Flavored cream cheese for bagels can be pricey at the shop but super affordable and easy to make at home. With so many flavors to try, you’ll never get bored.
Serve a bagel bar with a variety of cream cheeses and toppings, as well as homemade Hot Cocoa and a Fruit Tray for a fun and easy breakfast or brunch.
Jump to:
I’ve always liked cheesecake, but I didn’t like cream cheese until I was an adult. I’m not sure why, but I didn’t. But, once I fell in love, I fell hard.
Nowadays, one of my favorite breakfasts/snacks/desserts is a bagel with cream cheese and jam. Super yum!
Or if I’m feeling a little savory, cream cheese with onions and sliced tomatoes. Double yum!
Flavored cream cheese is a great way to elevate even the simplest of meals, whether it’s bagels or crackers, to something special. In fact, a simple bagel buffet can be pulled together as a feast for about ten bucks!
Why Make This
It’s super easy. You can whip up a variety of cream cheese for bagels in just a matter of minutes, mixing and matching flavors and mix-in’s as the mood takes you.
It’s cheaper. Schmears at the bagel chop can cost a small fortune, but making your own flavored cream cheese is just 75 cents/batch.
It’s delicious. What’s a bagel without cream cheese? Explore all the different flavor combinations when you delve into making your own.
Ingredients
The main ingredient you’ll need, of course is cream cheese. Soften this in advance of preparation for the smoothest texture and easiest mixing.
Today I’ve included three different variations, similar to what you’d find at the bagel shop or in the deli section of the grocery store: Green Onion, Strawberry and Brown Sugar Spice.
For these you’ll also need:
- green onion and parsley, salt and pepper
- strawberry jam
- brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg
In reality, flavored cream cheese is an easy and economical thing to make yourself at home. Once you get the method down, you’ll easily be able to make any flavor you like.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Making flavored cream cheese is not difficult.
Simply soften a block of cream cheese and stir in fresh herbs, spices, chopped vegetables or fruit, jam, or fruit zest.
You can choose any number of combinations and flavors. You can even go as simple as to mix a bit of honey into the cheese.
I’ve based these recipes on half a block of cream cheese. I don’t like to keep something like this longer than three days, so I want a small amount that we can use up before it’s past its prime. The method is easy enough, you could mix up more in a jiffy if need be.
Serving suggestions
Flavored cream cheese is delicious on bagels, sandwiches, crackers, wraps, quick breads, muffins, and anywhere else you might use a spreadable cheese. These flavored cream cheeses are great to make the night before you have a bagel brunch.
Serve strawberry cream cheese at tea time with Buttermilk Biscuits or muffins. Spread spiced cream cheese on pumpkin bread for a tasty bedtime snack. Tuck a container of green onion cream cheese into a Bagel Box.
Don’t limit your snack just to cream cheese, though. There are a variety of fruits and vegetables that you can serve as toppings to cream cheese and bagels, such as:
- sliced strawberries
- sliced apples
- sliced bananas
- sliced cucumbers
- sliced tomatoes
- sliced red onion
FAQs
Cream cheese is a soft, unriped cheese with a smooth creamy texture, a mild tang, and a spreadable quality.
Cream cheese for bagels is often sold mixed with other ingredients, such as herbs, spices, or fruit. You can find commercial varieties flavored with strawberry, smoked salmon, jalapeno, garden vegetable, blueberry, etc.
The same process of flavoring cream cheese will work with vegan cream cheese. Remember that the texture of vegan cream cheese is very different than its dairy counterpart.
You can flavor cream cheese in so many ways. Use a favorite spice mix or fresh (or dried) chopped herbs. You can also mix in jam or finely chopped fruit, nuts, or vegetables.
Recipe Costs
One of the things that I’ve noticed about bagel shops is that they rarely offer you the cream cheese for free. It’s a hefty price to get a little cup of “schmear”, as they say. A container of flavored cream cheese costs about $4 at the bagel shop and about $2-3 at the grocery store.
To prepare your own homemade cream cheese you’re looking at a cost of $0.75 to $1.00, depending on where you source your cream cheese and how expensive your mix-ins are.
How to save even more
Save even more when you work the Good Cheap Eats System:
Shop your pantry first – Likely, you have on hand multiple items for flavoring cream cheese. Maybe it’s plum or apricot jam instead of strawberry or shallots instead of green onions. Use what you have and save!
Plan your meals to save money – Make sure that the cream cheese doesn’t go to waste. Plan meals that will make good use of it within 5 days.
Make a plan for leftovers – Only making 4 ounces of flavored cream cheese? Be sure to find a use for the other half package. Got jam that needs using? Make Jam-Filled Chocolate Chip Muffins with the rest of the jar.
Visit the store with the best prices – ALDI has the best price on cream cheese, hands-down. Shop where you know you will save.
Shop the sales and clearance – In lieu of shopping at ALDI, watch for cream cheese sales at your local grocery store. They usually get as low as $0.75 to $0.99 cents a package; usually cream cheese is good for several months so you can stock up and save.
More Great Breakfasts
Flavored Cream Cheese for Bagels
Ingredients
For all variations
- 4 oz cream cheese
For green onion cream cheese
- 1 green onion , finely chopped
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- salt
- black pepper
For strawberry cream cheese
- 2 to 3 tbsp strawberry jam
For brown sugar and spice cream cheese
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground ginger
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, whip the cream cheese until light and fluffy.
- Add the ingredients for ONE variation, whipping until fully incorporated.
- Chill until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on September 30, 2013 as part of the DIY Convenience Foods series. It has been updated for content and clarity.
magnoliasouth
For the fruity types where you can use jam, preserves or jellies, I just skip mixing it. I whip it up with some milk, but save the fruits for day of. I just spread a thin layer of jam, preserves or jelly over the bagels then the whipped cream cheese on top. This way I’m not locked into one flavor or one type.
Jennifer Millward
The bagel place i love has an olive cream cheese as well…so good!!!!! And they have a bacon scallion cream cheese. Just finely chopped bacon pieces and fresh scallion mixed in. It’s really delish!!
Breanna
I LOVE to use roasted garlic (roast your own, or buy the Christopher Ranch brand near the mushrooms/oriental noodles in the produce dept.), a little italian seasoning, and about 1/4 cup of grated fresh Parmesan cheese.
Jessica Fisher
sounds delish!
cwaltz
Target’s brand no longer has the hormone free label on it(little cow with line through it). My assumption is that anything without that label may very well have those hormones. As a matter of fact, Vermont just got a hefty settlement after Cabot admitted that the cheeses that don’t have labels on them specifically stating hormone free have hormones in them. So be careful.
Jessica Fisher
Thanks for the tip! I will check here. Maybe it varies by region.
Jessica
Brilliant! I can’t believe I never thought of this! Thank you for sharing!
Karen
When I was in college, my favorite bagel place had an Italian cream cheese that I just loved. Then I discovered it was nothing more than cream cheese mixed with spaghetti sauce seasoning. So I got the big jar at Costco and started mixing up my own. i haven’t made it in years (don’t eat bagels much anymore) but I remember it fondly!
Jessica Fisher
Isn’t that great? And you can even unpack the spaghetti sauce mix which is likely just herbs and cornstarch.
Jen
Jalapeno and cilantro!
Susan
My boys love honey almond cream cheese on cinnamon raisin bagels so I keep a container of finely chopped almonds on hand (I ran them in the blender for a few seconds) so I can easily mix up some. I don’t measure but it’s probably a teaspoon of almonds and a teaspoon or so of honey for every ounce of cream cheese.
Nicole
I am so glad you are doing this series, it is these little tricks that makes eating at home satisfying. I was so proud of myself because I made my own brown sugar when I ran out instead of going to the store. Took a minute to mix and worked great.
One of my favorite treats is salsa and cream cheese on crackers. Or for a really treat pepper jelly. I love pepper jelly!
Yum!
Kristen @ Joyfullythriving
See…this is why I enjoy you so much! Such a simple idea, but why have I never thought about doing this? I’m going to be trying this soon because (like you) I stock up on cream cheese when I get it for $1. It’s always in my fridge, too!
Brenda
I do various jams; prepared pesto or cinnamon sugar.
Cherie
Here’s one from NY deli world – I get very reasonable smoked salmon (sometimes called kippered salmon it’s hot smoked) and mix it into cream cheese for a fab spread with bagels – so much less than the bagel store!
Vanessa B
These all sound delicious. I see a bagel purchase in my future.
Claire
My children are going to love this!!!!!
Me too 🙂
sarah
These look yummy! My favorite is cream cheese with finely chopped green olives so good!!!
Sarah
Marjori
This is my favorite also!! Olive/Pimento cream cheese on an everything bagel. YUUUUM!!! I could eat the cream cheese with a spoon…and sometimes do! 😉
Jessica Fisher
I don’t know that I’ve ever had that. Interesting.
sarah
Everything bagel with this spread is the best… but plain bagel with olive cream cheese and a tiny sprinkle of garlic powder hits the spot too. you should try it if you like green olives. Or any olives for that matter. love them ALL:)
Brigid
I make my own version of Boursin cheese with regular cream cheese, parsley, and garlic. To gild the lily a bit, I usually beat in some heavy cream, which makes it a bit more spreadable and adds some richness.
Jessica Fisher
Yep, I created our own version, too. So good and cheap!