Plenty of people love cream cheese desserts, but for me, appetizers are really where cream cheese shines. Its smooth, silky texture and relatively mild flavor lend themselves nicely to so many different things – spicy, tangy, sour, sweet, zesty, and savory alike. For this list, I’ve tried to pull together a few different options to fit numerous occasions and everyone’s tastes. If you’re a spicy food lover, check out the jalapeno poppers and the sweet and spicy cream cheese dip. If you like things a little more sour and zesty, try the dill pickle dip. Those with a sweet tooth should enjoy the cranberry cream cheese bites, and there’s even some clam dip for the umami lovers among us.
1. Sweet and Spicy Cream Cheese Dip
You can make this simple, three-ingredient dip in less than 5 minutes by spooning peach jelly over a block of cream cheese and adding pepper relish on top of that. It tastes great with whole-grain crackers or whatever you want to serve with it. It’s sweet, creamy, and full of heat.
2. Cranberry Cream Cheese Appetizer Bites
These crispy pie crust shells contain sweet cranberry sauce, earthy green onions, and a few other things that give it a full-bodied, smoky-sweet flavor. Each bite-sized morsel is like a little bite of heaven, and you won’t be able to stop at just one.
3. Canapes with Garlic Herb Cream Cheese and Avocado
These flaky, toasty canapes with garlic herb cream cheese and avocado are so good that everyone loves them – even self-proclaimed “avocado haters.” They have a robust, herby, and earthy flavor and are pretty filling, despite their small size.
4. Bacon Cream Cheese Bites
If you’re looking for something a bit more decadent, bacon cream cheese bites are ideal. Each one starts with a chives and cream cheese-covered slice of bread. That’s tasty enough all by itself, but then you’ll wrap each one in a thick, yummy slice of bacon. Put the whole thing in the oven until the cheese is gooey, and the bacon is crispy. The process takes about 30-35 minutes, and you can make nearly three dozen of these scrumptious morsels at once. They are perfect for Game Day treats, Sunday dinner appetizers, or any potluck where you need to bring finger foods to share.
5. Million-Dollar Cream Cheese Dip
This dip may taste like a million bucks, but you can make it for a little of nothing. It combines cream cheese, smoked gouda, bacon, mayo, cheddar cheese, almonds, green onions, and plenty of seasonings. It’s gluten-free and low-carb/keto-friendly, but the lack of gluten and carbs doesn’t take anything away from the flavor. This stuff is incredible. You can serve it with chips, but it’s a thick dip, so crackers work better. If you want to keep it low-carb/keto-friendly, though, you may want to go with pork rinds instead.
6. Salami Cream Cheese Bites
If you love easy, no-cook appetizers that you can make in 10 minutes or less using only three ingredients, this recipe is the one for you. If you can soften and spread cream cheese, roll up salami slices, and stick a toothpick through them, you can make these. That’s literally all it takes to pull them together. I always add the optional green olives on top because I love the salt and slight sourness they add, but you can add them or leave them as you like.
7. Spinach Artichoke Dip
If you’re making spinach artichoke dip, you might as well make the best, and for my money, no one beats Applebee’s. It’s creamy, cheesy, and packed with the rich earthiness of spinach and artichokes. Whether you serve it with crackers or tortilla chips or eat it with a spoon, this dip is quite simply delicious.
8. Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip
If you’re looking for a fantastic fall appetizer that’s both sweet and savory, cranberry cream cheese dip is an excellent option. It takes 25 minutes to make and requires fewer than 10 ingredients. Containing sweetness, saltiness, and spiciness (if you add the optional jalapeno), it’s a real crowd-pleaser.
9. Everything Bagel Cucumber Cream Cheese Bites
You can make these tiny treats any time of the year, but I prefer them in the summer when I have plenty of fresh veggies. It’s another fabulous no-cook recipe that takes only 15 minutes to pull together. The cucumbers and tomatoes are cool and fresh, and the cream cheese/mayo/ranch mixture in the middle is light and zesty, thanks to the ranch, garlic, and dill.
10. Dill Pickle Dip
This four-ingredient dill pickle dip may not be for everyone, but if you love things that are sour and zesty, you’ll adore it. All it takes is some combining and mixing, and you’ll have a dip to rival any bag of dill pickle chips you can find.
11. Hormel Chili Dip
I think of Hormel chili dip as the “King of Dips.” Let me tell you why. First of all, it’s hands-down one of the most delicious dips you’ll ever taste. It’s rich, smooth, cheesy, and just a bit spicy. ( You can purchase Hormel Hot No Beans for extra heat.) Secondly, it requires only three ingredients – chili, cream cheese, and cheddar cheese. Finally, it takes 5 minutes to make. Seriously. Just 5 minutes!
12. Cream Cheese Ball
It’s best to make this yummy ball of cream cheesy goodness the night before you plan to serve it. It only takes about 25 minutes to make, but it needs to chill for a while before you eat it. Be sure you wait until right before serving it to add the pecans, though. Otherwise, they won’t be as crunchy.
13. Cowboy Crack Dip
Cowboy crack dip is a somewhat updated version of the traditional Rotel cheese dip. It has the same wonderful creaminess as Rotel dip, however, it also has sausage, corn, and cream cheese. Unfortunately, you can’t cook it quite as quickly as you can Rotel dip. This one needs at least an hour or so in the slow cooker.
14. Jalapeno Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
There are dozens of different ways to prepare stuffed mushrooms, but there’s no better way than this one if you like heat and spice. You’ll stuff the mushrooms with jalapenos, cheddar cheese, cream cheese, and plenty of seasonings. You can also add breadcrumbs, but if you’re trying to keep things low-carb or keto-friendly, you may want to leave those off. Either way, these spicy mushrooms are buttery and incredibly juicy.
15. Buffalo Chicken Dip
This recipe takes all the zesty tanginess of buffalo chicken and turns it into a delicious dip for veggies, chips, and more. It’s a pretty amazing appetizer.
16. Jalapeno Popper Dip
If you like dips that are thick and creamy but that have plenty of layers and a nice bit of texture, you’ll go crazy for the jalapeno popper dip. It takes 10 minutes to prepare and another 15 to cook. With jalapenos, three types of cheese, and a delicious array of seasonings and toppings, you won’t find many people who don’t like it. It’s a rich, thick dip, though, so be sure to use crackers, veggies, or very sturdy chips for dipping.
17. Cream Cheese Stuffed Jalapeno Poppers
If you’re not in the mood for jalapeno popper dip, why not make real jalapeno poppers instead? They have the same excellent taste and all the heat, but they’re a bit more substantial. Plus, you don’t need anything extra like chips or veggie sticks to eat them. And a little bit of deep-fried decadence is always a tasty option.
18. Seven-Layer Taco Dip
This seven-layer taco dip is the ultimate appetizer for those who love Mexican food. It manages to work all your favorite Mexican staples into one phenomenal dish. There’s cheese, refried beans, peppers, onions, salsa, sour cream, olives, and more. The only thing it’s missing is a guacamole layer, but that’s by design. Without it, you can make it the night before you plan to eat it. You can always add a last-minute guacamole layer before serving if you like, though.
19. Clam Dip
I know we’re getting near the end of the list, but I did promise you some umami flavor, and I always keep my promises. This five-ingredient clam dip takes less than 30 minutes to make and only requires you to mix the ingredients. The garlic compliments the clam perfectly, and those small dashes of Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice round out the whole recipe nicely. As you can see from the picture, I also like to add some chopped green onions to the top for added flavor.
20. Vegetable Cream Cheese Tortilla Roll-Ups
These veggie roll-ups may be small and simple to make, but they lack absolutely nothing when it comes to flavor. Everything from the cheese and garlic to the onions and veggies tastes marvelous, and as a bonus, they’re a relatively low-calorie lunch option, as well. It doesn’t get much better than that. Click on a star to rate it!
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