How to Melt Cream Cheese? - The Definitive Guide

You may come across a recipe that calls for melted cream cheese, either salty or sweet, and have no idea how to incorporate it.

Don’t worry, you’re not the only one, most of us wouldn’t know where to start when it comes to melting cream cheese. Luckily, there are easy ways to melt cream cheese in your kitchen to prepare it for your recipe without ruining its texture.

You could leave the cream cheese out to soften over time, but we usually don’t have hours to wait, and the cheese might not soften enough to use.

So how do you melt cream cheese?

The best way to melt cream cheese is in the microwave or on the stove. Both methods must be done carefully. If done right and carefully watched, the cream cheese will melt enough to be ideal for cooking and baking.

Below you’ll find everything you need to know about how to melt cream cheese on the stovetop or in the microwave and how to do it correctly.

How to melt cream cheese in the microwave

Melting cream cheese in the microwave is the fastest way to soften it for recipes like our delicious White Chicken Enchiladas, but you have to be careful.

If you leave the cream cheese in the microwave for too long, even for just a few seconds, you could end up with a bubbly mess and not be able to use the cream cheese.

There’s also a risk of the cream cheese bubbling up and splashing all over the inside of your microwave. If you’ve ever melted butter in the microwave, you know how messy it can get.

Therefore, this is not the favorite method of many, but it is effective.

Here’s how to melt a block of cream cheese in the microwave:

1. Fully unwrap the block of cream cheese and place in a microwave-safe bowl. Be sure to remove all of the wrapping. If the cream cheese is in a tub, transfer that to a microwave-safe bowl as well.
2. Put the bowl with the cream cheese in the microwave and put it on 75% power. Turn on the heat for 10 seconds.
3. After 5 seconds, open the microwave and turn the block of cream cheese over to the other side. If your cream cheese isn’t blocky, stir it in. Return it to the microwave for another 10 seconds.
4. Continue turning the block of cream cheese the other way, until all four sides have been microwaved on their sides for 10 seconds. If it’s not a block, remove it every ten seconds for four turns.
5. Check the consistency of the cream cheese. It should have softened, but if it hasn’t softened or melted enough, you should continue this routine until it reaches the right consistency.
6. The cream cheese will reach a point where you won’t be able to flip it, as it will be too soft. When this happens, simply stir it around with a spoon like you would cream cheese in a tub before popping it back into the microwave.

Flipping the cream cheese (until it’s too soft to do so) helps it melt and soften evenly and quickly, so that one part doesn’t get hotter than the others.

If you have an especially powerful microwave, you may want to turn the microwave power down to 50%, so the cream cheese doesn’t heat up too quickly.

How melty the cream cheese is, or how soft you want it to be, will depend on the recipe you use. Be sure to check if it needs to be softened or melted in order to use it in the recipe.

For a creamier and smoother result, you can put a little milk in the bowl with the cream cheese and heat them together. You would have to stir the milk and cream cheese together during the heating intervals to incorporate them together.

The milk helps to get a thinner, easier to use consistency once the cream cheese has melted.

How to melt cream cheese on the stove

Melting cream cheese on the stove takes a bit longer than melting it in the microwave, but you have more control over the temperature.

Since you’ll be constantly monitoring the cream cheese during the melting process, there’s less chance of it burning.

To melt cream cheese in the oven, it’s best to use a double boiler. However, if you don’t have a double boiler, you can use the basic double boiler method with some milk, a pot, bowls, and an instant read thermometer.

Here’s how to melt cream cheese on the stovetop:

1. 1. Remove the cream cheese from its wrapper, making sure that no wrapper remains on the cream cheese. Place the block of cream cheese in a heatproof bowl.
   2. If you have time, let the cream cheese sit in the bowl for 30 minutes, then cut into small pieces. This helps it melt faster and saves you from having to turn the block over when it’s in the double boiler. You can skip this step if your cream cheese came in a tub.

1. Fill a pot with water and put it on the stove over high heat. Let the water come to a boil.
2. Place the bowl with a little milk (about ¼ cup is fine, but your recipe may call for a certain amount) into the pot of boiling water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not come in direct contact with the water boiling.
3. Lower the heat to medium to prevent the water from boiling over.
4. Use an instant read thermometer to take the temperature of the milk. When the milk reaches 110°F, place the cream cheese in the bowl.
5. Stir the milk and cream cheese together until both are fully incorporated. Remove the melted cream cheese from the heat and use immediately.

The double boiler method, which involves heating the cream cheese in a bowl over boiling water, prevents the cream cheese from burning and sticking to the pan, curdling, or scorching.

It gently melts the cream cheese, and the milk further softens it and creates a smoother texture once melted.

You should not place the cream cheese in a pot that will be placed directly on the heat . There is a high risk of burning the cream cheese, sticking to the side, and completely ruining it.

It’s much better to have the cream cheese in a pot over boiling water, using a double boiler, or the double boiler method with whatever equipment you have, to gently heat, soften, and melt the cream cheese.

Too much heat will ruin the cream cheese, a gentler process being much more effective.

The double boil method will allow the cream cheese to melt faster than leaving it on the counter, but still provide adequate protection from direct heat.

You can interrupt the double boil of the cream cheese earlier if you just want it to soften; It all depends on what the recipe calls for. However, this method is often used with the addition of milk to make pasta sauces.

soften cream cheese

You may not want to fully melt the cream cheese, and instead just want to soften it slightly for use in making cheesecakes (which you can actually make without cream cheese), frostings, or something similar.

If this is the case, you can soften the cream cheese without using heat, such as a microwave or stove.

You do this by leaving the cream cheese on the counter to soften over time. There are ways to speed up this process, so you don’t have to wait all day.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Remove the wrapper from the cream cheese.
2. Cut the cream cheese into cubes: this helps to soften the block more quickly. If left whole, the block of cream cheese will take longer to soften.
3. Transfer the cream cheese blocks to a plate and cover with plastic wrap.
4. Let the cream cheese sit on the counter for 30 minutes, or let it sit up to 1 hour if it’s still a large block.
5. Gently tap the plastic wrap to see if the cream cheese has softened. If not, let it rest for another 15 minutes.

Blend the cream cheese

You can blend the cream cheese, or at least melt it and thin it out so it’s as close to a liquid as possible, more like sour cream.

To do this, you can heat and melt the cream cheese in the microwave or on the stove, and add a little milk to the mixture as it heats. The milk makes the cream cheese thinner and helps make the mixture smoother.

If you’re going to use the cream cheese for a sauce or paste, you might want to try adding a bit of milk to it, as it stretches out the melted cream cheese more and makes it easier to work with when making a dish.

The amount of milk you use will depend on the amount of cream cheese you are softening, but sometimes recipes tell you how much milk to use to soften the cream cheese.

It’s better to start with less milk, then add more as the cream cheese melts, rather than having too much milk at first.

dilute the cream cheese

There are a few ways to thin your cream cheese, with different ingredients you can add to the cream cheese to make it smoother and easier to work into a sweet or savory dish.

Here are some ingredients you can add to cream cheese to soften and thin it out.

1. Melted butter

Melted butter is a good choice for diluting the cream cheese, as the two mix easily if done correctly.

Use about a tablespoon of butter for an 8-ounce package of cream cheese.

• Melt the butter in the microwave, then add the melted butter to the cream cheese in a bowl, stirring well to combine the two ingredients.
• Add more butter to the cream cheese if it doesn’t soften enough with the first tablespoon of melted butter. Add about a teaspoon at a time until the cream cheese is sufficiently thinned.
• Avoid heating the cream cheese with the butter in the microwave, unless you want to melt the cream cheese.
• It’s best to use unsalted butter, as it won’t alter the flavor of the cream cheese too much. You can use salted butter if you’re adding the cream cheese to a savory dish, but you’ll need to test to make sure the mixture isn’t too salty.

2. Lemon juice

Lemon juice also works well to thin out the cream cheese, as well as giving it an extra touch of tartness.

The nice thing about using lemon juice to thin your cream cheese is that it can then be used for sweet or savory dishes, so you’re not too limited.

• Add a teaspoon of lemon juice to an 8-ounce block of cream cheese. Stir the two well to make sure they are combined. Check the consistency of the cream cheese, and taste it, to determine if more lemon juice is needed.
• If you need to add more lemon juice, just add ½ teaspoon each time, stir well and taste until you get the right consistency. Adding too much lemon juice can make the cream cheese too sour.

3. Whipped cream

The whipped cream is ideal to add to the cream cheese if you are going to use it for a sweet dish. You can use it to top a cake or cupcakes, or even to make a no-bake cheesecake.

• Add a tablespoon of whipped cream to an 8-ounce block of cream cheese, stirring well.
• Add more whipped cream until the desired consistency and flavor is reached. You can also add a small amount of powdered sugar to create the most delicious cupcake frosting.

4. Mascarpone

Mascarpone is another option to consider to soften and thin the cream cheese. It tastes pretty much like cream cheese, but it’s thinner, so you can use it to thin your cream cheese without changing the flavor too much.

Just add a tablespoon of mascarpone at a time, stirring well, until you reach the desired consistency and flavor.

Related questions

How do you get lumps out of softened cream cheese?

Sometimes your softened cream cheese can look lumpy, almost like cottage cheese.

If you don’t want to keep the heat a little longer to dissolve them, the best way to get the clumps out of the cream cheese is to beat the cream cheese on low speed. Increase speed as you go to mix all of the cream cheese together and remove any lumps.

You can whisk the melted cream cheese to get rid of any lumps or let it heat up a little longer to get rid of any leftover lumps.

Is cream cheese easier to spread when whipped?

Yes, the cream cheese will be easier to spread if it is whipped. Whipping the cream cheese aerates it, making it lighter and easier to spread.

Does cream cheese thicken after melting?

No, cream cheese will never return to its original state after melting.

Make sure that you are going to use all of the cream cheese that you are going to melt. It’s better to melt less and have to melt more, than to melt too much cream cheese and have it all go to waste.