9 Creative Ways To Upgrade Plain Cream Cheese

When people think of cream cheese, bagels are usually the first thing that come to mind. But cream cheese is capable of so much more — it's a delicious ingredient suited for all kinds of things. From icing to pancakes to sandwiches and beyond, cream cheese has what it takes to turn up flavor and texture in a world of dishes. When you incorporate tasty additions into plain cream cheese, it only gets better. We all know ingredients like chives are a shoo-in for enhancing plain cream cheese, but we can do even better.

On a mission to find some more creative ways to upgrade plain cream cheese, I checked in with a couple of experts on the matter: Katherine Sprung, an award-winning pastry chef and the founder of Squish Marshmallows, based in New York City, and Carol Mahr, the general manager of Siegel's Bagelmania in Las Vegas, Nevada. To no surprise, they both came through with mouthwatering suggestions. So whether you wind up with a tub of plain cream cheese and it just isn't hitting the spot, or you want to take matters into your own hands and ensure the tastiest flavor combinations possible, they've got your back. Starting with a top-notch cream cheese will also help, of course, but these expert suggestions would do wonders to even the worst cream cheese out there.

Strawberries and cream cheese make the best of friends. Everybody knows that. However, the fun doesn't stop there with the iconic duo. In fact, according to our expert Katherine Sprung, adding balsamic vinegar to the mix and possibly some basil too opens up a world of drool-worthy possibilities.

"Strawberry (with or without strawberry pieces mixed in), balsamic, and optional basil, are such a great and sometimes unexpected combo," Sprung told me. "It straddles the line between sweet and savory, giving you the option to use this in a more savory application or with a neutral or sweet bread." Consider my attention grabbed. Would I use strawberry, balsamic, and basil cream cheese to make jalapeño poppers? No, but you better believe it would be yummy on a crostini.

Considering the dark, almost black color of a typical balsamic vinegar, it might be best to simply drizzle balsamic over the top so your cream cheese doesn't develop an unappealing brown color. Or, you could opt for a white balsamic to maintain a more appealing hue. Either way, though, you'll be in for a treat.

This move into the savory realm is guided again by Katherine Sprung, who recommends adding scallions and chili crisp to the mix. "This combo is inspired by scallion pancakes," Sprung said. "The fresh, crisp, and fragrant scallions, along with the umami spicy crisp, are such a power couple!" Okay, yes, please!

While scallions are no strangers to cream cheese, chili crisp is quite unusual. That doesn't mean it won't be incredibly tasty, though. Let's face it: Chili crisp has an uncanny ability to make most savory dishes better. Obviously it packs bit of punch in the heat department, but if you can handle some spice, it's one of the best condiments the world has ever seen.

Plus, savory cream cheese allows you to use the ingredient for way more than your average sweet breakfast dish or dessert. For example, cream cheese is a tasty upgrade for omelets, and infusing it with scallions and chili crisp before slathering it on only adds more mouth-watering flavor to the humble egg dish. Chopping scallions and stirring them and chili crisp into plain cream cheese couldn't be much simpler, either — give it a try, and you may never turn back.

Topping a bagel with cream cheese, lox (aka smoked salmon), capers, and onions is a time-honored tradition. Even if you've never heard of it, as someone who worked in a bagel shop more than 25 years ago, I can attest to its legendary status. Regardless, for a creative upgrade on the classic, combining all the ingredients into plain cream cheese takes the combination to new heights. It sure will make it easier and less messy to use as well — no layering or building and all that jazz.

This plain cream cheese upgrade comes to us from our expert Carol Mahr, and she calls it Lox & Loaded Cream Cheese. Cute, huh? "Mixing cream cheese with smoked salmon, capers, and onion turns plain cream cheese into a more complete deli-style spread," she explained. She also told me that mixing the ingredients together ensures more consistency in every bite. That goes for the texture and the salty goodness found in the ingredients as well. 

Considering the more delicate nature of smoked salmon, you may want to consider softening your plain cream cheese a touch before stirring it in. Fortunately, a hot bowl should do the trick, so don't worry if you forget to leave it sitting at room temperature for a couple of hours first.

Sticking with savory cream cheese upgrades, Katherine Sprung recommended stirring in some furikake and a little bit of sesame oil. "This combo is an umami spread," Sprung explained. "Visually, it's interesting with all the furikake inclusions, which add a little texture while remaining relatively smooth." Color me intrigued. Plus, a dash of sesame oil can only make the savory, toasty notes pop even more. And once again, stirring the two flavor boosters into plain cream cheese couldn't be simpler.

Before we go any further, though, you may be asking yourself, "What the heck is furikake?" If you aren't familiar with Japanese cuisine, there's a decent chance you've never seen, tried, or even heard of it. That ends today. Furikake, in its most basic format, consists of ground-up seaweed, sesame seeds, salt, and sugar. However, it can also contain things like fish flakes or even wasabi. Traditionally, it is sprinkled on rice, but as Sprung told me, it makes a wonderful addition to plain cream cheese as well. As a lover of savory foods, no arguments here. In fact, I'm going to make a special trip to my local Asian market just to give it a try.

Savory has had its time in the spotlight, but what about some sweeter ways to upgrade plain cream cheese? Katherine Sprung advocates for date syrup and orange zest. "These offer a sweetness and brightness, without going overboard," she told me, also noting that you can choose to fully incorporate the date syrup or opt for a pretty swirl on top to give the finished product a more eye-catching, contrasting appeal. Either way, the sweetness from the syrup is sure to enhance plain cream cheese. Adding orange zest also lifts the overall flavor, providing a nice balance to the heavy cream cheese and the saccharine taste of the date syrup. Basically, it's sweet, creamy, and bright, and who can argue with that? Not me.

While flavor is the main priority for most of us — we are talking about upgrading cream cheese, after all — date syrup also comes with some serious health benefits. According to Bon Appétit, "A tablespoon of date syrup contains more than twice the potassium, calcium, and magnesium levels of maple syrup or honey, with up to 10 times the antioxidants," making it a great natural sweetener for cream cheese and beyond. Sneaking in some nutrients certainly never hurts!

This next upgrade is a bit unconventional in that we're not adding anything to plain cream cheese, but changing it up altogether — and it comes with expert endorsement. "A well-made vegan cream cheese is a simple way to upgrade the traditional spread," Carol Mahr explained. In her experience, even for those who don't follow a vegan diet, "modern plant-based cream cheeses have a smooth texture and mild flavor that work just as well on a bagel." It's a dairy-free option that doesn't totally sacrifice the cream cheese experience.

Regardless of your dietary preferences or restrictions, going vegan with cream cheese is certainly a step outside the ordinary. It's an upgrade for folks who are vegan, sure, but it's also an option for those who just want to change things up with something mild and a little less — or no — lactose. It might not make your cheese-loving friends forsake the traditional recipe for good, but it's an interesting alternative. As a vegetarian myself who's admittedly obsessed with cheese, I've never been a fan of vegan options — but cream cheese is one food where I am more than willing to make an exception. Sometimes the most creative upgrade is an entire switch-up. Don't knock it until you try it!

Calling all cinnamon roll fanatics! This next flavor upgrade is for you, and anyone else who loves a touch of sweetness paired with warming spices Pastry chef Katherine Sprung also recommends infusing plain cream cheese with maple syrup and cinnamon for an instant, unbelievably simple boost in flavor. Just the thought of it is mouthwatering.

Why is the maple syrup-cinnamon combo ideal for plain cream cheese? Sprung explained that it's just sweet enough to cut through the zing of cream cheese without taking over the whole spread. "It makes you feel like you're halfway to a cinnamon roll," she said. That's something anyone with a bit of common sense should find appealing. I jest, of course, but this combo also opens up a world of options as far as applications. For example, you could easily make a cream cheese frosting for anything from carrot cake to banana bread to, dare I say, cinnamon rolls? Enough said.

These days, you can find people putting hot honey on just about everything. However, one application you may not have thought of before is stirring it into plain cream cheese. Katherine Sprung believes this is an upgrade worth trying, in no small part because it allows you to accentuate either the sweet or savory elements and achieve super tasty results.

If you choose to go sweet, Sprung recommends pairing hot honey and plain cream cheese with apricot preserves. "Heat and fruit go really well together," she said. "Apricot and cream cheese have a nice natural pairing, and adding some drizzles of hot honey makes it more dynamic, giving you that 'swicy' combo." Delish!

If you're feeling more savory, you can also pair hot honey and plain cream cheese with sun-dried tomatoes. "Tomato and cream cheese are an amazing pairing, and adding a touch of heat and sweetness ties it all together," Sprung explained. Then, once it's all mixed up, you can spread it on toast, bagels, sandwiches, or anything your heart desires. The only thing we enjoy more than flavor is versatility, and adding hot honey to cream cheese gets the job done in both departments.

Bright, fruity, and the perfect level of sweetness, blueberry compote and lemon zest makes a fantastic pairing with plain cream cheese, and Katherine Sprung couldn't recommend it more wholeheartedly. "Blueberry and lemon is one of my favorite dessert combinations," she said. "It's so simple and so delicious. Not too sweet, and all the right amounts of tang." I couldn't agree more. It's almost like the brightness of lemon zest was made for blueberries. It hits all the right dessert marks without going too far in any direction. Then, when you add cream cheese, the tanginess achieves new drool-worthy heights.

Whipping up a blueberry compote is fairly simple, too — maybe not quite as easy as some of the other ingredient combos we've discussed thus far, but when it's this good, it's worth some extra effort. This is yet another sweet application that goes just as well on bagels as it would topping or worked into a dessert. You can rest assured any leftover cream cheese you have lying around won't go to waste. After all, with all these yummy flavor combos, you'll be dying to put cream cheese on way more than just bagels.