Easy Smoked Cream Cheese

Looking down on a block of smoked cream cheese in a small cast-iron skillet with crackers and a bunch of parsley in the background.

When you need the perfect party appetizer, you’ll turn to this easy smoked cream cheese over and over again! Coated in a flavorful dry rub, this cream cheese transforms into a luscious spread with just the right touch of smoky flavor after a trip to the grill. It just takes a few minutes to prepare this easy appetizer, and then the smoker handles the rest of the work.

Course Appetizers

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 2

Total Time 2 5

Servings people

Calories 138kcal

Author Amanda McGrory-Dixon

Equipment

Smoker
Wood pellets, chips or chunks hickory, apple wood, cherry wood, pecan and maple all work
Small cast-iron skillet or aluminum pan
Water pan

Ingredients

8 ounces full-fat cream cheese in block form
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Favorite accompaniments such as crackers, bread, fresh vegetables, etc.

Instructions

With a sharp knife, score the top of the cream cheese in a criss-cross pattern. Don't cut all the way to the bottom of the cream cheese, about halfway will do.
Stir together the chili powder, brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika and black pepper to make the dry rub.
Coat the top and sides of the cream cheese with the dry rub. Place the cream cheese in a small cast-iron skillet or aluminum pan.
Immediately place the cream cheese on a 225-degree F smoker with a water pan. Close the lid and smoke for about two hours. You know the cream cheese is done when it's warm throughout, puffs up and starts to pull away from the criss-cross pattern. Remove from the smoker and serve with your favorite accompaniments. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Place the cream cheese on the smoker while cold: If the cream cheese is too warm, it will melt too quickly. Score the cream cheese, season it and then immediately place it on the smoker. If you’re not quite ready to smoke the cheese after seasoning, keep it in the refrigerator until you're ready to cook.
One block of cream cheese serves four to six people, but you can easily scale up for larger parties. As long as you have room on the grill, you can smoke as many cream cheese blocks at a time as needed.
Cover any leftovers with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It should last for three to four days. To reheat, remove from the refrigerator for 30 minutes and warm in a 350-degree F oven for about 10 minutes.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Nutrition