Cream Cheese Recipes And Dips

If you are the one who always tells family and friends that you will bring a couple 2 litres and extra napkins to the potluck, then this list is for you. These appetizer ideas are so easy that you will be wondering why you don’t eat cream cheese dip every day. Whether for a casual get together or Thanksgving appetizers, there really is nothing easier than appetizers made from a block of cream cheese and the topping of your choice. Be prepared to amaze your friends with these cream cheese recipes and your new found prowess in the kitchen.

Up First: The Plop & Dump x10

In fact, try one anytime you are required to bring a dish to pass at a neighborhood BBQ, have unexpected guests or even when you want to treat your pals at the office. Nothing can be simpler than plopping a block of cream cheese down in the center of a plate and dumping a can of the nearest fill-in-the-blank on top. It may take all of 30 seconds, longer if you have to get help removing the lid. It may not be the fanciest appetizer in the world but blocks of cream cheese make cheap, easy and tasty appetizers for parties. Stop stressing. Grab a block and throw a quick cream cheese dip together in no time.

Hot: Pour a jar of jalapeno jelly over the entire block of cream cheese.

Spicy: Mix cocktail sauce and mini, cocktail shrimp together. Cover cream cheese with the mixture.

Festive: Use a can of chunky cranberry sauce or homemade, if you have any leftovers.

Unusual: Try it before you judge. Cover cream cheese with A-1 steak sauce.

Sweet: Spoon fig jam over the top for a new favorite.

South of the Border: Keep a jar of salsa on hand for another tasty version.

Italiano: Dump a tub of pesto on top of the block of cream cheese or use homemade.

Sweet & Spicy: Try any of the fruity chipotle sauces on the market. Cream cheese with raspberry chipotle sauce over the top is tasty.

Exotic: Try peach chutney poured over a block of cream cheese.

Classic: This one involves slightly more effort. Pour a can of chili over the cream cheese and top with shredded cheddar. Microwave until just warm.

10 More: Mix & Serve Style

These cream cheese recipes require a little more effort on your part. You have to think far enough in advance to let the cream cheese softened on the counter, a half hour of planning. Then, you need to trouble yourself with mixing up the ingredients before serving. Ugh! Such a bother but truly worth the looooong 5 minutes of your time. Enjoy!

Jalapeno: Mix 8 oz. cream cheese, 1/2 c. mayo, 4 oz. Velveeta, cubed and 3 jalepenos, diced. Mix & stick in a 350* oven for 20 minutes. Gorge, repeat.

Sausage: Mix 2 – 8 oz cream cheese, 1 lb cooked sausage, 1 can of Rotel (spicy tomatoes). Serve warm or stick in a crockpot.

Buffalo: Mix 8 oz cream cheese, 1/2 cup blue cheese salad dressing, 1/2 cup of Red Hot sauce, 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, 2 cans of chicken (the canned kind – it’s not gross – I promise). Heat up in a 350* oven for 20 minutes. Be sure to serve it with celery.

Crab: 8oz cream cheese, 1 can of crab meat, 1 cup of cocktail sauce. Mix and enjoy!

Garlic: My personal favorite. This dip is so simple, so unassuming and so wow! MIx 8 oz cream cheese, 2-3 cloves of freshed garlic, pressed, and a splash of milk, just enough to thin it out for dipping. Serve with crackers and maybe a few mints for later.

Pumpkin: Mix 2 cans of pumpkin pie mix, 8 oz cream cheese, 1/2 cup sour cream and some walnuts and be prepared for yumminess. Serve with gingersnaps, apple slices and pear slices.

Layered Traditional: Sometimes this is called 7-layer or 6-layer….Like the name suggests, layer the ingredients on a platter. I used to layer everything in a 9 x 13, but it is much easier to scoop when it is on a flat platter. Start with 8 oz cream cheese, re-fried beans, salsa, guacamole, shredded cheese, lettuce, olives and whatever else floats your boat.

Layered BBQ: For a twist on tradition, layer 8 oz cream cheese, BBQ sauce, cooked bacon, tomatoes, green peppers, green onions, shredded cheese.

Fruity: Mix a small tub of whipped cream, 8 oz of cream cheese and 6 oz of blueberry yogurt. Serve with fruit.

Corned Beef: 8 oz cream cheese, 1 cup leftover corned beef, chopped finely, 1 cup shredded swiss cheese, a squirt of a brown mustard or whatever kind you have on hand. Mix and bake at 350* for 20 minutes.

There you have it. The ubiquitous cream cheese dip 20 different ways. I can tell you from personal experience that the first time I had the sausage version, I thought my friend Andrea was a genius. She brought it to a Super Bowl Party and I spent the entire time with my face over her crockpot! I still refer to it as “Andrea’s Dip”. In fact, all of the above recipes are from little scraps of paper and worn magazine pages that are repeatedly pulled out of my own cookbook stash. I make them all the time, for pot lucks, for company, for Friday nights at home. All but the pumpkin one.

So, that’s it. 20 recipes for cream cheese dip. Keep the ingredients for your favorite version on hand and you will look like the ultimate hostess.