Ginger Orange Cream Cheese Spread

This fluffy cream cheese spread blends ginger-flavored orange marmalade, fresh orange juice, honey, and grated zest into a bright, citrusy schmear. Five ingredients, five minutes in the food processor, done.

Blending until “smooth and fluffy” isn’t just about texture. Whipping air into the cream cheese makes it lighter and easier to spread, especially straight out of the fridge. A stiff, dense spread tears bread and bagels apart. A whipped one glides.

The grated orange rind gets mixed in by hand at the end. Processing it with everything else would chop it too fine and you’d lose those small bursts of intense citrus oil that pop when you bite into them.

Chef Tips

• Start with softened cream cheese. Cold blocks won’t blend smoothly, even in a food processor. Leave it out for 20 minutes or microwave for 10 seconds.
• Taste after blending and adjust the honey if your marmalade is already very sweet. This spread should lean citrusy and tangy, not sugary.
• Keeps in the fridge for up to a week in a sealed container. The flavors actually deepen after a day.

Variations

• Use regular orange marmalade plus a teaspoon of freshly grated ginger if you can’t find ginger-flavored marmalade.
• Swap the orange for lemon juice, lemon zest, and lemon curd for a lemon ginger version.
• Fold in a tablespoon of finely chopped crystallized ginger for extra spicy-sweet crunch.