Smoked salmon cream cheese is a creamy, savory spread made with softened cream cheese and finely chopped smoked salmon. When you make it at home, you choose the quality of the salmon and exactly how much goes in, so every bite has plenty of real smoked salmon. It takes about 5 minutes and requires no cooking.
Quick Look: Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese
- What it is: A creamy spread made with cream cheese and smoked salmon. It's the classic bagel-shop lox spread, made at home.
- Why Make THIS Version? You control the salmon quality and how much you use. Use plenty of smoked salmon, or Nova if you prefer, for a richer spread with real pieces of fish throughout.
- Key Ingredients: Cream cheese and smoked salmon, such as Nova or lox.
- Total Time: 5 minutes. Chill it for 30 minutes if you want the flavors to blend together even more.
- Pairs Well With: Toasted bagels, cucumber slices, bagel chips, crackers, or a bagel brunch.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
We love bagels with smoked salmon, so we turn the salmon into a spread. It only takes a few minutes to make, and then it's ready and waiting for the next bagel.
Instead of pulling out slices of smoked salmon every time you make breakfast, the salmon is already mixed into the cream cheese. Just scoop, spread, and eat.
It keeps for up to 5 days in the fridge, and every bite has plenty of smoked salmon mixed right in.
Ingredients
You only need a handful of ingredients for this smoked salmon cream cheese. See the recipe card below for exact amounts.
- Cream cheese: Use full-fat block cream cheese, softened to room temperature so it mixes smoothly. I recommend Philadelphia cream cheese for best results.
- Smoked salmon: Cold-smoked salmon (lox or nova), finely chopped. This is the star, so use good-quality salmon and don't be shy.
How To Make Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese
Step 1: Chop the salmon into bite-sized pieces.
Step 2: Place the cream cheese into a medium-sized bowl, add the smoked salmon, and mix until smooth and fully combined.
Step 3: Cover and chill until ready to use.
Chef's Tips
- Soften the cream cheese first. Cold cream cheese won't whip smooth, and the salmon will clump instead of mixing in evenly.
- Chop the salmon by hand. A food processor turns it into a pink paste. Small hand-chopped pieces give you real salmon in every bite.
- Make it your own. Stir in chopped capers, chives, minced red onion, or chopped green onions for extra flavor.
- Chill if you have time. It's ready to eat right away, but 30 minutes in the fridge lets the flavors blend.
- Don't skimp on the salmon. Add as much as you like, and the better the smoked salmon, the better the spread.
Serving Suggestions
Spread it on a toasted everything bagel and top with sliced tomato and red onion.
For party food, pipe it onto cucumber rounds or endive leaves, or serve it in a bowl with bagel chips, pita crackers, and fresh veggies.
It also makes a great filling for tea sandwiches and pinwheels.
Making a bagel spread? Set this out with scallion cream cheese and veggie cream cheese, or see all our flavored cream cheese recipes.
Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese FAQ
Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 5 days. Give it a stir before serving.
Yes. Flake it instead of chopping it. Hot-smoked salmon gives the spread a smokier flavor and a flakier, more rustic texture.
Yes, and it tastes even better that way. Make it up to a day ahead so the flavors have time to blend.
I don't recommend it. Cream cheese turns grainy and watery once it thaws.
Traditional lox is salt-cured but not smoked. Nova and most packaged smoked salmon are cured and then cold-smoked. Either one works in this recipe.
If you tried this Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments. I love hearing from you!
Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese
Equipment
- Medium mixing bowl
- Chef's Knife
- Cutting board
- Spoon or rubber spatula
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 4 ounces smoked salmon, finely chopped
Instructions
- Place the softened cream cheese in a medium bowl.
- Add the smoked salmon and mix until well combined.
- Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving so the flavors blend, or serve right away.
Felice says
I put this over a baked potato last night with greens onions and a little everything bagel seasoning. It was great!