17 Best Cream Cheese Flavors (+ Easy Recipes)

Everything is better with cream cheese! While it’s great alone, these cream cheese flavors will surely put an extra pep in your step. 

Looking for something savory? Check out these cream cheese flavors, such as smoked salmon, herb, garlic, or jalapeno.

If you want something on the sweet side, cranberry, pumpkin, or blueberry to the rescue!

Slather them on a chewy bagel or served as a dip at your next brunch or party.

Regardless, these cream cheese flavors are sure to be a big hit. 

1. Smoked Cream Cheese

The flavors of this smoked cream cheese are meaty and smoky and only require three ingredients.

It’s not the ingredients in this recipe that offer those mouth-watering smoky flavors, but the cooking method. 

Using a smoker is the perfect way to smoke a rack of ribs.

But it also infuses rich and smoky flavors into this smoked cream cheese recipe. 

Adding a dry rub oozes into every nook and cranny of this cream cheese.

It’s the perfect summer appetizer or slathered on a toasted bagel.

2. Herb and Garlic Cream Cheese

Herb and garlic cream cheese is always my go-to blend.

It’s rich and flavorful and doesn’t shy away from garlic. There’s no such thing as too much garlic!

Adding butter makes this herbal cream cheese stand out from the crowd.

Butter adds more creamy, savory notes to the cream cheese that spreads like a dream on crackers or a morning slice of toast. 

It’s rich, impossibly creamy, and is sure to disappear at your next holiday party. 

3. Cinnamon Cream Cheese

Are you on the hunt for a sweeter dip for your next party or holiday get-together?

This delicious cinnamon cream cheese is so simple but full of flavor. 

It pairs a brick of cream cheese with cinnamon and powdered sugar. That’s it!

If you like your dip to be thinner, you can also incorporate milk to make it more dippable. 

It’s a perfect dip for a fruit platter to serve with fruit like apples, bananas, or strawberries.

You can even throw some pretzels on the tray for the ultimate sweet and salty treat. 

4. Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Cheese

Nothing screams summer like sundried tomatoes and fresh basil from the garden (or supermarket)!

This sun-dried tomato cream cheese recipe is the perfect Italian-inspired cream cheese spread.

It’s great when you crave Italian food, but it’s too early in the morning for spaghetti and meatballs. 

The sun-dried tomatoes are tart and acidic and pair perfectly with herbal basil and a touch of garlic. 

5. Jalapeno Cream Cheese

Brace yourself! This jalapeno cream cheese is super spicy. 

It earns its lovely green hue by blending a whole jalapeno pepper with onion and garlic powder in the food processor.

Blending the jalapeno pepper ensures that every bite will be bright, spicy, and infused with jalapeno flavors. 

If you don’t like spice too much, remove the seeds from the jalapeno first. It will still be spicy, but the herbs won’t be as potent. 

6. Lox Spread (Miami Cream Cheese)

Is it even brunch without bagels and lox? This Miami cream cheese spread is more than just lox and cream cheese.

It’s a must-try for your next brunch or holiday party. 

So, what’s different about this Miami cream cheese spread?

In addition to smoked salmon, it also incorporates fresh herbs like dill, lemon juice, and finely chopped scallions. 

The richness of the smoked salmon pairs perfectly with tart lemon juice and dill. 

7. Pumpkin Cream Cheese

What goes great with a classic pumpkin spiced latte? A bagel with pumpkin cream cheese, of course!

This pumpkin cream cheese delivers the savory goodness of pumpkin pie in spreadable form.

It incorporates canned pumpkin with brown sugar, honey, and pumpkin pie spice in a brick of cream cheese. 

It’s a great party dip for the holidays. But it’s also perfect for keeping in the fridge to jazz up your morning bagels. 

8. Fresh Strawberry Cream Cheese

I absolutely adore strawberry cream cheese. It’s delightfully pink, tart, and just the right about of sweet. 

Sure, you can buy a tub of strawberry cream cheese at the supermarket, but it’s not the same. 

Using fresh strawberries infused with honey is so tasty and impressive.

You’ll never return to pre-packaged strawberry cream cheese again. 

9. Blueberry Cream Cheese

I can’t get over the color of this blueberry cream cheese.

Blending bright blueberries with the white canvas of cream cheese creates this stunning purple color that’s as tasty as it looks. 

Blueberries are naturally tart and acidic, which makes this cream cheese spread sing. 

It’s paired with honey for a kick of sweetness, and vanilla extract marries all those bright summery flavors. 

10. Dill Cream Cheese

Dill and cream cheese are a match made in heaven.

The bright herbal flavors of dill pair perfectly with the richness of cream cheese. 

This dill cream cheese recipe is straightforward, but it’s sure to be a crowd favorite (move over ranch dip).

It pairs plenty of dill with lemon juice for a kick of acidity and a gentle hint of garlic powder. 

It’s perfect on bagels but even better on a platter with pretzels, crackers, and fresh veggies. 

11. Panera Honey Walnut Cream Cheese

If I pick up a cup of coffee at Panera, a bagel with honey walnut cream cheese is a must. 

Panera’s honey walnut cream cheese is a thing of beauty, and it’s so easy to make at home. 

It pairs nutty walnuts with honey, molasses, brown sugar, and cinnamon.

It’s rich, nutty, incredibly sweet, and addictive. You’ve been warned!

12. Chive Cream Cheese

What I love most about this chive cream cheese is that it delivers very delicate flavors. 

Chives have a natural onion-like flavor, but it isn’t too overpowering.

This chive cream cheese makes the ultimate party dip for fresh veggies. 

Generously slather it on your morning bagel, or use it as a dip for veggies and crackers at your next holiday party. 

13. Scallion Herb Cream Cheese

It’s light, bright, and perfect for those on a budget.

This scallion herb cream cheese packs a 1-2 punch of bright herbal flavors, and it’s so easy to whip together in a flash. 

Scallions deliver light onion flavors and offer this cream cheese spread a delightful crunch.

It pairs with other herbs like cilantro and parsley for bright herbal flavors. 

It’s the perfect brunch spread and makes a great party dip. 

14. Salmon Cream Cheese

Smoked salmon cream cheese is the ultimate indulgence. It’s rich and smokey and pairs perfectly slathered on a bagel. 

Making salmon cream cheese at home is simple as long as you reach for quality ingredients. 

Opt for high-quality smoked salmon to take this spread over the top.

With a hint of scallion and option sprigs of fresh dill, it’s sure to be your next favorite bagel topping. 

15. 5-Minute Vegan Cream Cheese

Being vegan doesn’t mean you have to skip cream cheese!

Don’t worry, homemade vegan cream cheese is easy.

It blends buttery cashews with non-dairy yogurt and a touch of lemon juice for acidity. 

As the recipe title suggests, it only takes 5 minutes. 

16. Cranberry Cream Cheese

Looking for a great cream cheese spread to take to your next holiday party? Look no further!

This festive cranberry dip is tart, creamy, and sure to be a big hit. 

It blends tart cranberries and oranges with punchy ginger for an elevated kick.

Think of it as a modern interpretation of a Watergate salad. 

17. Sriracha Cream Cheese

It’s sweet, spicy, and super easy to whip together in a jiffy!

If you love the pairing of sweet and spicy, you’ll love this easy sriracha cream cheese.

It blends spicy, peppery sriracha with honey in cream cheese. That’s it!

Spread it on a bagel, or serve it as a dip with fresh veggies and tortilla chips. There are no wrong answers.