A 5-ingredient, easy Philadelphia cream cheese dip recipe with lots of garlic and that comes together in 5 minutes. This recipe never fails to please at family gatherings or parties!
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Why Make This
There are a gazillion cream cheese dips out there, but this recipe is a party favorite because:
- It is super quick to make: this Philadelphia cream cheese dip recipe only take 5 minutes or so! Making it the perfect appetizer to make for last minute guests
- Easy: It only needs 5 simple ingredients which you just mix together! It's a good dip for your next party! For more Asian Recipes requiring 5 or fewer ingredients, click here.
- Delicious: It's super garlicky and great for Game Day! For more Super Bowl Recipes, click the link.
- No-cook: There's no need to turn on the stove top, making it a great recipe for hot summer days. (Jellies are also super cooling when the weather is blazing, if you have a sweet tooth.)
Ingredients
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.
- 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
- 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
- With crab: You could also add a little cooked crab meat or surimi if you want to bulk it up.
- 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.
- 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!
- 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. 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.
Step-by-step Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl. No hand mixer needed!
- Serve with tortilla chips or 1 of the suggestions under "How to Eat" below.
How to Eat
This delicious and creamy dip recipe goes well with:
- tortilla chips
- potato chips
- ritz crackers
- graham crackers
- pita chips
- baguette slices (or try 1 of these types of Asian breads.)
- it even makes fresh vegetables (crudités) seem like a delicious snack!
- slices of fresh fruit
- 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! (The above also go well with other savory dips such as spicy tuna dip.)
How to Store
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.
How to Freeze
If you need to keep the cream cheese dip for longer, store it in an air tight container in the freezer, but note that the texture may change on thawing and may not look as appetising.
Note: If prepping a big batch to freeze, I recommend not adding the garnishing till AFTER thawing this cream cheese and garlic dip.
Other Super Bowl Recipes
If you're prepping for the Big Game, here are some other recipes you may like:
FAQ
Cream cheese is made from milk and goes bad easily. I'd recommend not leaving it out 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, it's best to be safe than sorry!
Yes, cream cheese is permitted on a dairy-friendly vegetarian diet (but obviously not vegan.) It's also very popular for those filling a keto regime, but is not allowed on a strict paleo one.
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!
Enjoyed this creamy garlic cream cheese dip recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & if you REALLY liked this easy Super Bowl Dip, I'd love a comment! Thank you and have a great day!
Easy Philadelphia Cream Cheese Dip Recipe
Equipment
- Spoon
- Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 tub Philadelphia cream cheese (about 8 oz/ 250g) Feel free to substitute with another brand if necessary.
- 4 oz mayonnaise After emptying the cream cheese into the mixing bowl, squeeze the Kewpie mayo into the (empty) cream cheese container till it's about ⅓-½ full. (I do this to save on the washing up!) I like Kewpie Mayo but you can also use regular mayo
- 6 cloves fresh garlic Minced. Substitute: garlic powder If refrigerating the dip then eating it, use more garlic, as the coldness will dull the flavour.
- ½ teaspoon Salt If adding canned tuna, add the tuna THEN salt as the tuna is already super salty.
- Black pepper few turns of the mill
- spring onions, minced green chillies, chives, parsley etc Optional garnishing for colour
Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients, except the garnishing, together in a mixing bowl,
- Sprinkle the garnishes on top.
- Serve immediately with crackers and what not. (See above for full list of serving ideas.) Note: If refrigerating first, either let it warm up slightly or add more garlic before serving as the cold dulls the flavours.
Notes
Note: the nutritional information is an estimate automatically calculated using the WPRM recipe maker and I am not responsible for its veracity.
Nutrition
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Hillary says
Love the egg in it
Zen says
Me too! Glad you enjoyed it Hillary!