This Cream Cheese Is My Favorite, According to a Food Editor (It’s a Philadelphia Dupe)

My love of cream cheese started young, but it wasn’t the usual bagel schmear that did it. Instead, it was a crunchy, creamy afternoon snack, introduced to me by a friend, of crackers (preferably Stoned Wheat Thins) slathered thick with the stuff. 

Though I didn’t have a brand preference for cream cheese back then, with age comes wisdom. While there’s nothing wrong with most common brands, I’ve since discovered one that trumps them all in flavor and price and there’s no turning back.

My Favorite Cream Cheese

Tillamook is a newcomer to the cream cheese game—their first cream cheese product debuted quietly back in early 2020—and once I tried it, I was hooked.

This cream cheese is different from all other brands. It has no artificial fillers or stabilizers like guar, xanthan gum, carob bean gums, or modified food starch—all of which are found in other cream cheeses. Instead, it’s made with just milk, cream, and salt. Its thick texture and tangy flavor are noticeably superior to its competitors. 

Since Tillamook cream cheese’s release, it has only been sold in tubs, which is great for spreading but less ideal for use in frostings and baked goods. Now their cream cheese is also sold in brick form, and dare I say it seems even richer and creamier than the tub version, not to mention easier to use in the cooking. 

Why I Love Tillamook Cream Cheese Bricks

While I didn’t think it could get better than Tillamook’s tub cream cheese, their new eight-ounce cream cheese bricks made it possible. That’s because the bricks are made with extra cream, so it is even more luxurious. Plus, the convenient size is way more useful than the tubs when churning out cheesecake and cream cheese frosting.

The bonus? They are a full dollar cheaper than Philadelphia bricks at my local grocery store.

How I Use Tillamook Cream Cheese Bricks

The easy-to-use packaging means I’ve been making quite a lot of cream cheese-centric recipes these days. Treats like carrot cake and plush cheesecake topped with strawberries feel especially fitting given spring’s arrival, but I’ve also used it to make ultra luscious mac and cheese for dinner when the weather still feels chilly. Here are a few of my favorite recipes to use the bricks in:

While this brick format is great for recipes, because it’s even creamier than the tub version I use it simply, too: spread on bagels and English muffins, folded into scrambled eggs, added to mashed potatoes, and even just tossed with pasta for an instant cream sauce.

To learn more about our approach to product recommendations, see HERE.