Cream cheese in the store is convenient but making homemade flavored cream cheese is super easy and you will not want to buy store bought cream cheese again.

Having overnight guests over the holidays can add additional stress to an already stressful time of year. To combat this, I often plan out three meals per day, making sure they are easy and include a lot of make-ahead recipes.

Often, if we need a quick breakfast, my husband will head out for bagels. But offering bagels and multiple cream cheese flavors can be expensive if you go out to the bagel shop. 

To save money on flavored cream cheese, make a collection of your own easy, flavored cream cheese recipes to set out on the counter so guests can serve themselves?

This simple recipe for flavored cream cheese can be easily adapted for your family’s tastes. These cream cheese flavors are so easy they can be made in the amount of time it would take you to drive to the bagel shop and wait in line.

Cream Cheese Flavors At Home

Philadelphia Flavored Cream Cheese Recipes

When shopping for groceries at Walmart, I saw the great prices on Philadelphia Cream Cheese (even better if you buy a 2 pack) and realized I could make three different flavored cream cheese spreads for the price of one from the bagel shop.

How to make Flavored Cream Cheese

First, determine what cream cheese flavors you normally buy at the store. We determined to make some amazing flavored cream cheese spreads that would out flavor those we normally purchase.

To make homemade Fruit flavored cream cheese

Buy fresh berries or Fruit spreads (No sugar added varieties.)

For our simple brown sugar and cinnamon one we stuck with just  brown sugar and cinnamon (which I already had on hand).

 

Flavored Cream Cheese Recipes

For the strawberry spread or any fruit-flavored cream cheese,  simply add a tablespoon of fruit spread to your softened cream cheese and blend with a mixer.

Cover and refrigerate.

Repeat this process for Brown Sugar Cinnamon.

How to make fruit filled cream cheese

We only experimented with blueberries but this might work well with raspberries and blackberries too

Add fresh or frozen blueberries and mix for the fresh blueberry cream cheese spread.

Place each into a ramekin, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate to harden again.

How far in advance should I make these cream cheese recipes?

These flavored cream cheese flavors can and should be made the day before which to me makes for the perfect make-ahead recipe for entertaining.

How should I set up a bagel bar?

The next morning, simply set out a platter of sliced bagels.  (I love the smaller sized bagels, so people can try multiple spread flavors).

Add some fresh fruit to your bagel bar, and your guests will be lining up to help themselves this holiday season.

 

No worries about prepping  egg casseroles! Within a few minutes, you’ll have an amazing bagel bar ready for guests and family members to serve themselves.

 

 

 

Flavored Cream Cheese Recipes using Philadelphia Cream Cheese