Cherry Cream Cheese Spread is a delicious recipe that is made in 5 minutes and with only 5 simple ingredients! This cream cheese maraschino cherry spread is perfect on bagels or toast.
There is nothing easier than making this cream cheese cherry sandwich spread and it tastes incredible too. Maraschino cherries cream cheese spread is great for your morning or afternoon, smear it on a piece of toast or bagel and delight your taste buds!
Easy Cherry Cream Cheese Spread
When I was in high school, I worked at a bagel shop and from that point on I have had a very deep fondness for bagels. However, I do not particularly like plain cream cheese and have had a hard time finding a flavor I love. That is until I came across this recipe for Cherry Cream Cheese! I love cherry flavored anything, so I knew this would be amazing and the best part of it is that it only takes a few ingredients and a couple of minutes to make. The spread is made with cream cheese, almond extract, milk, maraschino cherries and a little bit of maraschino cherry juice. You will absolutely love this wonderfully creamy and cherry flavored spread.
What is the best type of cream cheese to use for this recipe?
All types of cream cheese work well in this cherry flavored spread recipe! I have tried regular cream cheese, the reduced fat cream cheese, and the fat free cream cheese and they all turn out wonderfully! Recently I have been using the Greek yogurt variety because it has a little bit more protein which is a nice addition to any dish. The consistency will be slightly different, depending on what type of cream cheese you use. I have not tried the whipped style cream cheese – I’m not sure what the consistency would be with the added ingredients.
Cherry Cream Cheese Spread Ingredients
Cream cheese: You need one 8-ounce block of cream cheese, softened to room temperature, for the base of this delicious recipe.
Almond extract: To give this spread even more flavor, add in 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract.
Milk: Use 1 tablespoon of milk to create the prefect creamy texture for this spread.
Cherry juice: Add in 1 tablespoon of maraschino cherry juice from the cherry jar to give the spread amazing flavor and a touch of color too.
Cherries: You will need 1/4 cup of maraschino cherries, drained and chopped. I like to place the chopped cherries on a paper towel to help absorb the extra moisture. If the cherries are not well drained, the extra moisture will make the cream cheese a little bit runnier than you’d probably prefer.
How to make Cherry Cream Cheese
Start by chopping the cherries into quarters, you want small easy to eat chunks.
Then, in a medium size bowl, using an electric handheld mixer, combine the room temperature cream cheese, almond extract, milk and cherry juice, mix until well combined and fluffy.
Next, gently fold in the maraschino cherries with a spoon and then place in the fridge to chill for about 15 minutes. Feel free to enjoy it immediately, I just like mine chilled a bit before serving.
Serve as a spread on bagels or toast and enjoy!
CHERRY CREAM CHEESE SPREAD
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese softened to room temperature
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 1 Tbsp milk
- 1 Tbsp maraschino cherry juice
- ¼ cup maraschino cherries drained and chopped
Instructions
- Mix the cream cheese, almond extract, milk and cherry juice with an electric mixer until well combined and fluffy.
- Gently fold in the maraschino cherries and serve as a spread on bagels or toast. This will stay good in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.
Notes
Nutrition
How long will this cream cheese spread be good for?
This will be good for a few weeks if kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Generally cream cheese does not freeze very well, so this spread should not be placed in the freezer.
What else can I spread cherry cream cheese spread on?
This tasty spread is not just for bagels and toast, you can enjoy it more ways than that! You can make pinwheel sandwiches, spread some of this on a tortilla and add maybe some turkey meat or cucumbers even. Another option is make a snack with it by smearing on a piece of celery for a yummy and healthy treat. This could also be used as a thick dip with crackers – we especially love it with graham crackers! If you love cream cheese there really isn’t a wrong way to enjoy this.
HOW TO SOFTEN CREAM CHEESE
Cream cheese is easy to soften – you can set it out at room temperature or soften it more quickly in the microwave.
-To soften at room temperature more quickly, just set the cream cheese on a plate and cut into smaller pieces. The cream cheese should reach room temperature in about 15-20 minutes with this method.
-To soften the cream cheese in the microwave, remove the foil packaging and set the cream cheese in a small bowl or on a plate. Microwave for about 10-15 seconds. If the cream cheese is still cold and hard, continue to microwave for about 5 seconds at a time until the cream cheese is soft throughout. Just make sure not to microwave it too long or it will start to melt!
If you liked this spread, try some of these amazing sweet dips!
- Lemon Chiffon Dip
- Snickerdoodle Dip
- Peaches and Cream Fruit Dip
- Creamy Jello Fruit Dip
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Dip
- Hot Chocolate Dip
- Peanut Butter Apple Dip
- Orange Creamsicle Fruit Dip
- Cranberry Salsa Dip
- Cinnamon Caramel Apple Dip
- Pumpkin Pie Dip
Cherry Cream Cheese Spread is a delectable recipe that is made in 5 minutes and only 5 ingredients! This cream cheese maraschino cherry spread is a fantastic way to add delicious flavor to your morning routine.
marissa | rae gun ramblings says
wow that sounds really delicious I am far overdue for a bagel
M adkiin says
This is very good on cinnamon Graham’s and cinnamon pound cake warmed
Alison says
That Cinnamon Pound Cake Warmed idea sounds fantastic!
Denise Jacobs says
I have to tell you. Your receipes are the BEST!! I have just recently got back into baking, and cooking. I have found that your receipes come out fantastic. My community are excited to see what I have tried next. We have a Pot Luck dinner twice a month. Everybody just loves what I bring( it blows my mind 😱) Thank you so much . I receive emails from you and I try them all. I am diagnosed with Bipolar 2 cooking and baking keeps me focused and out of my own head. Thank for sharing your work!
Nicole says
Glad you’re enjoying yourself with the recipes 🙂