Easy Philadelphia Cream Cheese Dip

This 5-ingredient, easy Philadelphia cream cheese dip recipe with lots of garlic that comes together in 5 minutes and is perfect for crackers, fruit, veggies such as carrots, pretzels, chips, tortilla chips and more. This recipe is one of my favorite cold appetizers and never fails to please at family gatherings or parties!

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• Ingredients
• Step-by-step Instructions
• Goes Well With
• How to Store
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• Other Super Bowl Recipes
• Easy Philadelphia Cream Cheese Dip Recipe
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This crackers and veggies dip only needs 5 simple ingredients which you just mix together- making it the perfect Philadelphia cream cheese dip for your next party! (For more Asian Recipes requiring 5 or fewer ingredients or Super Bowl Recipes, click here. You'll love how there's no need to turn on the stove top, making it a great recipe for hot summer days/ 4th of July picnics.)

You will only need:

• softened cream cheese: I use Philadelphia or another brand if it's on offer! Leave it out for 15-30 minutes to soften to make mixing easier.
  • An opened packet of cream cheese should be finished within 7-10 days. Use a clean spoon every time you scoop from it and toss it if the texture or colour changes. Some people say an unopened packet of cream cheese can las tup to 1 week past the date on the packaging, but use your senses and best judgment before consuming!
  • Cream cheese is made from milk and goes bad easily. I'd recommend not leaving it out of the fridge for more than 1-2 hours (if you're living somewhere hot, reduce the time accordingly as bacteria grows more quickly in hot weather) although some people say 4 hours, it's best to be safe than sorry!
• Kewpie mayonnaise: I like this as it's more savory but regular or homemade mayo work too. Substitute with sour cream if necessary. You can also use flavored mayonnaise, such as kimchi mayonnaise, gochujang mayo and sambal mayonnaise, as I did above.
• fresh garlic: You can substitute with garlic powder but it won't taste as good. If refrigerating the dip then eating it, use more garlic, as the coldness will dull the flavour.
• Salt and black pepper: season to taste. When using flavored mayo, I find the salt unnecessary.
• Optional garnishes: spring onions, minced green chillies, chives, parsley, a squeeze of lemon juice etc 

Variations

1. With egg and bacon bits: Chop up some hard boiled eggs and stir them into this easy dip along with some small pieces of bacon
2. With crab: You could also add a little cooked crab meat or surimi if you want to bulk it up.
3. Cheesey: This is meant to be a very simple but tasty garlic cream cheese dip. If feeling adventurous, go beyond the basic ingredients and add other types of cheese -such as shredded cheddar cheese, Mexican cheese or parmesan cheese.
4. Spiced: you can also add spices, such as onion powder, ranch dressing mix, taco seasoning, cayenne pepper, Worcestershire sauce, tabasco sauce etc- for variety. Just not all at once!
5. Garnished: The chopped green chillies aren entirely optional. I usually make this without and it's still delicious. However, if I have guests I like to make it prettier. If you don't like spice, you can use some fresh herbs such as chopped green onions, fresh parsley, chopped green bell peppers, or fresh chives instead.

Note: I do NOT recommend mixing canned tuna with this easy garlic Philadelphia cream cheese dip recipe, as it doesn't improve the taste.(I tried it.) If you really want to do so, don't forget to add the tuna, taste THEN salt if necessary.

Most likely, you won't need to add extra salt as canned tuna is already very salty. I also find canned tuna a little dry, even when it's canned in olive oil.

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl. No hand mixer needed!
2. Serve with tortilla chips or 1 of the suggestions under "How to Eat" below.

Goes Well With

This delicious and creamy dip recipe goes well with:

1. tortilla chips
2. potato chips
3. ritz crackers
4. graham crackers
5. pita chips
6. baguette slices (or try 1 of these types of Asian breads.)
7. it even makes fresh vegetables (crudités) seem like a delicious snack!
8. slices of fresh fruit
9. It can also be used as a buffalo chicken dip- the dairy will help to counter the spice!

As you can see, the possibilities for this great dip are endless! (Serve with a selection of other savory dips such as spicy tuna dip and olive dip.)

If you're not eating this easy cream cheese dip right away, you need to store it in the fridge in an airtight container. Keep any extra garlic dip refrigerated for up to 2 days. 

Either let the leftover dip warm up slightly before eating later, preferably after it's come to almost room temperature. OR if you're going to eat it fridge cold, you'll need to add more garlic to really taste it, as the cold dulls the flavours.

Other Super Bowl Recipes

If you're prepping for the Big Game, here are some other recipes you may like:

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