Cream Cheese Appetizer Recipes

This healthy Buffalo chicken dip is one quick appetizer to remember for your next Super Bowl party. A simple mixture of reduced-fat sour cream and reduced-fat cream cheese is baked with shredded chicken breast and the classic spicy-tangy hot sauce with a crumble of blue cheese on top. It's perfect for heaping onto celery and carrot sticks or any other crispy vegetable.

Need a super-easy holiday-party hors d'oeuvre? These tasty little cream cheese and cherry pepper tartlets come together in a snap, thanks to premade pie dough, which is pressed into a mini muffin tin to make the tart shells--then all you have to do is fill the cups with cream cheese and chopped cherry peppers. Chopped herbs add a nice hit of color, but these are just as tasty as-is. Consider making a double batch--these bites are sure to go quickly.

Inspired by the classic combination of smoked salmon and cream cheese, this spread is perfect for slathering on a bagel or serving as a dip with bagel chips. This salmon dip recipe is a great way to use up leftovers from Miso-Maple Salmon (see Associated Recipes).

This healthy stuffed mushroom appetizer is a nice balance of soft mushrooms, creamy filling and crunchy topping. This combination tastes downright decadent, but it's actually good for you. Be sure to get all of the moisture out of the chopped mushrooms before moving on to the next step; if not, the filling will be soggy and make the mushroom caps watery.

This Asian-inspired toasted ravioli appetizer is served with a yummy sweet-&-sour dipping sauce. It may seem time consuming to make this recipe from scratch but it takes just under an hour. You'll be so proud to serve these homemade filled wontons to your guests that you won't even fret about the prep time.

An interesting combination of texture and flavor makes these bite-size appetizers a winner. Mini rice cakes serve as a crunchy base for smooth cream cheese, sweet apricot preserves, spicy jalapeño, and earthy rosemary.

Need an appetizer for your next cocktail party? Look no further than these easy canapés. A blend of smoked tuna and seasoned cream cheese is stacked with crisp cucumber slices atop crunchy almond crackers in an appetizer that your guests will be reaching for first.

Here's a quick and easy way to get your children to eat more fruit! Stack strawberry slices on graham crackers spread with cream cheese for a tasty 5-minute snack your kids will devour.

Make your own pita crisps in minutes with this simple and refreshing snack recipe. Cinnamon coated pitas bake up into crisp delicious chips which pair beautifully with a sweet strawberry-orange cream cheese spread.

Blanketed in chopped nuts and zesty chives, this cheese ball is festive enough for even the most discerning party guests. Serve with sturdy crackers or toasted baguette slices for easy spreading.

This is not your grandma's cheese ball. It has all the flavor of an everything bagel without all the carbs and with just 3 ingredients! Want to emphasize the bagel taste? Serve it with bagel chips and some raw veggies for dipping to keep things healthy.

These bite-size tarts turn traditional holiday stuffing into a clever appetizer, with an easy homemade crust and a quick sausage-mushroom filling. Prep the crust and filling in advance, then bake just before serving.

When your kids have friends over after school, whip up these healthy turkey and vegetable roll-ups. They'll be so impressed with the presentation, they may not realize they're so many different vegetables!

There's something quite addicting about the unexpected taste of this pumpkin spice cream cheese tip.

An interesting play of textures--the chewy bagel, the creamy cheese and the crunchy granola--make this low-fat treat highly satisfying.

This tasty slow-cooker dip comes together quickly thanks to frozen spinach and bottled roasted red peppers. Cheese lovers will enjoy four types of cheese--cream cheese, mozzarella, smoked mozzarella, and Parmesan--in this easy recipe that's perfect for your next party.

For a healthier option, we use whole-grain bread and light cream cheese for this tomato bruschetta recipe.

Green apples, broccoli florets and veggie sticks are the perfect dippers for this decadent cheese fondue.

Need a simple dessert or sweet appetizer? Try this recipe. Just sweeten up fat free cream cheese and use on your favorite fruits.

Prepare these bite-size gems up to 2 hours in advance, then cover and chill until serving time. For a colorful variation, use a combination of red, yellow, and orange cherry tomatoes.