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Home » Recipes » Appetizers

Smoked Cream Cheese

Published: Jul 23, 2024 by Chef Ryan Littley

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Smoked cream cheese is easy to make and loaded with flavor. Creamy and rich with a hint of smoke flavor, it’s the perfect appetizer for family get-togethers, Sunday brunch, game day, or just to treat yourself to deliciousness.

Smoked cream cheese with chips, toasts and celery on a white platter.


 

The rich, savory flavor makes smoked cream cheese a must-try, and I guarantee it will become one of your go-to dips. It’s perfect for every occasion, and the symphony of flavors will wow your family and friends.

For a special treat, try drizzling honey over the smoked cream cheese. The honey’s sweet flavor, contrasting with the spices and smoke, will rock your world!

Whipped smoked cream cheese on a white plate with. chips and celery.

Hot or cold, you’re going to love smoked cream cheese. If you’re serving it hot, it’s great right out of the smoker. For a delicious cold dip, whip it with an electric mixer, wire whip, or rubber spatula.

If you liked this recipe, make sure to check out our smoked queso dip and easy smoked salmon dip recipes.

Table of Contents:
  • Ingredients to make Smoked Cream Cheese
  • Can I use other seasonings to make Smoked Cream Cheese?
  • How to make Smoked Cream Cheese
  • What can I serve Smoked Cream Cheese with?
  • Recipe FAQ’s
  • More Recipes You’ll Love!
  • Recipe: Smoked Cream Cheese

Ingredients to make Smoked Cream Cheese

Ingredients to make the recipe.

Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make our easy smoked cream cheese recipe. In Chef Speak, this is called the Mise en Place, which translates into Everything in its Place.

Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

Can I use other seasonings to make Smoked Cream Cheese?

Absolutely. If you’d rather use a premade seasoning, some of my favorites are barbecue seasoning, cajun seasoning, Old Bay seasoning, jerk seasoning, Italian seasoning, taco seasoning, everything bagel seasoning, ranch seasoning, or any of your favorite seasonings.

You can also make a sweet version using a cinnamon brown sugar rub, serving it with Nutella, jams, melted chocolate, caramel sauce, lemon curd, or any of your favorite fruit toppings.

How to make Smoked Cream Cheese

  • Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees.
  • Add your favorite wood chips to the smoker. For this recipe, we used cherry wood chips.
Collage showing how to make the seasoning.
  • Add the brown sugar, Himalayan pink salt, black pepper, sweet paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper to a small bowl.
  • Mix the dry seasonings to thoroughly combine.
Collage showing how to made the recipe.
  • Using a sharp knife, slice a crosshatch pattern about ½ down into the block of cream cheese.
    *It’s important to keep the cream cheese very cold until you’re ready to slice and season.
  • Cover all sides of the cream cheese with the dry seasonings blend.
  • Place the seasoned cream cheese on a cooking sheet with a wire rack.
  • Place the baking sheet in the preheated smoker.
    *Depending on your flavor preference, smoke the cream cheese for 1 ½- 2 hours.

What can I serve Smoked Cream Cheese with?

Some of our favorites are tortilla chips, pita chips, bagel chips, melba toast, apple slices, carrot sticks, celery sticks, or any of your favorite crackers or chips.

Smoked cream cheese with chips, toasts and celery on a white platter.

After one taste, I know you’ll agree that smoked cream cheese is the ultimate party appetizer! The best part is that it takes minutes to prep with minimal clean-up.

Store any leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

Recipe FAQ’s

Should I serve smoked cream cheese hot or cold?

I prefer serving it hot; the creamy dip is perfect for chips, toast, or veggies. But it can also be whipped and served cold. It’s all a matter of preference.

What is the best temperature to smoke cream cheese?

Low and slow is always my preference, so I suggest 225 degrees F. But you can also use 250 degrees or 275 degrees for the smoking process.
I don’t recommend 275 degrees, but if you’re smoking other items, you can use that temperature. Smoking time will be about an hour at this temperature.

Can I use low-fat cream cheese?

I wouldn’t suggest it. The texture will not be as good, it will not be as creamy, and it won’t have the same rich flavor.

More Recipes You’ll Love!

  • Smoked Queso Dip with tortilla chips in a white bowl.
    Smoked Queso Dip
  • smoked salmon dip in a glass bowl.
    Best Smoked Salmon Dip Recipe
  • Smoked shotgun shells on a white platter.
    Smoked Shotgun Shells
  • Smoked trout dip in a clear glass bowl with a lemon peel and chopped parsley.
    Easy Smoked Trout Dip Recipe

Smoked cream cheese with chips, toasts and celery on a white platter.

Smoked Cream Cheese

Chef Ryan Littley
Creamy and rich with a hint of smoke flavor, Smoked Cream Cheese is the perfect appetizer for every occasion. From fancy dinner parties to game-day get-togethers it's guaranteed to wow your guests!
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 35 minutes mins
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories 214 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 8 oz full-fat cream cheese very cold
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon Himalayan pink salt or regular sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper -optional for a spicy addition

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees
  • Add your favorite wood chips to the smoker for this recipe we used cherry wood chips.
  • Add the brown sugar, Himalayan pink salt, black pepper, sweet paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper to a small bowl.
  • Mix the dry seasonings to thoroughly combine.
  • Using a sharp knife, slice a crossing pattern about ½ down into the block of cream cheese.
    It's important to keep the cream cheese very cold until you're ready to slice and season.
  • Cover all sides of the cream cheese with the dry seasonings blend.
  • Place the seasoned cream cheese on a cooking sheet with a wire rack.
  • Place the baking sheet with the cream cheese in the preheated smoker.
  • Depending on your smoke flavor preference, smoke the cream cheese for 1 ½- 2 hours.

Notes

*When first trying this recipe, we suggest you add wood chips to the smoke tube once and see how you like the taste. The cream cheese takes on a lot of the smoke flavor and should be varied according to your taste.
Can I use other seasonings to make Smoked Cream Cheese?
Absolutely. If you’d rather use a premade seasoning, some of my favorites are barbecue seasoning, cajun seasoning, Old Bay seasoning, jerk seasoning, Italian seasoning, taco seasoning, everything bagel seasoning, and ranch seasoning.
You can also make a sweet version using a cinnamon brown sugar rub, serving it with Nutella, jams, melted chocolate, caramel sauce, lemon curd, or any of your favorite fruit toppings.

Nutrition

Calories: 214kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 4gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 470mgPotassium: 97mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 938IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 61mgIron: 0.2mg
Tried this recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @askchefdennis or tag #askchefdennis!

Comments

    5 from 1 vote

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Lisa says

    July 23, 2024 at 8:20 am

    5 stars
    OMG that looks amazing!!

    Reply


My name is Chef Dennis Littley, creator and owner of Ask Chef Dennis Productions. As a classically trained chef with 40+ years of experience in the kitchen, I share my time-tested recipes, knowledge, and chef tips to help you create easy-to-make restaurant-quality meals in your home kitchen.

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