How to Make Cinnamon Cream Cheese (for Dips or Spreads!)

Homemade cinnamon cream cheese is fast and easy to make, with a sweetly spiced flavor! Use it as a spread or dip.

I love a recipe with versatility, and this cinnamon cream cheese delivers. This one works at breakfast or brunch (who doesn’t love a bagel breakfast?) or as a fun dip for fruit or savory snacks.

This deli-style spread is subtly spiced with just the right sweetness and warm flavor. It’s ultra simple to make at home, too, and I love that about it. This one is a big hit at our household!

How to soften cream cheese

The most important part of making cinnamon cream cheese is softening the cream cheese first. This gets it to just the right texture for mixing with the sugar and cinnamon. Here are a few ways to do it:

• Leave the cheese out at room temperature for about 30 minutes to 1 hour, until it’s room temperature.
• Microwave the cheese for a few seconds. Place it on a plate in the microwave, heat it up for 5 seconds, flip over the block of cheese, and cook another 5 seconds. If it’s not room temperature at this point, cook another few seconds, but be careful. You don’t want melted cheese!

A few quick tips

Cinnamon cream cheese is very simple to mix up. You don’t even need any special equipment! Unlike whipped cream cheese or vegetable cream cheese, you can make this one without a food processor, but you can use one if you like. Whatever is easiest!

Here are a few more tips on making cinnamon cream cheese:

• Use a bowl and a spoon. You don’t need any special equipment! Again, if you like, you can whip this one up in a food processor. This makes the texture more airy.
• Customize the sugar to your tastes. There’s a range of powdered sugar quantities in the recipe below. I prefer it with 2 tablespoons of sugar, but you can use 3 if you like a very sweet spread.
• Use milk for a more spreadable texture or a dip. If you want an easily spreadable texture to your cream cheese or are using it as a dip, mix in ½ tablespoon of milk, too.

Serving ideas

Cinnamon cream cheese is the perfect schmear on a bagel — a schmear is a Yiddish word that describes a spreadable cream cheese — but there are other uses, too! Here are a few ideas:

• Bagels: I love a bagel brunch with other flavored cream cheeses, like strawberry and chive.
• Toast: Top your cream cheese on toasted bread with sliced strawberries, bananas, or blueberries. A drizzle of honey makes it next-level.
• Fruit dip: This cream cheese is tasty with strawberries, bananas, pineapple, or apple slices.
• Savory dip: Try it with graham crackers or pretzels while you’re at it for something more salty-sweet!

This cinnamon cream cheese recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free.

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