How to Soften Cream Cheese

Learn how to soften cream cheese quickly so you’re never too far away from homemade cheesecake.

The easiest and best way to soften cream cheese is to simply allow it to sit at – room temperature. That’s pretty much a no-brainer, right?

But this method usually means that you have a bit of a plan in place. If I know that I am going to baking any of my favorite cheesecake recipes early in the morning, I always take my cream cheese out of the fridge and allow it to sit on the counter for a couple of hours.

However, if you’re at all like me, sometimes ya just get the urge to make classic vanilla cheesecake (or other baked goods) without a plan in place. I often find myself in this situation and it can be a real bummer if the recipe you’re using calls for softened cream cheese, or even room temperature eggs or softened butter.

But no worries, I’ve got ya covered – so the next time you find yourself staring at cold cream cheese, you’ll know exactly what to do to get it to room temp in no time!

HOW TO SOFTEN CREAM CHEESE USING THE CUBE METHOD

This is my all-time favorite method for softening cream cheese.

Simply cut the block(s) of cream cheese into fourths lengthwise and then cube into small pieces. The smaller the cubes, the quicker the cream cheese will soften.

Spread the cubes out onto a cutting board or plate, making sure they aren’t touching. Then just leave them at room temperature for about an hour or until soft to the touch.

Depending on how warm it is in my house, the cream cheese doesn’t always take a full hour to soften. Just check on it periodically!

HOW TO SOFTEN CREAM CHEESE IN THE MICROWAVE

If you bake a lot, I’m betting you’ve attempted to soften butter in the microwave, right? Did you know that you can do the same thing with cream cheese?

Softening cream cheese in the microwave is quick. But it can also be tricky because if you get distracted, you’ll end up with a pool of melted cream cheese instead of a beautifully softened block.

Ya know you’ve done it – and I’ll attest to the fact that cleaning up melted cream cheese from the inside of the microwave is a pain in the rear. Which is why I prefer the cubing method above for softening cream cheese.

But if you are really, really short on time and want to give the microwave method a shot, here’s what I do:

Unwrap the block(s) of cream cheese and place on a microwave safe plate.

Place the plate into the microwave and heat on 50-75% power for 5 seconds. Open microwave, give the block 1/4 turn (meaning, pick it up and flip it over onto its side) and heat again for 5 seconds. Do this on all four long sides of the block(s) of cream cheese.

Typically after about 20-25 seconds my cream cheese is perfect. This time will vary depending on your microwave – simply watch it closely and keep flipping it. The flipping action will help the cream cheese to evenly soften.

HOW LONG CAN CREAM CHEESE SIT OUT?

Curious about how long cream cheese can safely sit out at room temperature?

Food safety experts with the U.S. government say that 2 hours is the max that cream cheese should sit at room temperature. Other experts recommend no more than 4 hours.

If you are pregnant, elderly or otherwise at a higher risk for food-borne illness, always be more careful about how long you leave foods like dairy at room temperature.

And there you have it, my not-so-technical methods of bringing cream cheese to room temperature on the fly. I hope it helps you out the next time you feel the urge to bake up a recipe in a hurry! (May I suggest trying Lemon Cheesecake, my Salted Caramel Cheesecake or my Gooey Butter Cookies?)

Looking for more cheesecake inspiration? Check out my tutorial on how to bake cheesecake in a water bath, as well as my graham cracker crust and homemade blueberry sauce topping recipes!