This simple DIY strawberry cream cheese is easy to make and absolutely delicious. All you need for homemade strawberry cream cheese is fresh strawberries, plain cream cheese, vanilla, and a touch of something sweet if you prefer. Why make it yourself when you can buy it at the store? Well, let me tell you, there is a very good reason why.
My daughter is absolutely in love with the Philly Strawberry Cream Cheese. She wants me to buy it every week so she can make a strawberry cream cheese and strawberry jelly sandwich. Can you tell she has a thing for strawberries?
I decided to look at the ingredients on the strawberry cream cheese and compare them to the regular Philadelphia cream cheese. There are a ton more ingredients in the flavored cream cheese and one of those is the dreaded red food dye. I really detest artificial colors in my foods! I decided to try making strawberry cream cheese spread at home and skip the artificial stuff.
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Simple is Always Better!
How hard can it be to make flavored cream cheese? Just add strawberries to cream cheese with a touch of extra sweetness maybe? If I can get my daughter hooked on the homemade version I will happily leave the Red Dye #40 behind forever! If you are looking for an easy strawberry recipe this summer, this one is certainly one you should try!
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Ingredients for Homemade Strawberry Cream Cheese
With this easy strawberry cream cheese recipe, you can make your own cream cheese at home for a fraction of the price of store-bought. Not to mention, you can skip all the artificial additives. This recipe only requires three (or 4) simple ingredients:
- Plain cream cheese
- Fresh strawberries
- Vanilla extract
- Sweetener if desired. Sugar, powdered sugar, or honey are all good options.
How to Make Copycat Philadelphia Strawberry Cream Cheese Spread
This is really a 2 step recipe so I won’t go into much detail. Place the softened cream cheese, strawberries (cleaned and hulled), vanilla, and sugar in a food processor. Mix until smooth. You may have to scrape the sides a few times.
Scrape the fresh strawberry cream cheese into a glass container with a lid and place it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (or overnight). Once chilled, slice and serve as desired. Enjoy!
I would not recommend making this with frozen strawberries. They tend to be much more juicy and soft. You may end up with very thin cream cheese using frozen strawberries.
If you want, you can add a splash of lemon juice when mixing. It can act as a natural preservative and give your strawberry cream cheese a slightly more tangy flavor. However, lemon juice is optional and I chose not to use it.
How does it taste?
So, how did it turn out? Let me just say that the flavor of this strawberry cream cheese is so much fresher than the store-bought stuff! I added a bit of sugar to mine along with a smidge of vanilla and it was heavenly.
You can see the tiny little seeds in it and the bright pink color is amazing. I used my Cuisinart food processor and it literally took less than a minute to make this completely smooth. I seriously don’t know how people live without a food processor!
So, if my strawberry cream cheese came out so vibrantly PINK with nothing but real strawberries and cream cheese….why does the store-bought stuff have red dye in it? If you love strawberries (and easy recipes!), make this cream cheese spread for your toasted bagels!
DIY Strawberry Cream Cheese Recipe
How do you make easy strawberry cream cheese? Well, it takes about 5 minutes and one good food processor. What is in strawberry cream cheese that you buy at the store? WAY TOO MUCH STUFF! This strawberry cream cheese spread is rich and creamy, with a light, fruity flavor. It’s perfect for spreading on your morning bagel!
If you love this DIY strawberry cream cheese recipe, check out my other strawberry recipes: Strawberry Cheesecake Topping or my Strawberry Chia Seed Jam.
DIY Strawberry Cream Cheese
This homemade strawberry cream cheese is a vibrant and fresh tasting way to liven up your bagel!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 to 2 TBSP sugar, depending on taste
Instructions
- Put all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process on HIGH until smooth.
- Adjust sweetness to the desired level. You can leave bits of strawberries in the cream cheese if you prefer it a bit chunkier.
- Scrape into a bowl and cover.
- Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 122Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 89mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 1gSugar: 6gProtein: 2g
Nutrition information not always accurate
Diane is a professional blogger and nationally certified pharmacy technician at Good Pill Pharmacy. She earned her BS in Microbiology at the University of New Hampshire and has worked in cancer research, academics, and biotechnology. Concern over the growing incidence of human disease and the birth of her children led her to begin living a more natural life. She quickly realized that the information she was learning along the way could be beneficial to many others and started blogging and freelance writing to share this knowledge with others. Learn more about her HERE.
I used to make my own kefir and would make cream cheese from that. I would add stevia and stawberries or pineapple…. It is all good. Your cream cheese makes me want to start making it again.
I was wondering if it was possible to actually make the cream cheese from scratch! I would love to give this a try so if you have a post you could share I would love it!
Store bought foods have so many unnatural ingredients and preservatives. Good for you making your own strawberry cream cheese! Looks delish.
It really was delicious and only took a few seconds! My daughter loved it. I want to try a pineapple version soon!
I made this last night and ended up with a pretty soupy consistency. After letting it rest in the fridge overnight, it’s not much better. I’m thinking I added too many strawberries. :/
I think the ripeness of the berries probably plays a part, too. The riper they are the more juice they will have. Maybe start with fewer berries?
Cheapness is the culprit. they cut down on the actual strawberries and try to make up for it with dye and refined sugar.
You are definitely right! I would happily pay more if they would ditch all the fake stuff! Keep meaning to look at Whole Foods to see if they offer one.
I made this a 2nd time today. 1st was too watery. This time i used more cream cheese, dried the strawberries. Both times I used Swerve as subs for sugar. Serious – also used as a fresh fruit dip & sauce. Yum & healthy for low carb living.
I am glad you liked it! You do have to play with it a bit, depending on consistency!
I replaced the sugar with agave for a natural sweetener. Turned out great. Kids loved it. I love healthy alternatives to pre-made store bought choices. Thanks for sharing Diane!
So glad your kids enjoyed it! I make it regularly and my teen still loves it!
I made this and it was so tasty. It was a little thin but nevertheless we loved it. Next time I’ll add more cream cheese. Definitely more flavorful than the store brands!!!! I’ll continue to make my own….. now to make some low carb bagels!!!!😋😋🤩🤩
So glad you enjoyed it!