Whipped cream cheese vs regular cream cheese

How to Choose Between Whipped Cream Cheese vs Regular Cream Cheese?

Introduction

When you’re at the supermarket dairy case, you might be contemplating buying whipped cream cheese vs regular cream cheese.

Whether for slathering onto bagels or for use in a savory or sweet recipe, cream cheese is certainly a staple.

But if you’re wondering about the difference between whipped cream cheese vs regular cream cheese and how it will work for you, keep reading!

What is Cream Cheese?

Cream cheese is a fresh cheese though it’s certainly not the kind of cheese you put on your cheese board to impress guests.

To be called cream cheese, it must have at least 33% fat as well as a moisture content that falls below 55%.

Cream cheese is smooth and easy to spread.

It’s also easy to make on either sweet or savory notes, depending on how you want to use it.

Cream cheese became a thing in the late 1800s.

Since it was mostly made in Philadelphia, it’s little wonder why that is one of the most popular name brands.

However, with so much to love about cream cheese, it has now gone global and can be found everywhere.

Whipped Cream Cheese vs Regular Cream Cheese – differences

Regular cream cheese comes in a block, usually wrapped in foil.

This block of cream cheese is made by combining milk and cream along with a cheese culture.

This causes the proteins to slowly coagulate, which gives it that creamy and smooth texture.

With whipped cream cheese, you’ll find it in a tub.

It has a lighter, airier, and smoother texture.

Lactic acid is what is used to give whipped cream cheese its thickness.

This is faster to do, and hence, less expensive.

The result is a dense composition of tiny protein particles, so the cheese is a bit grainier.

Since whipped cream cheese is beaten, it isn’t as noticeable when you’re eating it on a bagel or using it in a recipe that doesn’t require heating.

In baking, though, whipped cream cheese will always give you away unless you look at the fat content.

Since cream cheese is heavier in fat, that’s another thing that sets it apart from whipped cream cheese.

Whipped cream cheese goes through a beating to make it softer.

And that may be why it is preferred for bagels, spreading on crackers, or fashioning into party dips.

While it’s great this way, the regular cream cheese in blocks is perhaps best used for cooking and baking.

One thing they do have in common is that they can be offered in different flavors.

You’ll see both whipped cream cheese and regular cream cheese in sweet and savory formats.

If you’re making your own recipe, though, you may want to stick to the normal flavor of either style of cream cheese.

How to Use

Sometimes you may have to go with what’s available at the store when you need cream cheese.

It’s a versatile ingredient, no matter if you choose whipped cream cheese vs regular cream cheese.

Because it can be made into sweet or savory recipes, it is a treasured ingredient.

Cream cheese can be used to make cheesecake, cream cheese frosting, cookies, brownies, crispy crab Rangoon appetizers, hot dips like buffalo chicken dip, and more.

You can even mash it into your mashed potatoes to give them something a little bit extra.

But the spreadable whipped cream cheese may make it more enjoyable on bagels, toast, crackers, chips, and more.

It’s also great for cold dips for your gatherings.

Ideally, you will choose the regular cream cheese block when you need it as an ingredient in something you’re cooking or baking.

You can still use it to smear on your bagels, though do remember you’ll want to let it sit out a little bit so it will be easier to spread.

With whipped cream cheese, though, it spreads readily without having to set it out on the counter.

That’s why it’s a winner as a bread or bagel topper or for those cold dips.

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Which is Healthier?

If you’re watching your calories, you can still enjoy cream cheese. However, the whipped version will have less fat overall.

This is because it contains air from being whipped. Regular cream cheese is dense and heavy in fat.

That’s why you should choose whipped cream cheese for those day to day applications and when cooking and baking, let regular cream cheese help your recipes hold up.

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Can You Swap One for the Other?

You’ll have to think about what you’re making to see if whipped cream cheese vs regular cream cheese is best.

Whipped cream cheese is certainly very popular because it spreads so well.

It can be used in frosting, too, making your job easier.

Since it’s got air whipped into it, the texture is lighter and easier to work with.

However, if you’re making a cheesecake, you should never go with a lower fat or airier option.

Cream cheese for cheesecake needs to be thick in texture.

You can certainly use the low-fat versions, but because they are thinner, your cheesecake won’t be as dense or thick.

If that doesn’t bother you, you can certainly swap one for the other when it comes to whipped cream cheese vs regular cream cheese.

The basic rule of thumb is to think about how that fat content will affect the dish you’re making.

Cheesecake is one that will reveal your low-fat secrets, so you may want to stick with regular cream cheese there and remember that you only live once, so enjoy it!

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