Cream Cheese Canapés 2 Ways: Sweet & Savory + Avocado Dip

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For easy entertaining, try these Cream Cheese Canapés, offering two delicious variations to satisfy every palate: a savory spread bursting with fresh herbs and a sweet treat featuring luscious strawberries and chia seeds. Plus, a bonus recipe for Avocado-Lime Dip!

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I know that readers like to skip to the recipe card, but I recommend reading the blog post all the way through so that you don’t miss any tips or substitution suggestions to ensure that you have all the ingredients and equipment required and understand the steps and timings involved.

Cream Cheese Canapés

When you’re looking for some easy appetizers when entertaining, these cream cheese canapés fit the bill.

With two different spreads:

• Savory, made with cream cheese, sour cream, cucumber, mint, and basil.
• Sweet, made with cream cheese, sour cream, fresh strawberries, and chia seeds.

And with a third, tasty option—an avocado-lime dip made with Greek yogurt, avocado, parsley, garlic, and lime juice, there is a flavorsome canapé for everyone!

Serve the savory spread and avocado dip with sourdough toasts, bruschetta crisps, or salty crackers.

Graham crackers are an ideal base for the sweet spread, as are bagel chips. Drizzle them with honey or maple syrup and serve with some fresh fruit too.

Whether you’re hosting a summer garden party, planning a casual picnic, or just need a sweet and savory snack, these bite-sized delights will impress and tantalize the taste buds!

Reasons Why You’ll Love These Cream Cheese Canapés!

• Versatile Delights: With two variations, these Cream Cheese Canapés offer a range of flavors to suit different preferences.
• Easy to Prepare: The simple yet flavorful combinations of ingredients make these canapés a breeze to prepare, allowing you to effortlessly impress your guests.
• Crowd-Pleasing Options: Whether you prefer savory or sweet, these canapés are sure to be a hit at any party or gathering.
• Beautiful Presentation: The colorful spreads and the array of accompanying crackers and berries create an enticing visual display that enthralls your eyes and taste buds.

Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe

While most ingredients can be bought in grocery stores, for your convenience, ingredients, and equipment needed for this recipe have been linked to Amazon, Amazon Fresh, or other stores if available online.

Equipment Needed For This Recipe

• Box Grater
• Sharp Knife
• Chopping/Cutting Board
• Mixing Bowls
• Rubber/Silicone Spatula
• Food Processor or Blender – for making the avocado dip.
• Serving Platter

Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog use cups and/or weighted measurements. American cups and kitchen food scales are handy pieces of equipment to have in your kitchen as it means you’ll be able to make all of the different recipes on my blog. I try to give American US customary, imperial, and metric measurements in my recipes. Please note that you can mix cup measurements with weighted measures, but never mix US customary/imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.) with metric (kilograms, grams, liters, etc.).

More Recipes Using Cream Cheese

One of the hero ingredients in this dish is cream cheese, so here are some more recipes using the same:

• Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese Cups
• Savory Cream Cheese Spread with Warm Cherry Sauce
• Hawaiian Pineapple Coconut Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

How Do I Make Cream Cheese Canapés?

The printable recipe card with the full ingredients list and instructions can be found at the end of this post.

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: N/A | Total Time: 30 minutes

Step 1 – Make the Savory Spread: Place the cream cheese and sour cream into a small deep bowl.

Add the grated cucumber, mint, basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine well.

Spread onto crackers/bread and drizzle with olive oil just before serving.

Step 2 – Make Sweet Spread: Place the cream cheese and sour cream into a small deep bowl.

Add the chopped strawberries and chia seeds and stir to combine well.

Spread on graham crackers. Drizzle with honey or maple syrup just before serving.

Step 3 – Make Avocado Dip: Place the avocado, Greek yogurt, parsley, garlic, lime juice, and salt to taste into a food processor or blender. Process until smooth.

Place in a serving bowl. Serve alongside spreads with assorted crackers and berries.

More Appetizer Recipes

Looking for more appetizers to make? Check these recipes out next:

• Flavorsome Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Dip
• Gluten-Free Baked Avocado Fries with Homemade Garlic Dipping Sauce
• Whipped Feta Dip with Black Olives and Cherry Tomatoes

Storing Leftovers & Freezing

• Storing Leftovers:
  • Store any leftover cream cheese spread or avocado dip in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
  • Ensure they are properly covered to prevent drying out.
  • Consume within 2-3 days for optimal freshness.
• Freezing Instructions:
  • Not suitable for freezing.
• With all leftovers, ensure the food looks and smells okay before consuming.
• You can always consult the Food Standards Agency in your country for the most up-to-date advice on storing and freezing foods: Food Standards Agency (UK) | Food Safety (USA).

Printable Cream Cheese Canapés Recipe Card

To save ink, any demonstration photos on the recipe card do not print.

Continue to Content

Savory and Sweet Cream Cheese Canapes

Yield: 4-6

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Print

Ingredients

For the Savory Spread

• ½ cup cream cheese
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 English cucumber, grated
• 5-6 leaves fresh mint, chopped
• 3-4 leaves fresh basil, chopped
• Sea salt, to taste
• Olive oil, for drizzling

For the Sweet Spread

• ½ cup cream cheese
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 Tbsp chia seeds
• ½ cup strawberries, chopped
• 1 Tbsp Honey or maple syrup for drizzling

For the Avocado Lime Dip

• 1 medium avocado, seed and peel removed, chopped into chunks
• ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup parsley, rough chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• Sea salt, to taste

For Serving

• Assortment of sourdough toasts, crackers, graham crackers and additional berries as desired

Instructions

1. To make the savory spread, place the cream cheese and sour cream into a small deep bowl. Add the grated cucumber, mint, basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine well. Spread onto crackers/bread and drizzle with olive oil just before serving.
2. To make the sweet spread, place the cream cheese and sour cream into a small deep bowl. Add the chopped strawberries and chia seeds and stir to combine well. Spread on graham crackers. Drizzle with honey or maple syrup just before serving.
3. To make the avocado lime dip, place the avocado, Greek yogurt, parsley, garlic, lime juice, and salt to taste into a food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Place in a serving bowl. Serve alongside spreads with assorted crackers and berries.
   
   

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 388Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 424mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 5gSugar: 12gProtein: 7g

This site uses Nutritionix to provide estimated nutrition. Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.

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Dinner Party Menu Suggestions

You’ve made the appetizer, but what about the rest of the courses?

Here are additional recipes to create a menu for a dinner party or special meal:

• Soup: Chilled Creamy Yellow Tomato and Pepper Soup
• Salad: Classic Caprese Salad with Balsamic Glaze
• Main Dish: Grilled Balsamic Marinated Sirloin Steak
• Side Dish: Creamy Instant Pot Rosemary Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Beverage: Strawberry Lemonade Margaritas
• Dessert: Fruit Salad Cupcakes

There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too.

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