Step Outside The Box And Smear Some Cream Cheese On Your Next Burger

Cream cheese: delicious on a bagel, an English muffin, or even as a dip for fruits or vegetables. But on a burger? It may seem strange, but cream cheese on burgers isn't as rare a sight as you might believe. Search for a cream cheese burger, and you'll turn up plenty of results, from a humble smear across the buns to stuffing the entire patty with a cream cheese filling. While cream cheese may have its place at the breakfast and dessert tables, don't knock this unusual combo until you try it.

Cream cheese provides a creamy, cooling, slightly sweet and tangy addition to burgers that helps to balance the rich meatiness of other flavors. It's especially delicious when paired with spicy ingredients, such as a dollop of hot pepper jelly or a squirt of fiery hot sauce. 

If you want to go simple with your cream cheese burgers, it's perfectly fine to just put some of the spread directly onto the buns or the patty. Add a decent amount, as the flavor of the cream cheese is mild, and the soft mouthfeel will be competing with the textures of the other ingredients. Using crunchy toppings, such as fried pickles, to offset the creaminess of the cheese can help as well.

If you plan to put the cream cheese inside the burger patty itself, you'll need to plan ahead. Usually, the cream cheese filling is mixed with other savory ingredients such as cheddar, bacon, and caramelized onions. Be sure both the cheese mixture and the burger meat you're using are cold to prevent sticking and melting; you'll need to work quickly to wrap the burger meat around the cream cheese filling. Don't overfill your patties either, or the melted cream cheese may leak out during cooking.

Need ideas for the perfect cream cheese burger? Taking the delicious flavor of a jalapeño popper and infusing it into a burger is an easy and delicious way to incorporate cream cheese into a burger recipe. You can use fresh or roasted jalapeños for this, chopped up and mixed into the cream cheese with garlic powder, onion powder, and a dash of salt and pepper. You can either use this mix as a spread or use it as a filling inside your burger patty.

Another delicious burger features cream cheese and garlic mixed together into a smooth, cheesy, garlicky filling that makes the burger all the more decadent. Combining garlic powder or minced fresh garlic with the cream cheese and then stuffing it into the patties delivers a punch that will satisfy any garlic lover. Experiment with your favorite flavor profiles, and you'll end up with something you love.