The Recipe Critic

Garlic Herb Cream Cheese

January 10, 2023

Garlic herb cream cheese is tangy and full of flavor. It’s the perfect spread for bagels or served as an appetizer with fresh veggies or crackers. It takes 10 minutes to whip up and will be the hit of your next party!

An appetizer is the best part of a party in my opinion! I can’t get enough of all of the snack foods, especially this time of year. If you are looking for the perfect appetizer for your next party, you’ve got to try these Jalapeño Poppers with Bacon, these super simple Ranch Pretzels, and these amazing Homemade Mozzarella Sticks.

Garlic herb cream cheese spread in a bowl with fresh herbs around it.

Garlic Herb Cream Cheese

This savory garlic herb cream cheese recipe is easy and so full of flavor. It’s perfect on a vegetable tray as a dip or spread on top of a bagel. It is a tried and true recipe at my house, and we make it all the time. The best part is that it takes literal minutes to whip up and everyone loves it. It’s a great way to dress up your average cream cheese dip.

If I’m hosting a party, I am definitely going to make a charcuterie board and some party dips! I probably make crack chicken dip the most often, which is perfect served with crackers or rolls. This garlic herb cream cheese is the perfect thing to serve alongside all of that because it’s great with every kind of bread. If you like garlic, this is the recipe for you!

Ingredients in Garlic Herb Cream Cheese

This garlic herb cream cheese is full of delicious ingredients like dried herbs and cheeses that combine in the perfect way. Open up your pantry and double check that you have these dried herbs on hand. If you don’t, you will want to grab them from the store because you’ll want to have these herbs in your pantry anyways! They are great in so many other recipes. You can find the measurements below in the recipe card.

Cheeses

  • Cream Cheese: Cream cheese is tangy and creamy, and the perfect base for a spread.
  • Parmesan Cheese: Parmesan cheese is sharp and full of flavor. It really ramps up the savory notes in this spread.

Seasonings

  • Dried Parsley: Dried parsley is kind of sharp and acts like a citrus would, because it brings out the other flavors in this spread.
  • Dried Chives: I like to use dried chives because using dried ingredients means the dip will last longer. If you want to use fresh chives you can! Just know the shelf life of this spread will be shorter.
  • Basil: Dried basil adds a flavor that actually tastes sort of like mint, and it really brightens up the spread.
    Thyme: Thyme is my favorite herb! I just love the way it has almost every flavor you can think of all in one. It’s perfect in this spread.
    Dill: Dill is best known for the flavor it adds to pickles. It’s the perfect pair with the tangy cream cheese.
    Garlic Powder: Garlic powder is a great addition to the spread. It’s savory and sweet and OBVIOUSLY this is a garlic spread so it’s a must!
    Onion Powder: Onion powder is an easy way to add lots of flavor to the cream cheese. You could add fresh red onions for a nice texture and flavor, but the powder works just as well.
    Salt and Pepper: This helps to ramp up the flavors in the cream cheese.
Process photos showing the ingredients in a bowl and then mixed together.

Garlic Herb Cream Cheese Recipe

This garlic herb cream cheese is the perfect recipe to whip up when you need something easy and fast. It can go great along with so many different dishes because it can add flavor and variety to any meal. Even my kids gobble up anything with this spread on it. It will become your new favorite thing!

  1. Add Ingredients: In a bowl add the softened cream cheese, parmesan cheese, parsley, chives, basil, thyme, dill, garlic powder, and onion powder.
  2. Mix: Then mix with an electric hand mixer until smooth and incorporated.
  3. Season and Enjoy: Add salt and pepper to taste and then serve over bread or crackers.
Garlic herb cream cheese spread on a butter knife with the bowl in the background.

Additions and Variations

The best thing about garlic herb cream cheese is that you can switch it up anytime and make it entirely new! You can add and take away ingredients to make it fit whatever you are serving it with. Here are a few different things I’ve tried that I think you’ll love.

  • Fresh Herbs: Fresh herbs can add such a great pop of flavor. Adding fresh herbs can make this dip spoil faster because the fresh herbs have water in them and have not been preserved. So only add fresh herbs if you are planning on using it all up in a few days. You can add fresh basil, rosemary, thyme, and dill. Or anything you feel like! Fresh chives are always a great idea because the flavor goes perfect with cream cheese.
  • Minced Garlic: This IS a garlic herb cream cheese, so you can absolutely ramp up the garlic by adding fresh garlic! I like to use minced garlic from the jar because it’s easy, or you can grind up some fresh garlic in a mortar and pestle and enjoy all of that fresh garlic paste.
  • What to Dip it With: You would be amazed at how awesome this spread is on a piece of garlic bread! You can dress up a bagel or top a crostini. This dip is great with any kind of bread or cracker.
Cream cheese spread over the top of bread.

Storing Leftovers

This garlic herb cream cheese makes great leftovers because the flavors get stronger over time. It is a great one to make for the week! Here is how you store leftovers.

  • In the Refrigerator: You can store your leftover garlic herb cream cheese in an airtight container, and then store it in the refrigerator. Technically it will last until the expiration on the cream cheese. I like to eat it up before then!

Other Cream Cheese Inspired Recipes

Cream cheese is such a great building block for amazing dips, spreads, and desserts! I love that it can be sweet or savory. It’s so creamy and tangy, and adds so much flavor to any meal. Here are a few of my favorite cream cheese inspired recipes that you just have to try!

Print

Garlic Herb Cream Cheese

Garlic Herb Cream Cheese is tangy and full of flavor. It's the perfect spread for bagels or served as an appetizer with fresh veggies or crackers. It takes 10 minutes to whip up and will be the hit of your next party!
Course condiment
Cuisine American
Keyword cream cheese spread
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 8 people
Calories 107kcal
Author Alyssa Rivers

Ingredients

  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon dried chives
  • 1 teaspoon basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon dill
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • In a bowl add the softened cream cheese, parmesan cheese, parsley, chives, basil, thyme, dill, garlic powder, and onion powder.
  • Mix with an electric hand mixer until smooth and incorporated.
  • Add salt and pepper to taste and serve over bread or crackers.

Nutrition

Calories: 107kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 110mg | Potassium: 61mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 819IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 0.2mg

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