoons milk, sour cream or Greek yogurt. This softens it to a more spreadable texture. Add as much as you need to get it to the texture you’d like! If you’re using it more like a dip, you may want it on the softer side (like Rondele cheese spread!).
- Make whipped cream cheese. You can also make whipped cream cheese: place the cream cheese in a food processor with 1 tablespoon milk and whip until it’s fluffy. Then add the chopped herbs and pulse until combined!
Herb Cream Cheese vs. Boursin
What’s the difference here? Both are delicious, of course. But boursin is a fresh French cow’s milk cheese that’s whipped and seasoned with garlic and herbs (the style is called Gournay cheese). Herb cream cheese is simply cream cheese with herbs mixed in.
Boursin is fluffier and tangier, and homemade herb cream cheese is denser and milder. But this cream cheese would work as a swap for Boursin, especially if you make whipped cream cheese first.
Ways to Serve Herb Cream Cheese
There are infinite ideas for serving herb cream cheese! Here are some of our favorite ways:
- Sandwiches like this smoked salmon sandwich
- Bagels like with smoked salmon and capers
- Cracker dip with crackers or crostini
- Veggie dip with carrots, celery or bell peppers
- Toast with veggie toppings, as an easy lunch
Storage Tips
Store herb cream cheese in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. I don’t recommend freezing this herb cream cheese since the herbs can become slimy and the cheese can separate. See my guide on can you freeze cream cheese?
Dietary Notes
This herb cream cheese recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free.
Herb Cream Cheese
There’s nothing better than homemade herb cream cheese! Packed with fresh herbs, it’s an easy appetizer or spread for bagels.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup (8 2 tablespoon servings) 1x
- Category: Essentials
- Method: Mixed
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup chopped chives, or half chives and half fresh basil or dill
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 to 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt or sour cream or ½ tablespoon milk, to soften (optional)
Instructions
- Make sure the cream cheese is softened. Leave it out at room temperature for 1 hour, or place it on a plate in the microwave, cook 5 seconds, flip over the block of cheese and cook another 5 seconds. (If it’s not room temperature at this point, cook another few seconds, but err on the conservative side.)
- Chop the herbs. Mix everything together in a bowl, adding a little Greek yogurt, milk or sour cream 1 tablespoon at a time if you’d like a fluffier, more spreadable texture (we used 1 tablespoon Greek yogurt).
- Whipped alternative: Make whipped cream cheese by adding ½ tablespoon milk and whipping the cream cheese in a food processor or stand mixer. Then add the chopped herbs and pulse until combined.
Notes
*You can use any mix of fresh herbs you like, to total ¼ cup. Oregano and thyme also work well. Make it simpler and use just chives for the most economical choice. Make sure to still use the dried dill to complete the herbaceous flavor. You can also substitute ½ teaspoon dried oregano and ½ teaspoon dried basil for the fresh herbs: it tastes different but still good!
More Cheesy Dips and Spreads
- Try homemade cream cheese flavors like Veggie, Chive, Cinnamon, Strawberry, Blueberry, or Whipped Cream Cheese
- Opt for Whipped Cottage Cheese or Cottage Cheese Dip
- Try Whipped Ricotta or Whipped Feta Dip
Great recipe! I used fresh herbs and eyeballed the measurements, and chose the whipped method. Perfect for an Herby Turkey Sandwich!
Is it ready to eat immediately or is it better if it flavors thru for a while?
It’s good right away! The flavors are very incorporated.
Let us know if you have any questions!
How long does the herbed cream cheese keep in the refrigerator if I use fresh herbs?
3 to 5 days!