Lemon Cream Cheese Spread

Jul 6, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Pantry Butter spreads compound butters Origin: Tahitian Vanilla: Extract Easy

Jar of lemon cream cheese spread with toast

A lemon cream cheese spread for toast, bagels, and biscuits. Best with Tahitian vanilla (floral, cherry, anise); any pure vanilla works. Makes about 1 1/4 cups (10 servings).

Prep 10 min

Cook —

Total 10 min

Servings 8

Diet —

Ingredients

Adjust yield

servings

8.0 oz (227.0 g)cream cheese, softened
¼ cup (30.0 g)confectioners' sugar, sifted
2.0 tsplemon zest, finely grated
1.0 tsp (5.0 ml)VanillaGoods pure vanilla extract
⅛ tspfine sea salt

Make it at home

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Instructions

Beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute.
Add the confectioners' sugar, lemon zest, vanilla, and salt and beat until evenly blended.
Spoon into a serving bowl.
Serve with warm biscuits, toast, rolls, scones, or pancakes.

Tips

Vanilla swap: use vanilla bean paste 1:1 in place of the extract for visible specks, or the seeds of 1 vanilla bean for each tablespoon of extract.
Best vanilla for this: Tahitian (floral, cherry, anise), or Madagascar (rich, creamy, classic). Any pure vanilla works.
Storage: Refrigerate, covered, for up to 5 days.

Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make lemon cream cheese spread?

Plan on 10 minutes of prep. It makes about 1 1/4 cups (10 servings).

How should I store lemon cream cheese spread?

Refrigerate, covered, for up to 5 days.

Can I use a different form of vanilla?

use vanilla bean paste 1:1 in place of the extract for visible specks, or the seeds of 1 vanilla bean for each tablespoon of extract.

A lemon cream cheese spread for toast, bagels, and biscuits. Best with Tahitian vanilla (floral, cherry, anise); any pure vanilla works. Makes about 1 1/4 cups (10 servings).

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 8 servings this recipe makes.

114 Calories / serving

9.6g Fat

5.6g Carbs

1.7g Protein

4.7g Sugar

Whole recipe (8 servings): ~912 cal · 77g fat · 45g carbs · 14g protein · 38g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.

Per serving · 114 calories

What it takes to burn one serving

Brisk walking 22 min·1.3 mi·~2550 steps
Walking uphill or incline treadmill 15 min·0.8 mi·~1500 steps
Moderate cycling 12 min·2.4 mi
Swimming laps 16 min
Jogging 11 min·0.9 mi·~1750 steps
Stair climbing 11 min·~1000 steps
Dancing 19 min
Bodyweight circuit training 12 min
Cleaning, errands, or playing with the dog 26 min

Rough estimates for one serving, based on standard MET values at about 155 lb. Your own burn depends on body size, effort, and fitness. Shown for context only — food is not something you have to earn.