Pumpkin Cream Cheese Spread Recipe
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Spread is an easy-to-make, delicious spread for your bagel or toast this season.
The arrival of pumpkins in stores everywhere is a welcome sign of cooler weather and autumn festivities. It’s also a sign of pumpkin everything in the food department. Foods like this pumpkin cream cheese spread. It’s a rich, creamy, and delicious spread on a bagel, muffin, or toast. It is also perfect for cheesecakes and other desserts, such as a topping for pumpkin muffins.
Can You Buy Pumpkin Cream Cheese?
Yes, though it’s usually a seasonal item you’ll find in stores from October through November or December. Generally speaking, there are a lot of ingredients in those you would probably normally avoid as well, and since it’s so easy to make your own, you’re better off doing so.
Is Canned Pumpkin Puree Just Pumpkin?
Yes. Canned pumpkin puree is just pumping. That said, make sure you grab the correct can at the grocery store because pumpkin pie filling usually looks very similar and has a lot of other ingredients added to it.
Dietary Concerns
Vegan
Simply use a vegan cream cheese (I used Kite Hill. It’s wonderful stuff), and switch from honey to maple syrup or some other sweetener you are comfortable with.
Dairy-Free
You can use a plant-based cream cheese like the one I mentioned above. It’s very good.
Keto Or Low-Carb
You’ll need to use a low-carb sweetener and real cream cheese. You’ll also need something low-carb to spread this on.
How Many Calories Are In Pumpkin Cream Cheese?
A container of Kraft pumpkin cream cheese is 80 calories. It also contains processed sugar, brown sugar, and “natural flavors,” which is a label they can hide just about anything behind. It’s a mystery ingredient we never get to know about. How fun! Or not…
How To Serve Pumpkin Cream Cheese
You can use this as a condiment or topping for:
- Toast
- Bagels
- Crackers or graham crackers.
- Muffins such as pumpkin cream cheese muffins or apple muffins.
- You can use this cream cheese mixture to make pumpkin cheesecake.
- Use it for apple slices or other fruits, such as strawberries, as a dip.
- This makes a delicious frosting for pumpkin cake.
Recipe Tips
1. If you are using cream cheese that comes in a block, I highly recommend using an electric mixer at medium speed to make this.
2. If you don’t have an electric mixer, consider using a softer, spreadable cream cheese to make mixing by hand much easier.
3. To add a little something extra, you can whip in a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.
4. If you use this on muffins, create a cream cheese swirl over the top of each muffin after they have cooled on a cooling rack. Putting this on hot muffins that are just out of the oven won’t end well. Ask me how I know…
About The Pumpkin Cream Cheese Ingredients
Cream cheese – While you can certainly use a block of cream cheese, I recommend a soft, spreadable cream cheese if you’ll be mixing this by hand.
Canned pumpkin puree – Make sure it’s 100% pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling.
Honey – Or any sweetener you prefer.
Pumpkin spice – You can buy it at the store or make your own at home using spices such as ground ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and more.
How To Make Pumpkin Cream Cheese?
Gather and measure all your ingredients.
Combine the cream cheese, canned pumpkin puree, honey, and pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl.
Use a hand mixer, whisk, fork, or spatula to blend all the ingredients together until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
Taste the spread and adjust the sweetness or spice level to your preference by adding more honey or spices if needed.
Once you’re satisfied with the flavor, transfer the pumpkin cream cheese spread to a container with a lid. Store it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before using it to allow the flavors to meld together.
Serve the spread with crackers, toast, bagels, or as a dip for fresh fruit. It’s perfect for a healthy, fall-flavored snack or breakfast.
Storage
Store this in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Note that with the use of honey, this may last even longer. But I can’t guarantee how long. Honey is a natural preservative.
Freezing
Freezing is not recommended for this recipe.
More Pumpkin Recipes
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Pumpkin Cream Cheese Spread Recipe Card
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Spread Recipe
Equipment
- 1 medium mixing bowl
- 1 Whisk (or electric mixer)
- 1 set measuring spoons
- 1 set measuring cups (You'll need the ¼ cup measure)
Ingredients
- 8 oz. plain cream cheese
- ¼ cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (or more to taste)
- 2 tbsp. honey (or more to taste)
Instructions
- Gather and measure all your ingredients.
- Combine the cream cheese, canned pumpkin puree, honey, and pumpkin pie spice in a mixing bowl.
- Use a hand mixer, whisk, fork, or spatula to blend all the ingredients together until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
- Taste the spread and adjust the sweetness or spice level to your preference by adding more honey or spices if needed.
- Once you're satisfied with the flavor, transfer the pumpkin cream cheese spread to a container with a lid. Store it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before using to allow the flavors to meld together.
- Serve the spread with crackers, toast, bagels, or as a dip for fresh fruit. It's perfect for a healthy, fall-flavored snack or breakfast.