Smoked Cream Cheese

Name: Smoked Cream Cheese
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 130 min
Ingredients: 8 ounce cream cheese block; 1 ½ Tablespoon dry rub (your favorite)

The recipe prices will vary based on fluctuating grocery costs. Please use what is posted as a guide.

Recipe Cost $2.66

Recipe Serving Cost $0.33

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This Smoked Cream Cheese cooks fast on a Traeger grill and may just disappear even quicker at a party. “Highly addicting” doesn’t begin to describe the flavorful, savory taste of a good smoked cream cheese.

It costs approximately $2.66 to make this recipe. The recipe makes eight servings for about $0.33 per serving.

Some of my favorite dipping sides for smoked cream cheese include pasta chips or buffalo cauliflower. Since you can make this cream cheese sweet or savory, it’s very versatile!

Smooth and tangy cream cheese goes with everything, from bagels to tortilla chips and crackers. So whether you need it for a party or breakfast, it’s a versatile topping and spread. This recipe is no exception.

With this recipe, you’ll pair the deep smokey flavor that a Traeger grill provides with sweet apple or nutty pecan wood pellets and the dry rub of your choice!

I encourage you to try this smoked cream cheese recipe with everything. It’s just that good. Go beyond bagels and tortilla chips, even.

Depending on what dry rub you use for your cream cheese, try fruits and veggies, like fried sweet potato, apple slices, or celery. Nothing quite like that perfect blend of savory, salty, and sweet!

Note that I use a wood pellet grill for most of this process. More specifically, this recipe assumes you have a Traeger smoker/grill.

I highly recommend apple, pecan, or competition blend wood pellets for this recipe.

Two bricks of the finished Smoked Cream Cheese blocks right after they've been pulled off of the Traeger.

Ingredients and Estimated Cost

Per Serving Cost: $0.33

Recipe Cost: $2.66

8 ounces cream cheese block – $2.24
1 ½ Tablespoon dry rub – $0.42

NOTE: The recipe prices are calculated by using grocery store websites. The actual cost of the recipe will vary depending on what ingredients you already have.

How to Smoke Cream Cheese

This is another one of those smoker recipes that seems way too simple for all the flavor it provides, but it’s really very easy, even for a beginner!

Preheat the Traeger smoker to 215°F.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Score the top of the cream cheese block.
Sprinkle your chosen rub onto the top and sides of the cream cheese.
Gently pat the rub into the cream cheese.
Place the cream cheese onto the prepared baking sheet.
Place the baking sheet on the smoker and smoke the cream cheese for 1.5 to 2 hours.
Serve with your favorite dipping sides!

***For complete recipe instructions, see the recipe card below.

Recipe Variations

You can adjust the flavor of this recipe by changing the rub you put on top of the cream cheese before smoking it. The options are endless! For some inspiration, look under the recipe FAQs for some ideas.
For a sweet cream cheese, coat it with a cinnamon sugar blend. Drizzle it with honey after it’s done smoking. Bring out the Nilla wafers for this one!
For a Mexican-style cream cheese, coat it with taco seasoning. Add Rotel and pickled jalapenos on top of it when it’s done, then serve it with Fritos and tortilla chips.
For meat lovers, know that you can easily add cooked, crumbled bacon to the cream cheese before you smoke it.
A big fan of garlic? Roasted garlic rub pairs great with this recipe.
Everything bagel seasoning is one of my absolute favorites when it comes to smoked cream cheese. It’ll make waking up in the morning about ten times more worthwhile!

Storage Tips

SERVE: You can serve this cream cheese immediately. No need to wait like with many other smoker recipes! It’s good warm or cold.

STORE: You can put your smoked cream cheese in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the fridge. (Though you may not have much of it left over, it’s so addicting!)

REHEAT: You can easily reheat this recipe by placing it in the oven at 350°F for ten minutes or until just warmed through! Again, it’s good warm or cold, so there is no need to reheat it if you want something fresh out of the fridge.

The Smoked Cream Cheese that was made on a Traeger on plates of crackers and veggies.

Recipe FAQs

How long does it take to make smoked cream cheese?

The prep time is only about 5 minutes since you’re essentially adding the rub to the cheese. After that, you’ll smoke the cream cheese for 2 hours or so.

How much smoked cream cheese does this recipe provide?

One 8 oz block should give enough for eight servings, give or take!

More smoked recipes:

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