This deli-style chive cream cheese is packed with fresh flavor! Mix up a batch for brushing bagels, sandwiches and more.
There’s nothing more satisfying than sinking your teeth into a spongy bagel covered in delicious cream cheese. Here’s how to enjoy it at home: try this homemade recipe Chive cream cheese! This recipe showcases the intense freshness of this bright green herb and combines it with garlic and onions for an unforgettable savory spread. It’s great for lunch during the week or a great bagel brunch for a party. Here’s how to make this deli-style chive cream cheese!
Tips for making chive cream cheese
Chive Cream Cheese is quick and easy to make at home – and so much tastier than store bought! Store-bought cream cheese may have a slightly artificial aftertaste. But make it at home and it’s wonderfully fresh and flavorful! Here are some tips for making a batch (or jump to the recipe below):
- First soften the cream cheese. This is important to get the right fluffy texture. Leave it at room temperature for an hour or zapping it in the microwave for a few minutes.
- Chop the chives. Fresh chives are easy to find in the grocery store’s refrigerated section, and when it’s the right time of year, growing them at home is even better! See How to Grow Herbs.
- Mix with the spices and, if desired, add a little Greek yogurt or milk to soften them. If the cream cheese is very thick, add 1 tablespoon Greek or plain yogurt or ½ tablespoon milk while mixing. It should come together in a smooth and flavorful spread!
Variation: Make it beat
If you’d like, you can make whipped cream cheese first for this recipe! Whipped cream cheese has an airy, light texture that’s even more spreadable than the norm. All you have to do? Combine the cheese with ½ tablespoon milk in a food processor or stand mixer, stopping and scraping if necessary. You can also just use a whisk if you prefer! Go for whipped cream cheese.
Ways to serve chive cream cheese
This chive cream cheese is fantastic as a bagel smear: but there are so many other ways to use it! Here are some ideas to get you started:
- bagelsor as part of a bagel brunch spread with cream cheese flavors like grass, whipped cream, strawberry, veggie, or cinnamon
- toast
- sandwicheslike a smoked salmon sandwich or a fried egg sandwich
- Dip for pretzels, crackers or chips (goes particularly well with whipped cream cheese)
- Vegetable stick dip such as carrots, celery, broccoli, peppers or kohlrabi sticks
More recipes with chives
There is always a large pot of chives growing in our garden in summer! They are very easy to grow and much cheaper than buying them in the store. Here are some additional recipes to try:
This chive cream cheese recipe is…
Vegetarian and gluten free.
The description
This deli-style chive cream cheese is packed with fresh flavor! Mix up a batch for brushing bagels, sandwiches and more.
- 1 8-ounce packet of cream cheese, softened
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tbsp Greek yogurt or ½ tbsp milk, for softening (optional)
- Make sure the cream cheese is soft. Leave at room temperature for 1 hour or place on a plate in the microwave, cook for 5 seconds, turn the block of cheese over and cook for another 5 seconds. (If it’s not room temperature at this point, cook a few more seconds but fluff up on the preservation side.)
- Chop the chives. Mix everything together in a bowl and add 1 Tbsp each of Greek yogurt, milk, or sour cream if you want a fluffy, spreadable texture (we used 1 Tbsp of Greek yogurt).
- Beaten alternative: Make whipped cream cheese by adding ½ tablespoon milk and beating the cream cheese in a food processor or stand mixer. Then add the chopped herbs and mix until combined.
- Category: spread
- Method: no chef
- Kitchen: spread
- Diet: vegetarian
Keywords: Chive cream cheese
