What Exactly Is A Cream Cheese Board And How Do You Make One?

Whether in your favorite café or a fun social gathering, there's nothing like a great charcuterie board. It brings individuals together over some tasty accouterments and acts as an excellent conversation starter, which is always a good thing. After all, get enough people in a room, and fantastic ideas will happen. In that same vein, social media and the internet have also produced some intriguing concepts, especially concerning food. And the latest online trend — the cream cheese board — is a fresh take on the classic charcuterie and (the more recent) butter boards, which incidentally have a much older colonial precursor.

Although constructing a cream cheese board looks relatively simple, much like its relatives, it shares the same elegant adaptability. In other words, as several online professional and home cooks have demonstrated, a cream cheese board can basically be anything you want it to be as long as there's cream cheese spread over a serving tray, covered with various garnishes — the intricate and exciting details are left to your imagination, and that's why this dish should definitely make an appearance at your next party. 

Serving a cream cheese-based appetizer isn't exactly new, especially in the South, where a slab of the ingredient is often topped off with an equal amount of pepper jelly and served with crackers. Incidentally, some have found ways to make cream cheese a tasty treat all on its own. However, what makes a cream cheese board unique comes down to the dish's presentation. A quick search for #creamcheeseboard on social media platforms like Instagram will illustrate that fact since there are hundreds of colorful and mouthwatering variations. Still, according to LifeSavvy, one TikTok user is attributed as the creator of this innovative interpretation of the snack board, which some argue is quite different than a charcuterie board since the latter's focal point is based around a large portion of various types of meat, deli cuts, and cheese.

@erekasfood

This Everything But The Bagel Board is my interpretation of the latest viral #foodtrend ...the B#ButterBoard It's a great dish to serve for breakfast or brunch! vviralfoodbbreakfastboardbbrunchboardbbreakfastideasbbrunchideaseasyrecipe

♬ original sound – Ereka Vetrini

Regardless of who created it or the proper terminology (although if cream cheese is, in fact, cheese and your board features meat topped over it, then why not call it charcuterie?), the beauty of a cream cheese board is what you can do with it. For instance, some versions have been accented with assorted cookies, nuts, and candy. In contrast, others offer a blend between the pepper jelly appetizer and a riff off pico de gallo by including corn, cilantro, onions, salsa, and tomatoes. So, get creative after spreading that cream cheese on a tray, and you can't go wrong.

Since cream cheese and a serving board are the only two main requirements of a cream cheese board, the biggest hurdle is deciding what to put over it. But even then, you don't have too much to worry about here since cream cheese has a neutral creamy flavor profile, despite having a bit of a sweet and sour kick on the backend. So, you can pretty much pair it with anything and everything. 

Nonetheless, some typically complementary ingredients that go well with cream cheese are bell peppers, salmon, avocado, basil, chives, bacon, capers, cucumber, onion, tomatoes, jalapeños, and other cheeses and fruits. Yet, you can add plenty more off-the-wall components, like kimchi, tamarind, or roasted beets. Just remember to taste-test small samples of unorthodox combinations before placing the ingredient in question over your entire dish — this will save you from a heap of trouble if it turns out you're not a fan of the pairing.