This easy Smoked Cream Cheese with Hot Honey is one of the most flavorful, simple appetizer recipes you can make! A block of cream cheese seasoned with my sweet & savory spice mix, a hint of smoke, then topped with hot honey is any dip lovers dream.
Top it with marinated olives and it's my dream dip!
We serve this easy appetizer with homemade seasoned crackers and it disappears like hot cakes!
The first time my husband made this viral BBQ sensation from TikTok, it had his family dropping off bricks of cream cheese to him by the truckful. Everyone was requesting that he'd make them some smoked cream cheese with hot honey.
I was eating cream cheese by the block because it was so good I couldn't stop. I immediately told Zach I was creating my own version of this smoked cheese recipe he just made for me, and putting it on the blog because it was too good not to share!
If you love a good cheese appetizer try my goat cheese appetizer!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- The perfect homemade dip that everyone will beg for at your gatherings. Try serving tomato confit over the top!
- Super easy to make and great for gatherings, just like Harissa Hummus!
- I know I'm always looking for more recipes to utilize my smoker! This one is perfect to learn.
Recipe Ingredients
- Cream Cheese: I use full fat Philadelphia cream cheese for my smoked cream cheese dip. The same that I use for this Old Fashioned Pimento Cheese recipe.
- Paprika: Sweet paprika for this smoked cream cheese recipe since it will be getting added smoke from being on the smoker.
- Granulated Garlic: I prefer granulated garlic over garlic powder.
- Onion Powder: This gives a nice hint of onion to the dip without being overpowering.
- Granulated Sugar: A little sweetness adds great flavor.
- Fennel Seed: I love the taste of fennel seed and it compliments this dish nicely.
- Kosher Salt: Salt of course, it brings out the flavor of all the ingredients. I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt.
- Honey: I'm a huge fan of Local Hive Honey's raw honey. I love all the different flavor profiles.
- Crushed Red Pepper: Everything is better with a little spice! Try using leftover red chili flakes for Chili Garlic Noodles!
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Top this smoked cream cheese recipe with a little garlic confit for mellow garlicky goodness!
- Warm up a spicy fig jam instead of hot honey to pour over the top.
- Use a premade seasoning blend. BBQ rubs work great for this easy smoked cream cheese. I also like using Old World Italian spice blend from The Spice House. Try The Spice House's Cinnamon Maple Sugar for a sweet version then dip graham crackers or Biscoff cookies into it! Everything Bagel Seasoning is another fun one!
- Top your cheese dip with my homemade cranberry sauce! This is especially great around the holidays.
- Add some green olives to your easy appetizer! Green olive and cream cheese are like a match made in heaven. Pour them over the top with your hot honey for an extra briny bite.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
How To Make Smoked Cream Cheese With Hot Honey
Step 1: Heat your smoker to 160°F-180°F and place cream cheese on a small piece of parchment paper.
Step 3: Score the cream cheese then place in the smoker, on the top shelf with parchment paper still under it. Smoke 90 minutes.
Step 2: Mix all spices together then evenly top the cream cheese with the spice mix.
Step 4: The final minute before taking the cheese off the smoker, heat the honey and crushed red pepper flakes in a small sauce pot over low heat just until warm.
Step 5: Remove the cream cheese from the smoker, place on a serving platter then top with hot honey. Serve with seasoned crackers.
Expert Cooking Tips
- Don't let your smoker go over 180°F. You don't want this recipe to end up being melted cream cheese.
- Use this smoked cream cheese recipe on your next charcuterie board! It will be the star of the board. I love using it on my Thanksgiving Charcuterie boards or at any holiday for that matter.
- Use a pre-made seasoning. If making this recipe wasn't already easy enough, make it even easier by using your favorite seasoning blend. Whether that be a BBQ rub, Italian seasoning or maybe a shawarma blend.
- Experiment with wood. Different types of wood give off different flavors. Try different woods to find out your favorite flavor. We're big fans of oak wood here.
- Add any leftover cheese you have to this spicy mac and cheese recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
I much prefer my smoked cream cheese dip hot or warm. Room temperature works too. I don't care for it cold if I'm serving it with crackers. It doesn't spread well and will have you breaking crackers left and right.
You could use low fat cream cheese. You won't get quite the same flavor as if you used full-fat cream cheese for this smoked cream cheese recipe but it would still work. Flavor-wise full-fat is the better option.
If the temperature of the smoker goes too high then yes, you will melt the cream cheese. Be sure to keep the smoker temperature between 160°F-180°F to retain the shape of the block of cheese.
Any kind of smoker will work for this smoked cream cheese recipe. We've made this cream cheese dip on an offset smoker, pellet smoker and an electric smoker. Use whatever you have and you're comfortable with.
If you're wondering how long to smoke cream cheese for to get a good flavor on it without over doing it, the answer is 90-120 minutes. As long as you keep the temperature maintained, anywhere in that time range puts out a tasty cream cheese dip.
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More Recipes You'll Love
Smoked Cream Cheese
Equipment
- 1 smoker
Ingredients
- ½ tsp paprika sweet
- ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon fennel seed
- 8 oz cream cheese cold
- ½ cup honey I use Local Hive Honey
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper
- 6 oz seasoned crackers for serving
Instructions
- Heat smoker to 160°F-180°F then place block of cream cheese onto a small sheet of parchment paper
- Mix paprika, garlic, onion powder, sugar, salt and fennel together then sprinkle evenly over the top of the cream cheese
- Score cream cheese then place it in the smoker for 1½ hours
- Right before cream cheese comes off the smoker, heat the honey and red pepper flakes in a small sauce pot just until warm. Remove cream cheese from smoker, transfer to a platter then top with hot honey. Serve crackers alongside warm cream cheese
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