With that in mind, here are three ways to soften cream cheese in a matter of minutes so you can follow food safety guidelines and put yourself in good shape for recipe success, whether you’re making a dip, frosting, cheesecake, or other culinary creations.
How to Soften Cream Cheese Quickly
Try one of these three methods below to soften cream cheese in less than 30 minutes. That way, you can get to the rest of your recipe in next to no time.
How to Soften Cream Cheese in a Microwave
Time required to soften cream cheese: Less than 1 minute Test Kitchen Tip: If a liquid, or whey, seeps out of the cheese while it softens, add the whey to your recipe along with the solids.
How to Soften Cream Cheese in Warm Water
Time required to soften cream cheese: About 15 minutes If you don’t want to risk uneven heating in the microwave, there are other ways to soften cream cheese. Doing so in a water bath makes it possible to soften cream cheese in just 15 minutes or so. This softening cream cheese strategy works best for recipes that call for one 8-ounce package of cream cheese (or if you do each package in separate bowls for the quickest results).
How to Soften Cream Cheese on the Countertop
Time required to soften cream cheese: About 30 minutes You can soften cream cheese on the countertop with the cheese in the whole block, but to speed up countertop softening time, we suggest slicing and dicing. Otherwise, it will likely take closer to an hour. Now that you’re wise to several ways to soften cream cheese, you’ll never be more than minutes away from mixing together a batch of cream cheese frosting for Carrot Cake, dunking fruit in Cream Cheese and Yogurt Fruit Dip, or getting the batter for your favorite cheesecake recipe oven-ready.
