Smoked cream cheese is my favorite appetizer to serve when I have friend’s over for a barbecue! This recipe is so easy to throw together, and everyone who’s tried it seems to love it! The cream cheese gets soft and gooey, but doesn’t fully melt, making for an incredible texture when you serve it fresh from the smoker. I typically serve it with a cheese knife and crackers (as a spread), or with plain kettle chips (as a dip).
My favorite thing about this smoked cream cheese is that it works well at a wide range of cooking temperatures, so I just throw it in with whatever meat I’m smoking. It also works great with pretty much any dry rub, so you can whip up a quick batch of homemade rub or use a spoonful of your favorite pre-mixed rub. I typically use my standard brown sugar dry rub, which I’ve included in the recipe! It’s the same rub that I use for my Dry Rub BBQ Chicken Breast.
I think there are a lot of possibilities for other fun topping and flavor combos using smoked cream cheese, so I’m planning to work on some additional recipes soon!
Key Tips – Smoked Cream Cheese
Smoke the cream cheese at whatever temp your other recipes call for.
- This cream cheese will come out great if you set your smoker to any temp between 180 F and 250 F, and that covers the smoke temps for almost everything else. This makes it super easy to add to your smoker while you have another recipe (likely your main course) going as well.
Use whatever dry rub you have on hand.
- I included a recipe for my favorite simple brown sugar dry rub, but this will work with whatever rub you already have mixed up as well.
Serve hot, with crackers or kettle chips.
- I serve this cream cheese straight from the smoker, with either a cheese knife and butter crackers (like a spread), or plain kettle chips (like a dip).
- I don’t recommend serving this cream cheese cold, but some people do love it that way! I think the gooey texture of the warm cream cheese is what makes this dish so irresistible.
Dietary Restrictions – Smoked Cream Cheese
This dish is naturally Gluten-Free.
- Just make sure that your dry rub is gluten-free (the included dry rub recipe is gluten-free).
This dish is naturally Vegetarian.
A Note On Serving Sizes
Serving sizes are a very personal thing, which makes it difficult to choose a serving size that suits everyone. I’ve listed the serving size for this recipe as 1 oz, so 1/8 of a standard block, but some people may choose to have more than one serving.
Smoked Cream Cheese
Equipment
- smoker I use a pellet smoker
Ingredients
BBQ Dry Rub (makes 1/2 cup):
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tbsp black pepper
- 1/2 tbsp onion powder
- 1/2 tbsp smoked paprika or regular paprika
- 1/2 tbsp chili powder add more for extra spice
Instructions
- Preheat your smoker to 200 F (Or any temp between 180 F and 250 F if you have a different desired temp for something else you're smoking. The cream cheese is fine to smoke at any temp in that range.)
- Mix together your dry rub if you're making it now.
- Line a small baking sheet with foil and grease the foil with spray oil.
- Drizzle the block of cream cheese with a little olive oil, fully coating the outer surface. Then, dust with the dry rub, covering all sides of the block.
- Place the coated block on the prepared baking sheet. Use a sharp knife to score the top of the block with a cross-hatch pattern, as pictured.
- Smoke for 1 to 2 hours (I usually do about 1.5 – 2 for more smokiness, but you can pull it out after an hour if desired). Serve with a cheese knife and crackers (as a spread) or with plain kettle chips (as a dip).
Notes
Nutrition
If you like this recipe, you may also like…
If you like this recipe, you might like my Dry Rub BBQ Chicken Breast, Detroit Style Pizza, or Tri Tip Tacos.
Send me pictures of your creations — it’ll make my day! Message @CraftyCookbook on Instagram or tag me in a post! Please note, tagged posts are only visible to me if your account is public. Did you make any interesting changes or substitutions for this recipe? Tell me about them in the comment section below!
This site contains affiliate links. All rights reserved – Crafty Cookbook 2023
This stuff is too good!!