Smoked Cream Cheese Recipe

If you’ve never tried Smoked Cream Cheese you don’t know what you’ve been missing. Try this recipe once and you’ll be hooked for life.

If you’re looking for something different to serve as an appetizer or snack, smoked cream cheese is where it’s at. Prep work is almost non-existent and you only need to smoke it for about an hour. It’s seriously one of the easiest recipes you’ll ever make on your smoker.

Plus, your guests will be blown away by how delicious it is. You can serve smoked cream cheese warm right off the smoker or make it ahead of time and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.

How To Make Smoked Cream Cheese

Start with an 8 ounce block of cream cheese. Philadelphia cream cheese is the gold standard but the store brand stuff works just fine.

Step 1: Score the cream cheese

Grab a sharp knife and score the top of the cream cheese in a crosshatch pattern. Go about ¼ inch deep on each cut.

You can skip this step if you want, but it really helps make a stunning presentation. Plus it allows the smoke and seasonings to penetrate deeper into the cheese.

Step 2: Season the cream cheese

For an 8 ounce bar of cream cheese you’ll need about two tablespoons of your favorite seasoning or barbecue rub (I actually like to use my chicken wing dry rub!) Sprinkle it evenly all over the top and be sure to get plenty on the sides as well.

What’s really fun when smoking cream cheese is that you can be creative and try all sorts of different seasonings. Scroll down a bit to see some suggested flavor profiles you can try.

Some people like to coat the cheese with olive oil or mustard before applying the seasoning. Their thinking is that the liquid will serve as a binder and help keep the seasoning from falling off. But in my experience, cream cheese is already pretty sticky and there’s really no need to use a binder. Just look at the pictures in this article and you can see there’s plenty of seasoning even though I didn’t use anything at all as a binder.

Pro tip – If you have trouble getting the block of cream cheese out of it’s foil packaging, pop it in the freezer for 5 or 10 minutes. It won’t freeze but it will harden up enough to make it easier to handle.

Step 3: Smoke cream cheese for 60 minutes

Set up your smoker or pellet grill for low heat. You want to keep the temperature around 200 F to 225 F. If you’re using a pellet grill you can just set the temperature and let it go. If you’re using charcoal you’ll have to carefully manage the temperature so it doesn't get too hot.

You can place the cream cheese on a baking sheet or rack covered in foil, but I like to put the cheese right in a cast iron pan and place the whole pan in the smoker. When it’s finished smoking I just serve it right in the pan.

You can use pretty much any kind of wood to smoke cream cheese. I’m partial to apple wood myself, but cherry, oak, hickory, or pecan will work just as well.

Let the cream cheese smoke for about 60 minutes. If you want some extra smokiness you can let it go up to 2 hours, but I wouldn’t recommend smoking any longer than that. And if you’re short on time, smoked cream cheese will still be really good in just a half hour.

Remove it from the smoker and top with any additional flavors like marmalade, hot honey, or sliced jalapenos. I like to drizzle some sweet chili sauce on the one with barbecue rub.

What To Serve With Smoked Cream Cheese

Smoked cream cheese is a perfect appetizer for a BBQ party. It’s also a great option for brunch or a snack while you watch the big game. It’s super versatile and can be served with a number of different foods.

• Bagels – Many people like to spread cream cheese on their bagels. Smoke some cream cheese first to really kick things up a notch. Just try an everything bagel topped with cream cheese smoked with everything bagel seasoning…incredible!
• Homemade Bagel Chips - Easy to make with day old bagels
• Crackers - Ritz crackers and Triscuit crackers are some of my favorites
• Crudité – Cut up some raw cucumber, carrot, celery, broccoli, and red peppers and build little veggie platter so guests can dip in the smoked cream cheese.
• Tortilla Chips – Smoke cream cheese with Mexican seasoning and serve with tortilla chips.
• Pretzels and Chips – You can’t go wrong with the old standards!

Flavor Profiles to Try

• BBQ Smoked Cream Cheese with Apricot Preserves - Rub with my sweet and smoky dry rub and then drizzle with some sweet apricot preserves
• Everything Bagel Smoked Cream Cheese - Season with a healthy dose of everything bagel seasoning and serve with some homemade bagel chips.
• BBQ Smoked Cream Cheese with Sweet Chili Glaze - Season with barbecue dry rub, drizzle with sweet chili sauce, and garnish with green onion slices.
• Mediterranean Smoked Cream Cheese - Coat the cream cheese block with italian seasoning. Drizzle on some extra virgin olive oil and top with olives and sun-dried tomatoes.
• Taco Smoked Cream Cheese - Season with taco seasoning and top with jalopeno slices. Serve with tortilla chips or Fritos
• Buffalo Smoked Cream Cheese - Coat with buffalo flavored dry rub, then drizzle with buffalo sauce and garnish with blue cheese crumbles and green onion slices. Serve with celery and carrot sticks

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to smoke cream cheese?

Smoke cream cheese for about 1 to 2 hours at 225 F.

How long is cream cheese good after smoking?

If stored in an airtight container, smoked cream cheese will stay good in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. You can also freeze it and it will stay good for about 3 months.

How do you reheat smoked cream cheese?

To reheat smoked cream cheese quickly, place it in the microwave and heat for about 30 to 60 seconds. You can also let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or serve it cold right out of the fridge.

Can smoked cream cheese be left out overnight?

Smoked or unsmoked, cream cheese should not be left out of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours. If it’s outside any longer than that it will spoil, especially if it is sitting in the sun.