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This Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese is the perfect addition to your weekend brunch, but it makes a great spread for cracker and fresh veggies too! With just a few simple ingredients and loads of smoky, creamy, tangy flavor, you’ll love this homemade cream cheese blend.
Not much beats a bagel slathered in cream cheese, except for maybe a bagel slathered in this smoked salmon cream cheese. 😉
The smoky, salty flavors of the salmon spread throughout the creamy, tangy cream cheese, making every bite rich and flavorful.
Sure, you could buy a tub of flavored cream cheese, but trust me…once you try this homemade version you will never go back. Besides, this is a super simple recipe – all you need is a bowl, a hand mixer, and a knife!
This is very simple to whip, is perfect on a bagel (or as a dip for our air fryer bagel chips), and would be a perfect addition to our Mother’s Day charcuterie board…just add bagels!
Ingredient Notes:
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Smoked Salmon – You can find this in pretty much any grocery store, often with the rest of the seafood. The smoked salmon has a nice smoky, salty flavor, with a mild fish flavor.
Cream Cheese – Use a block of soft, room temp cream cheese so that it whips together nicely. Be sure it’s nice and soft for the best results.
Sour Cream – This’ll add more creamy, tangy flavor to the spread! It’ll also help lighten up the texture and make it smoother, plus it balances out some of the richness of the cream cheese. You could use Greek yogurt as well.
Lemon Juice – We always prefer freshly squeezed but store bought will work in a pinch.
Green Onion – Some sliced green onion is a simple way to add some extra flavor to this smoked salmon spread.
Fresh Dill – You’ll want to use some freshly chopped dill to go into this cream cheese spread. Dill is often paired with smoked salmon because it helps complement the flavor of the salmon and it adds a bright, fresh taste.
What We Love About This Recipe:
- Smoked salmon has lots of good flavor but we love it even more when it’s paired with the tangy, creamy flavors in this cream cheese spread!
- There are so many ways you can enjoy this from toast to crackers to breakfast to appetizers. See below for more suggestions!
How to Make Smoked Salmon Spread:
Mix: Use a hand mixer to whip together the cream cheese, sour cream, and lemon juice until the mixture is light, fluffy, and smooth.
Combine: Finely chop up the smoked salmon, green onion, and fresh dill. Add the salmon, green onion, and dill to the cream cheese and stir it together by hand with a spoon or rubber spatula until combined. That’s all there is to preparing this smoked salmon cream cheese spread!
My Favorite Hand Mixer!
It’s so easy to whip up dessert with this cute hand mixer. It doesn’t take up much space and is a must for any kitchen!
Helpful Tip!
Not a fan of salmon? Try smoked herring!
Some good optional additions to this smoked salmon dip would be capers, minced garlic, or pickled onions or peppers!
What To Serve With Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese Spread:
There are all kinds of great ways to enjoy this creamy, tangy, rich and savory spread! Here are some great options for spreading:
- Bagels
- English Muffin Bread
- Toast
This recipe also works great as a dip/spread for appetizers! Here are a few good choices for dipping or spreading:
- Potato Chips
- Tortilla Chips
- Bagel Chips
- Crackers
- Crostini
- Raw Veggies
FAQs:
You can keep any leftovers stored in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 to 5 days.
Yes, it can be frozen for up to 3 months. The texture of the spread probably will not be the same though after being frozen and thawed.
They are close but different. Lox is salt cured or brined salmon, where as smoked salmon is sometimes cured, but always smoked.
Yes, this recipe is gluten free. However, many of the things you might serve with this spread contain gluten such as bagels or toast.
MORE savory SPREADS & DIPS!
- Cheese Spread
- Pimento Cheese
- Olive Cheese Dip
- Dill Veggie Dip
- Bacon Jalapeno Cheese Spread
- Caramelized Onion Dip
- Dill Pickle Dip
- BLT Dip
Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 ounces smoked salmon finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Instructions
- Add the cream cheese, sour cream, and lemon juice to a mixing bowl and mix well with a hand mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add the salmon, green onion, and dill to the bowl and use a spoon or rubber spatula to combine the mixture.
- Serve immediately or store in the fridge, covered, for up to 5 days.
James Mitsche says
Good recipe. Strictly speaking lox, or nova salmon is called for, not smoked salmon.
BTW, lox are simple to make. 10 minutes work over two days. Fry brined only, no smoking. Nova salmon are half done locks that are slightly cold smoked.
Smoked salmon is light brined, cold smoked and cooked to 165 F. It is good but moister and not as salty.
Karly Campbell says
Hi James! Not sure what you mean by lox being called for – the recipe does call for smoked salmon. 🙂
Daphne says
Loved this recipe
Karly Campbell says
Thanks, Daphne!
James V Mitsche says
By the photos and description of the taste (saltiness, etc.) you are actually using lox, not smoked salmon. They are often, no usually mislabeled in commercial products, but I am mon a mission to correct this.