This easy herbed garlic cream cheese spread uses tangy buttermilk with 10 simple ingredients, coming together in just 15 minutes. Perfect for a Southern-style appetizer, it’s best enjoyed cold with crackers, bread, and veggies - or as a fresh spread for sandwiches. The blend of fresh herbs adds a delightful touch to any gathering. Recipe yields 1 cup of dip.
Heather's Thoughts on This Tangy Herby Dip Goodness
Listen. I love a good dip. 2 minute cream cheese and pepper jelly dip. Whipped feta dip with honey and pistachios. 20-minute baked cream cheese & chili dip. Spinach & Artichoke Dip in a Bread Bowl (Serve Cold). I could seriously just have a whole blog dedicated to dip and spread recipes!
But I digress.....
Being a true Southern cook, I always have my fridge/pantry stocked with things to make any kind of time at any time. You never know when friends or family may stop by, when you want a little porch date night nibble on a Friday night, or simply just don't want to go to the store for 2 things when you need an appetizer.
This herbed garlic cream cheese spread uses fridge and pantry staples and can be whipped up in 15 minutes or less. Just mix softened cream cheese with buttermilk, a garlic clove, fresh herbs, and spices, and boom - you have an app ready to go! Serve this cold with your favorite cracker or bread, or with crisp veggies like baby carrots, or get a little crazy and use it on a bagel or sammys to jazz things up!
Let me show you how simple it is to bring together. 🙂
Welcome to my Kitchen, Let Me Show You How Easy This Is
⭐️ recipe note: after testing this multiple times to get the flavor and tang just right, I realized that using a garlic clove is the best way to go over just garlic powder. It gives more of a punch than the powder does - I could just never get it to taste quite right. You can finely mince it with a knife or a garlic mincer (Amazon affiliate link) or grate it on a microplane zester. Any will work!
If you are not serving this immediately, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge until needed. This can be made up to a day in advance too. Any leftovers can be stored the same way in the fridge for 2-3 days after making.
If you do not have any buttermilk on hand, then you can have your own 5 minute buttermilk version at home. Honestly, this is what I do 99% of the time when a recipe calls for buttermilk and it works perfectly!
Recipe
Herbed Garlic Cream Cheese Spread with Buttermilk
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 Cup 1x
Description
This easy herbed garlic cream cheese spread uses tangy buttermilk with 10 simple ingredients, coming together in just 15 minutes. Perfect for a Southern-style appetizer, it’s best enjoyed cold with crackers, bread, and veggies, or as a fresh spread for sandwiches. The blend of fresh herbs adds a delightful touch to any gathering.
Ingredients
- 8 Ounces Cream Cheese - softened
- ½ Cup Buttermilk
- Zest of 1 Lemon
- 1 Garlic Clove - minced
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Chives
- 1 Teaspoon Fresh Dill
- ½ Teaspoon Fresh Thyme
- ½ Teaspoon Fresh Parsley
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
- ⅛ Teaspoon White Pepper
Instructions
*before beginning the recipe, set the cream cheese out for 30 minutes to allow to soften*
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Mix Ingredients: In a mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and ½ cup of buttermilk. Using a hand mixer, mix until smooth and creamy.
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Add Lemon Zest: Add the zest of 1 lemon to the cream cheese mixture, stirring to incorporate.
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Chop and Add Herbs: Finely chop the fresh herbs finely and add them along with the minced garlic clove to the mixture.
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Season: Ass in the salt, pepper, and white pepper. Mix one final time until smooth and creamy and all ingredients are evenly combined.
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Chill: Serve immediately or cover the spread and refrigerate until needed. Serve chilled with crackers, bread, veggies, or as a spread for sandwiches.
Notes
- Can be made up to a day in advance.
- Keep the leftovers covered airtight in the fridge for 2-3 days.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Dips and Spread
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 scoop
- Calories: 110
- Sugar: 1.9 g
- Sodium: 178.2 mg
- Fat: 10.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 2.7 g
- Fiber: 0.1 g
- Protein: 2.3 g
- Cholesterol: 30.3 mg
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