Calabrian Chili Cream Cheese (Printable Version)

Spicy cream cheese blended with Calabrian chilies for flavorful toasts, bagels, or dips.

# What You Need:

→ Dairy

01 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened

→ Chilies

02 - 2 tablespoons Calabrian chili paste or finely chopped jarred Calabrian chilies

→ Seasonings

03 - 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
04 - 1 garlic clove, finely minced, optional
05 - 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
06 - 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
07 - 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

# Step-by-Step:

01 - Place softened cream cheese in a medium bowl.
02 - Add Calabrian chili paste, olive oil, minced garlic if using, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper to the cream cheese.
03 - Using a spatula or hand mixer, blend all ingredients until fully combined and creamy in texture.
04 - Taste the mixture and adjust salt, lemon juice, or chili paste to your preferred flavor intensity.
05 - Transfer the spread to a serving dish and drizzle lightly with additional olive oil if desired.
06 - Serve immediately with toasted bread or bagels, or cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes like you spent hours developing flavors when it actually takes ten minutes flat.
  • The texture is impossibly creamy while the chili gives it a sophisticated edge that makes people ask what's in it.
02 -
  • The cream cheese truly must be softened first—cold cream cheese will fight you and create little pockets of unmixed paste that taste too intense.
  • Calabrian chili paste varies wildly between brands in both heat level and depth, so always start conservatively and taste before adding more.
03 -
  • Buy jarred Calabrian chilies in oil if the paste seems hard to track down—they're equally good and actually easier to gauge since you can see what you're working with.
  • Pair this with toasted sourdough, fresh vegetables, cured meats, or even crackers made from seeds; it plays beautifully across the board and never overshadows what it sits on.
Go Back