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Smoked Cream Cheese gives you the silky creaminess of a classic dip with a sweet and savory BBQ taste and rich smokiness. Then, it’s topped off with a sticky drizzle of honey. It’s a delicious way to make an easy appetizer for any occasion!
We made this smoked cream cheese recipe on the Big Green Egg smoker, but other smoker grills will also work.
It’s one of my favorites to serve at parties! It’s one of those crowd-pleasing dishes, like Bacon Wrapped Dates and Lobster Mac And Cheese Bites.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
Key Ingredients and Notes
- Cream cheese– Use full-fat cream cheese for better flavor and consistency.
- Seasonings– These seasonings create a well-balanced and flavorful dry rub for the smoked cream cheese. This blend is savory, tangy, and a tiny bit sweet.
- Salt and pepper– Staples in the house, but I love using Himalayan salt (pink salt) for it’s extra health benefits and freshly ground black pepper is always best!
- Honey– Bring it all together with a drizzle of rich honey (optional).
- Assorted accompaniments– Serve the smoked cheese with crackers, bread, veggies, and more of your favorite dippers.
How to Smoke Cream Cheese
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below
- Combine the dry rub ingredients in a small bowl.
- Coat the cream cheese in the dry rub, gently pressing it into the cheese to help it stick.
- Score the cream cheese in a cross-hatch pattern.
- Transfer the cheese in a cast iron pan or to a sheet of foil, place it in the smoker, and smoke for 1 ½ to 2 hours.
Expert Tips
- Experiment with different woods to find your preferred flavors.
- Scoring the cream cheese prevents it from cracking in weird places, plus it just looks prettier!
- Cold cream cheese will score easier than room temp or softened cream cheese.
- The cream cheese is finished when the score lines pull apart, and the outside is slightly golden.
Variations
Adding a garnish makes an appetizer stand out. Here are some easy-to-do ideas.
- If preferred, use your favorite BBQ rub instead of making your own.
- Crumbled Bacon– For a salty and savory touch, sprinkle the cream cheese with freshly fried bacon pieces.
- Pepper Jelly– Like the classic cheese and jelly combination, this recipe is delicious when topped with your favorite pepper jelly instead of the honey drizzle.
- Hot Honey– Turn up the heat with a drizzle of hot honey!
Smoked cream cheese recipes are great for casual occasions but can easily be dressed up with the perfect garnish for a special event.
Frequently Asked Questions
Scoring the cream cheese helps avoid cracking in unwanted places, makes it look impressive, and allows the smoky flavor to get into the center of the cheese. So, it is best to score it, but don’t fret if you forget this step.
Some of my favorite dippers for smoked cream cheese are crackers, bread, crostini, veggies, fruits, pretzels, and more!
Most use cherry, applewood, hickory, or mesquite wood chips for smoking cream cheese. Each produces a different flavor, so try different kinds until you discover your favorite!
Generally 1 1/2 – 2 hours at 200 °is sufficient, however, this isn’t a super picky recipe, so if you are a bit shorter or longer it won’t matter too much.
Storing Leftover Smoked Cream Cheese Dip
You can save your leftover smoked cream cheese in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days and enjoy it later! But you probably won’t have any leftovers, it’s that good!
Related Recipes
Looking for more delicious cheesy appetizers?
- Baked Black Bean Dip
- Grilled Brie
- Baked Ham and Cheese Soft Pretzel Sliders
- Bacon Wrapped Dates with goat cheese
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Smoked Cream Cheese
Equipment
- Smoker Grill We have a Big Green Egg
- measuring spoons
- mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 block cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon honey optional
- Assorted accompaniments such as crackers bread, veggies, etc.
Instructions
- Preheat the smoker to 200°.
- Make the dry rub by combining the brown sugar, salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard, and paprika together in a small bowl. Stir well to combine, set aside.
- Coat the cream cheese in the dry rub. Gently press the seasoning into the cheese to help it stick.
- Using a sharp knife, score the cream cheese in a cross hatch pattern.
- Place the cheese in a cast iron pan, or just a sheet of foil will do too.
- Put the pan in the smoker for 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until the center is warm.
- Just before serving, drizzle honey over the top if desired.
Notes
- Full fat cream cheese is recommended because it has better flavor and better consistency.
- This rub has a great traditional BBQ flavor, but get creative with other flavor infusions by mixing in herbs, spices, or other seasonings before smoking. Some popular options include garlic powder, onion powder, dried herbs like dill or chives, smoked paprika, or even honey for a touch of sweetness.
- We made this on the Big Green Egg smoker, but other smoker grills will work as well.
- Store any leftover smoked cream cheese in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It should last for several days to a week.
Nutrition
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