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.
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!
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.
Ingredients to make Smoked Cream Cheese
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.
- 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 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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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Smoked Cream Cheese
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.
Lisa says
OMG that looks amazing!!