Soften Cream Cheese

Many dishes containing cream cheese require it to be softened before it is added to the recipe. No matter what you're using it for, there are multiple methods to soften cream cheese. Simply heating it up can work very well (especially if you've been storing it in the fridge), but if you can't heat it, you can still "cut" it with less-firm ingredients to give it a softer texture.

Steps

Softening Cream Cheese With Heat

  1. Use a microwave. Scoop the cream cheese into a microwave-safe bowl or dish. Set the microwave to "High" and heat briefly. For a medium-sized (eight ounces or less) container of cream cheese, you'll usually need about 15-20 seconds of cooking time.[1]
    • If the cream cheese isn't soft enough, continue to heat it in ten second increments. Check its texture after each heating session.
    • If the cream cheese is too soft, let it sit in a cool bowl on the counter for five minutes (or in the fridge for two minutes).
  2. Let the cream cheese gradually come to room temperature. Take the cream cheese out of the fridge. Leave it on the counter top for half an hour in its original container. It should noticeably soften once it reaches room temperature.
    • After 30 minutes, open the packaging and check the texture. If the cream cheese still feels cool to the touch and isn't soft enough, let it sit another 20-30 minutes. If it's room temperature and it still isn't soft enough, use one of the other methods to soften it.
  3. Warm the cream cheese in a water bath. Fill a bowl with lukewarm water. Place the cream cheese into the water in its original packaging. Let it sit for 10 minutes. The water will gradually transfer its heat to the cream cheese, softening its texture.
    • If the cream cheese has already been opened, put it in an airtight plastic bag or wrap it tightly in cling wrap to prevent water from getting in.
    • If the cream cheese doesn't soften enough, give it an extra five minutes. If it still isn't soft enough, use warmer water (but not hot water, which can melt it).
    • If the cream cheese was frozen, use cold water instead of lukewarm, which can cause it to heat unevenly.
  4. Check for consistency before using the cream cheese. Once you've warmed the cream cheese, take a few seconds to check that it is the right consistency. Press a spoon into the cream cheese (either through the wrapper or directly into the cheese itself). If it gives way easily and offers no resistance, it should be plenty soft. On the other hand, if it's still firm, you may want to warm it a little more.
  5. Don't let softened cream cheese sit for long periods of time. Cream cheese has a fairly long shelf life: in the fridge, it can sometimes last for up to a month and in the freezer it can easily last twice that.[2] However, like many dairy products, it spoils fairly quickly at room temperature. After warming your cream cheese, try to use it as quickly as possible, returning any leftovers to the fridge.
    • Cream cheese shouldn't be left at room temperature longer than 1-2 hours. Consider throwing it away after leaving it out this much time.[2]
  6. Avoid over-heating. It's possible to warm cream cheese too much when trying to soften it. In this case, you can start to melt the solids in the cream cheese, leaving you with a soupy, runny mess that isn't easy to cool back to a "normal" texture.
    • Prevention is the best cure here. Use gentle heat and short warming periods to prevent over-heating, increasing the temperature and time gradually if you need a softer texture.

Thinning Cream Cheese With Other Ingredients

These tricks are best when you need softer cream cheese but you can't heat it up — for instance, if you're using the cream cheese for cake frosting.

  1. Add milk or cream. These neutral-flavored dairy products are perfect for thinning out cream cheese without affecting its taste much. They may make it slightly less "tangy" but the difference should not be major. The procedure for adding these ingredients (as well as the ones below) is simple:
    • Add a small amount of the milk, etc. to the cream cheese. Start with no more than one tablespoon.
    • Stir well to combine. The cream cheese should become a little less solid and a little easier to stir.
    • Add small extra amounts of milk, etc. as needed if it's still not soft enough.
  2. Add melted butter. This is another good choice for thinning out cream cheese. Melt butter in the microwave (separate from the cream cheese), then combine it with the cream cheese in a separate bowl by stirring well. Don't heat the cream cheese together with the butter unless you want it to melt as well.
    • If you have the choice, use unsalted butter to have the smallest possible effect on the taste of the cream cheese.
  3. Try adding a small amount of lemon juice. Lemon juice won't just thin out solid cream cheese — it will also give it a noticeably tart taste. While this is great for frosting and other sweet and sour desserts, it won't go well with every dish, so use this method with caution.
    • You may want to use a little less lemon juice than you would use for the other ingredients in this section. Some frosting recipes that call for as little as two teaspoons of lemon juice can have problems with the finished product being too runny.[3]
  4. Mix with marshmallow fluff. Fluffy marshmallow toppings like Cool Whip may not seem like they would taste good with cream cheese, but they can be perfect when thinning cream cheese for frosting. These sorts of spreads tend to give cream cheese a mildly sweet flavor rather than the tartness of lemon juice or the neutral flavors of milk and melted butter.
  5. Mix with mascarpone. Mascarpone is an Italian spread that is very similar to cream cheese, just a little lighter and softer.[4] Because it's so close to cream cheese already, mascarpone makes a good choice when you want to make cream cheese just a little softer than it already is. The effect is subtle, but noticeable — perfect when using the mix as a spread for desserts like french toast and bread pudding.



Tips

  • Low-fat cream cheese tends not to soften quite as smoothly due to the reduced fat content.
  • Try substituting mascarpone or neufchatel cheese for cream cheese in a pinch — the flavor and texture of each is similar and both can be softened in the same ways.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/cooking-tips-techniques/cooking-uses-for-your-microwave/soften-cream-cheese
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.eatbydate.com/dairy/cheese/cream-cheese-shelf-life-expiration-date/
  3. ↑ http://www.nigella.com/kitchen-queries/view/Cream-Cheese-Icing-Turned-Runny/2531
  4. ↑ http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/mascarpone/index.html

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