Here’s a fun homemade spread for snacks or dipping: Veggie Cream Cheese! Make this spread with fresh vegetables and it tastes even more incredible than the store-bought variety. You can use it as a spread for bagels or bread, or as a dip for vegetable sticks! It’s a great idea for kids, and you can even freeze it for use in lunch boxes. Here’s how to make it!
Ingredients in veggie cream cheese
This homemade veggie cream cheese spread could not be simpler to whiz up! All you need is a food processor. Here are the vegetables we like to use, but you can get creative and add your own. Here’s what to have on hand:
Cream cheese Carrot Bell pepper Green onions Seasonings: dried dill, garlic powder, salt Parmesan cheese Fresh basil or other herbs (optional)
The Parmesan cheese adds just the right complexity and roundness to the flavor of the dip! You can omit if you don’t happen to have it, but it really adds to the flavor.
Fresh herbs are optional
Add any fresh herbs you have on hand to this veggie cream cheese, and it tastes like a dream! We love it with a few leaves of fresh basil when we have it on hand. But if you don’t have it: it’s totally unnecessary for the flavor! Fresh herbs can be expensive especially out of season, so we’ve customized this recipe to taste good without them.
Other vegetables to use (just don’t use too many!)
You can customize any of the veggies in this vegetable cream cheese to your taste! One thing to note, thought: don’t add too many! Adding lots of watery veggies (like bell pepper) can make it watery in the refrigerator after a few days. So try to add an amount that’s about equivalent to the recipe below. Other vegetables that would be good contender
Spinach (fresh or frozen, thawed and squeezed of any water) Tuscan kale (just don’t use too much!) Broccoli Sundried tomatoes
Ways to use veggie cream cheese
There are so many ways to use use veggie cream cheese! The best part? You can use it as a simple snack for dipping — kids love it! (Ours does.) Here are a few ideas:
Veggie dip with carrot sticks, broccoli, cauliflower and bell pepper strips Chip dip for chips, crackers, crostini, or pita chips Pretzel dip Spread for bagels or toast: add more homemade cream cheese flavors like Herb, Chive, Cinnamon, Strawberry, or Whipped Cream Cheese Spread for sandwiches
Storage info
Store this veggie cream cheese in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Or, you can freeze it! Freeze in dollops on a baking sheet, then when they’re solid transfer to a sealed container. You can drop the dollops right into lunch boxes to use with carrot sticks! (Thanks to our friend Sarah for the idea on this one!)
More healthy snacks
Need more snack ideas? Here are a few more healthy homemade snack ideas:
Go for another homemade cream cheese like Herb Cream Cheese or fruity Blueberry Cream Cheese Try tasty Cottage Cheese Dip or Ranch Dip Opt for Cottage Cheese Toast or Smoked Salmon Toast spread with ricotta Make a batch of Easy Energy Balls or Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bites Go for an Easy Refried Bean Dip
This vegetable cream cheese recipe is…
Vegetarian and gluten-free. 5 from 2 reviews *Fresh tender herbs are delicious here, like basil, chives, dill, cilantro, parsley, chopped thyme or oregano. See also Herb Cream Cheese.
