This deli-style whipped cream cheese is light, fluffy, perfectly spreadable, and delicious plain or customized just about any way you can imagine it! Keep scrolling after the recipe to learn more!
Deli-Style Whipped Cream Cheese
Description
Light, fluffy, and perfectly spreadable, after you make this deli-style whipped cream cheese at home, you may never go back to buying it at the store!
Ingredients
16 ounces cream cheese (full-fat; if you use light cream cheese, it will fall apart), slightly softened (leave it out of the fridge for about 30 minutes)
1 1/2 tablespoons sparkling water
See instructions below for variations
Instructions
Place the cream cheese blocks in the stand of your stand mixer. Using the wire whisk attachment, beat on the highest speed possible for a total of about 5 minutes. During the first few minutes, you will need to stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Eventually, it will start to be light and airy and look like frosting.
Add the sparkling water and continue beating for about 20 seconds. If desired, add mix-ins (see below). Immediately transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving. Store in the fridge up to 3 days.
Notes
Chive-onion cream cheese
4 tablespoons minced chives
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1 clove minced garlic
garlic-herb cream cheese
2 cloves minced garlic
3 tablespoons minced fresh dill or 1 1/2 teaspoons dry dill
2 tablespoons minced green onions
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
veggie cream cheese
2 tablespoons minced red onion
2 tablespoons minced or shredded carrot
2 tablespoons minced red or green bell pepper
1 tablespoon minced parsley
cranberry cream cheese
2 tablespoons jellied cranberry sauce
3 tablespoons chopped Craisins
Optional: 1-2 teaspoons orange zest
Cinnamon-Raisin Cream cheese
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped raisins
2 tablespoons chopped, toasted walnuts or pecans (optional)
2 tablespoons honey
pesto
2-3 tablespoons pesto
jalapeño
1 large jalapeño, seeded and minced (you can add some seeds back in for heat if you’d like)
1 clove garlic
Optional: 1 teaspoon lime zest
Have you ever noticed that foods you loved when you were younger just aren’t the same when you get older? As a kid and teenager, I probably could have singlehandedly kept the flavored cream cheese industry in business. Over the last few years, however, either the cream cheese has changed or I have. The texture feels kind of slimy and plastic-y (for lack of a better adjective) and I have a hard time finding my beloved whipped chive onion cream cheese.
Luckily, it’s super easy to make your own deli-style whipped cream cheese at home, just like the schmears you used to get at bagel shops in the ’90s when bagels and Snackwells were health food. You can leave this perfectly fluffy, spreadable concoction plain or add in your favorite mix-ins (I’ve included some of my favorites). I store it in these deli containers–a 16 ounce container will more or less hold one whole recipe, or you can split the flavors into the smaller 8-ounce containers.
How to Make Your Own Whipped Cream Cheese
You’ll need 2 8-ounce packages of slightly softened full-fat cream cheese (I’m not typically a brand snob, but Philadelphia is the gold standard. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any when I made this.) You’ll also need a tiny bit of sparkling water (use the rest for Italian sodas or soak your apples in it to keep them from going brown!) and any flavor mix-ins. I know it sounds weird to add sparkling water, but it helps make (and keep) your whipped cream cheese light, fluffy, and spreadable, even after it’s been in the fridge.
Place the cream cheese blocks in the stand of your stand mixer. Using the wire whisk attachment, beat on the highest speed possible for a total of about 5 minutes. During the first few minutes, you will need to stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Eventually, it will start to be light and airy and look like frosting.
Add the sparkling water and continue beating for about 20 seconds. If desired, add mix-ins (see below).
Immediately transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving.
Store in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Spread on toasted bagels, use it to make tortilla pinwheels, or with this cream cheese and veggie toast.
Oops. I see now. Helps keep it light and fluffy. But how does it do that? Would something like heavy cream work the same way?
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sure, you could definitely just add in another type of liquid!
Very informational! Thanks! I do wonder though, why sparkling water? For flavor? For preservatives?
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I love this taste and so do my children! Thanks for sharing!
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This sounds amazing and I’m imagining raspberry or strawberry flavored cream cheese by using freeze dried berries. Think it would work?
I think that would work great! I use freeze dried berries in things like whipped cream all the time so I think it would be good in cream cheese. If you try it out, let us know!