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 my sweet & savory spice mix, a hint of smoke, then topped with hot honey is any dip lovers dream.
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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Recipe Ingredients
This smoked cream cheese recipe is definitely one of the easiest recipes I've ever made. You just need a few items and most of them are pantry staples.
- Cream Cheese - I use Philadelphia cream cheese, full fat for my smoked cream cheese dip.
- 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 smoked cream cheese dip without being overpowering.
- Granulated Sugar - A little sweetness adds great flavor to this smoked cheese.
- 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 honeys. I love all the different flavor profiles.
- Crushed Red Pepper - Everything is better with a little spice!
The spices may seem like a lot of ingredients but the spice mix comes together in 60 seconds. Feel free to substitute your favorite BBQ rub in place of my homemade mix!
How To Make Smoked Cream Cheese With Hot Honey
Luckily making this smoked cream cheese recipe is as easy as can be. Follow these few simple steps and you'll have everyone begging for the recipe!
- Step 1: Heat your smoker to 160°F-180°F and place cream cheese on a small piece of parchment paper.
- Step 2: Mix all spices together then evenly top the cream cheese with the spice mix.
- 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 4: The final minute before taking the smoked cream cheese recipe 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 smoked cream cheese from the smoker, place on a serving platter then top with hot honey. Serve with seasoned crackers.
I prefer this smoked cream cheese recipe to be served warm but it can sit out at room temperature for up to 3 hours. It's unlikely it will last that long without being eaten though, it's definitely a party pleaser.
Substitutions & Variations
This smoked cream cheese recipe pairs great with sweet or savory flavors. I like to have a little of each when I make it. There are endless recipe variations when it comes to smoking cream cheese, but here are a few of my favorites:
- Top this smoked cheese with a little garlic confit for mellow garlicky goodness!
- Spicy Fig Jam - Warm up a spicy fig jam instead of hot honey to top the smoked cream cheese with.
- Seasoning Blends - 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!
- Cranberry Sauce - Top your smoked cream cheese dip with my homemade cranberry sauce! This is especially great around the holidays.
- Green Olives - 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.
Tips For Smoked Cream Cheese
Before you make this smoked cream cheese recipe, read these tips for a little extra help! These are a few things aimed to help you out so you make the perfect appetizer.
Tip 1: Don't let your smoker go over 180°F. You don't want the smoked cream cheese to end up being melted cream cheese.
Tip 2: 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.
Tip 3: 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.
Tip 4: 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.
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 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 smoked cream 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.
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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