10-Minute Homemade Scallion Cream Cheese with Fresh Scallions

This homemade scallion cream cheese blends fresh scallions and a hint of garlic powder with 8 ounces of brick-style or homemade cream cheese, whipped until smooth and creamy in a food processor.

It takes less than 15 minutes to make and is so good on bagels but can also be used as a savory spread on crackers or as a dip for veggies.

If you're going to make any of my fun homemade bagel recipes, it only makes sense to make a fun flavored cream cheese to go with them!

You can whip this easy scallion cream cheese together in less than the time it takes my easy plain bagel dough to rise, so it'll be ready to schmear when your fresh bagels come out of the oven.

This scallion cream cheese also so good as a filling for my cream cheese-stuffed bagel bombs, or as a dip for crispy homemade bagel chips!

You only need a few easy-to-find ingredients to make your own fresh scallion cream cheese. Serve it alongside whipped honey butter for a complete sweet-and-savory brunch spread that is sure to impress your friends!

As a recipe developer, my goal was to find a simple ratio of cream cheese to scallions and the most straightforward, least fussy method for making a super flavorful scallion cream cheese with minimal effort. And with this recipe, I really think I've done that! That said, you can definitely fiddle with the ratios — less scallions, more scallions, less garlic powder, more garlic powder, etc. — to suit your tastes! I've even included some alternate mixing methods that will get you similar results to the food processor method below.

Ingredient Notes

Here are the ingredients that you'll need to make this super easy homemade scallion cream cheese!

• Fresh Scallions - You'll need one grocery-store sized bunch. Don't worry, I've given the measurement in the recipe card by weight (and volume) in case you've got some particularly wimpy or gargantuan scallions on your hands. Regardless of size, wash and dry the scallions well before chopping them up.
• Brick-Style Cream Cheese - This kind of cream cheese has the best consistency for making scallion cream cheese. Whipped cream cheese or cream cheese spread are a lot looser and have more air in them which can give a funny texture when you whip them even more. You can also use homemade cream cheese (or even goat cheese) for this recipe.
• Garlic Powder - Technically optional, but a great way to highlight the lovely allium flavor of the scallions. You could use raw garlic, but when I tested it, I found raw garlic to be a little overpowering; I prefer the more mild flavor of dried garlic.

Optional: A pinch of salt, white or black pepper, cayenne, or crushed red pepper flakes. You could also add a pinch of dried onion powder or onion flakes to further enhance this onion flavored cream cheese.

How to Make Scallion Cream Cheese

Start by removing any browned or wrinkled skins from the white ends of the scallions and trim off any dead ends from the green end of the scallions. Once the scallions are washed and dried, chop them up into ¼"-½" pieces, all the way down to the scallion whites.

Transfer the scallions to your food processor. I use my 5-cup cordless mini food processor, but this will work in a 3-cup food processor, or even full-size food processor too. In a bigger food processor, you may need to pause and scrape down the bowl more often.

Pulse the chopped scallions a few times so the blades of the food processor whack them around, breaking down the cell walls and getting the scallions to start releasing their juices.

Add the cream cheese and the garlic powder and process until smooth, creamy, and well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and process again, repeating this process a few times until everything is nice and creamy!

Equipment Notes

In developing this scallion cream cheese recipe, I tested making it with a few different tools. I found the food processor gave the best results because of the way the blades mash up the scallions and get them to release their juices for a stronger scallion flavor.

NOTE: For any of these other methods, you'll want to mince the scallions extra fine or mash them up with a rolling pin, cocktail muddler, or even a meat tenderizer (put them in a plastic bag to contain the mess) before mixing them into the cream cheese.

Optional: Chunky Scallion Cream Cheese

If you prefer a scallion cream cheese with large pieces of scallion in it, hold back about a quarter of the scallions when you first add them to the food processor. Follow the rest of the recipe as written. Add the reserved scallions back in at the end and pulse just a few times to incorporate the larger scallion pieces into the cream cheese.

Storage Notes

Homemade scallion cream cheese can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Press a sheet of plastic wrap flat against the surface of the cream cheese to prevent it from drying out.

As always, if you see mold or the cream cheese smells off (extra cheesy, stinky, etc), do not use it.

BONUS: Cleaning your food processor

Run hot soapy water through the food processor for easy cleanup! It will melt and dislodge any bits of cheese clinging to the blade and walls of the bowl, making it easy to wipe the rest clean with a sponge. Caution: Don't fill the food processor bowl too full of water, you're going to get lots of bubbles as that blade whips through the soapy water!

📖 Recipe