Cream cheese recipes are always entirely satisfying. After all, the creamy ingredient gives body and richness to everything it touches! So, here are my favorite amazing recipes with cream cheese, 16 delicious ideas divided into sweet and savory recipes. There’s undoubtedly one that is perfect for that special meal you’re putting together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you freeze cream cheese? Of course, you can! Keep it in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to two months. Remember to thaw it in the fridge for a few hours before using it — that way, it regains its creamy texture.
Mascarpone has less moisture and more milkfat than cream cheese, so it’s richer and fuller-bodied. The Italian specialty also lacks the attractive tangy bite in cream cheese.
It is made by combining milk and cream. It contains at least 33% milkfat and can have up to 55% moisture. Cream cheese, as in Philadelphia cream cheese, is an American invention, but there are other similar dairy products around the world. They all make an excellent cream cheese dip!
Savory Cream Cheese Recipes
1. Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes
Who doesn’t love creamy mashed potatoes? That’s what cream cheese brings to the table in this recipe; a rich texture and mouthfeel. Moreover, this recipe goes excellent with Roasted Turkey Thighs and other comforting, seasonal meals.
2. Cheese Ball
This retro-looking appetizer is ideal for casual get-togethers with friends. Cheddar, bacon, parsley, and a few spices, held together by cream cheese for an authentic ball of flavor.
A 5-person ball is ready in fifteen minutes, even though it looks more complicated than that! Put it on the center of the table with some crackers and enjoy watching everyone digging in.
You can even freeze it so that you have one ready for your next party.
3. Pimento Cheese
Here’s another fun recipe for a colorful appetizer, this time the Southern specialty known as pimento cheese.
Flavorful and creamy, this one is a crowd-pleaser. So make pimento cheese fast and easy with cream cheese, cheddar, mayo, and spices. And don’t forget the diced pimentos! They’re the stars of the show.Â
4. Crab-Stuffed Salmon
If salmon weren’t tasty enough, try stuffing it with a creamy filling of crab meat, cream cheese, and Creole seasonings.
This recipe is one fancy main course that truly takes salmon to the next level. The secret in this one is not overcooking the salmon. Nice and flaky, the creamy and crumbly filling rounds the fish’s flavor nicely.Â
5. Spinach-Stuffed Chicken Breast
Comforting but fancy, this easy recipe is suitable for the most memorable special occasions. Picture a golden, juicy chicken breast with the creamiest filling and some greens for contrast.
The magic happens in the spinach and cheese filling because baby spinach contrasts with a buttery filling flavored with Creole spices, butter, and Parmesan.
6. Cajun Chicken Alfredo
The creamy chicken pasta was reinvented with the comforting aromas of warm Cajun spices. This dish is an entire meal that needs no sides because it’s just perfect.
And talking about perfection, make sure you cook the pasta al dente and don’t overcook the chicken. So if you like classic Alfredo, you’ll love its spicy cousin!
7. Alfredo Sauce
Now, for a classic take on the richest and creamiest of pasta sauces, this Alfredo sauce is easier to make than you think. Really!
It takes just a tad over fifteen minutes and calls for only ten ingredients. Then toss your favorite pasta with this homemade Alfredo sauce, and you’ll never go back to store-bought sauces. This savory recipe is one of my favorites.
8. Cucumber Salmon with Cream Cheese
This colorful and fancy appetizer is ideal for getting any dinner party started. And the best part? You can make a batch of this in twenty minutes, and everyone loves the salmon and cream cheese combo.
Cucumbers, cream cheese, mayo, sour cream, and a dash of dry ranch mix become a splendid bed for a slice of smoked salmon that melts in your mouth.
Sweet Cream Cheese Recipes
9. Cream Cheese Pound Cake
This cake is the right cake for an evening with friends with a cup of coffee in hand. Cream cheese pound cake is heavier and denser than the regular kind, and it ends up addictively moist and tender!
Lots of butter and cream cheese are the base for this fluffy pound cake. I flavor mine with grated lime zest but use oranges for a summery version.
10. Pecan Pie Cheesecake
I rarely mess with classics, but cream cheese really elevates pecan pie to heavenly heights. Creamier than your average pie and not as sweet.
This dessert is the one for your next big dinner with the family because a graham cracker crust, brown sugar, pecans, and cinnamon is all it takes to make this extraordinary. Imagine a traditional pecan pie that is also a cheesecake!Â
11. Chocoflan
The famous impossible cake, half flan, half chocolate cake. Can it be done? Of course! I’ve put together an easy recipe for this one, especially for you.
You have to make the cake and flan batters separately for this gorgeous dessert, but it all comes together in the oven. Chocoflan is a great weekend project!
12. No-Bake Key Lime Mango Coconut Cheese Cake Pie
Who doesn’t love a no-bake cheesecake recipe? Well, this is no ordinary cheesecake either; it’s a tropical delight with a fruity personality.
Key limes, mango, and roasted coconut flakes highlight this cheesecake recipe, but it’s the coconut milk and the cream cheese that gives it body.Â
13. New York Cheesecake
A classic among classics. I’m in love with the New York cheesecake. Never too sweet and sensually silky, there’s just something special about it that makes me sing.
What makes a New York cheesecake different from others is the combination of cream cheese and sour cream. So top this delightful treat with a tangy strawberry compote, and you have heaven on a fork!
14. Italian Cream Cake
Say hello to this elegant, layered cream cheesecake. Worthy of the fanciest dinner tables, this is one of those desserts that really show off your baking skills.
Buttermilk, egg whites, and cream cheese are the base of this coconutty cake. The frosting, though, that’s something special right there.Â
15. Carrot Cake
There was a time when I struggled to make a proper carrot cake, but then, I perfected this recipe. There are just so many elements in this one that make it so attractive and not just the carrots.
Also, it’s the perfect way to get the small ones to eat their veggies! Oh, the cinnamon elevates this seasonal treat.
16. Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars
This creamy dessert with a tropical twist is also a great snack for when you’re in a hurry. Fork-tender and creamy, this is one of my favorite recipes.
So to make these tasty two-biters, you’ll need cream cheese, eggs, sugar, pineapple chunks, and ready-made crescent rolls. Ain’t that easy?
Mira Porter says
Hello Imma
I just wanted to say that I’m so glad I found you! I subscribe to several other sites for recipes but I can honestly say that it’s yours that I actually read, have tried & find so easy to use.
They are appealing, usually right on time & always relevant to what I would be preparing for my family.
I made the bacon wrapped string beans for Thanksgiving & they were a huge success. I’ve never made string beans that were so pretty & ohh sooo delicious!!
You are definitely elevating my cooking game & for that I want to say ‘Thank You’!! I will keep coming back again & again for more of your fabulous recipes!!
imma africanbites says
Thank you for the lovely words, Mira. Glad to have you here. This is what the blog is all about – elevating home cooking. Stay tuned for more scrumptious recipes. 😉