Philadelphia Cream Cheese Flavors Ranked Worst To Best

Cream cheese is sort of the glue that holds breakfast food together. It can be a subtle ingredient or a standout part of a dish. It can be salty or sweet or savory or spicy. And for as many applications of cream cheese as there are, there are probably just as many varieties of cream cheese flavors. From Philadelphia alone, there are a dozen or so core flavors plus a slew of interesting ones that stay in a seasonal rotation. 

Whether you have a go-to cream cheese flavor or like to shake things up, there's no denying that some options — especially iconic duos like chive and onions, or brown sugar and cinnamon — outshine others. If you're looking for a new morning bagel spread companion or just want some validation that your default toast topper is the best, we compiled a bunch of Philadelphia cream cheese spread flavors and tested them all to determine which one is the king of breakfast. (We excluded reduced-fat spreads, which would taste more or less identical to their full-fat counterparts, as well as the non-seasonal honey butter and pineapple flavors, which were not in stock anywhere near us.)

Honey pecan is one that we desperately wanted to like, but this option was sorely lacking in flavor. A completely absent taste of honey, plus a really quite sad smattering of pecans, made it the most underwhelming option on this list. In this pictured sample, there was just one single piece of pecan in the cream cheese. A strong taste of honey might have redeemed this variety, but since it lacked that flavor, there wasn't anything compelling enough to vault it over the others. And that single, solitary pecan chunk was sadly soggy, lacking the satisfactory crunch of the nut.

The only way to make the honey pecan Philadelphia cream cheese spread memorable is by helping it where it fell short — by topping it with a drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of chopped pecans. Of course, by that point, you might as well buy the plain Philadelphia cream cheese to get more freedom in topping options. Or any one of the other yummy flavors on this list.

What makes this ranking so difficult is that none of the flavors were bad. But the smoked salmon is probably the least universally enjoyable. As delicious as a toasted bagel topped with this smoked salmon cream cheese spread, an over-hard fried egg, and a big handful of microgreens would be, it's also probably not a flavor you'd often reach for over something like the classic strawberry or the safe garlic and herb. Smoked salmon cream cheese isn't as ubiquitous of a snack — to be scooped up with pretzels or used in a dip recipe — as other flavors.

Even to use on your morning bagel, going with the smoked salmon can be a risky choice if there's any chance of your breath smelling like the morning wharf harvest to your coworkers. The salmon taste is mild, but still quite fishy, with a pretty strong aroma and smooth, creamy texture. Strictly for the flavor, we'd rate this one a 7 out of 10, but it'll more than likely become a back-of-the-fridge resident for us and make only occasional appearances.

Garden vegetable Philadelphia cream cheese spread is a safe option. It won't steer you wrong, but it's not that great compared to several others on this ranking either. The taste is mostly red bell pepper, so we didn't get that fresh garden harvest taste that we anticipated. We would have loved to see a more dynamic range of tastes, and a stronger flavor overall — it had a weak intensity in general, so you need to really heap on the spread in order to enjoy the taste to its full potential. 

Since the garden veggie spread is a bit boring compared to the other flavors on this ranking, it isn't one we'd reach for at the grocery store very often. Still, it's tasty enough to be an alright choice when there's nothing else available — it just lacks the flavor and texture to be outstanding and memorable.

With a modest heat and hearty amount of pepper pieces throughout the spread, what's not to like about the spicy jalapeño Philadelphia cream cheese spread? On a scale of spice, this cream cheese sits at only a four or so out of 10. It's enough to send a single plume of heat down the throat, but not so much that you'll be breathing flames at 9 a.m. 

And yet, the spicy jalapeño was still missing something. This sense of incompleteness wasn't from needing more heat — there just needed to be another layer of complexity from another taste and/or texture. Suggestions include a few salty-savory bacon crumbles, some tangy pickle relish, or sweet raspberry reserves. This flavor was super tasty, but since it fell a bit short on its own, we couldn't push it up any higher in the ranks. 

Sometimes, you just have to take it easy on your stomach. Whether it's the first morning after a stomach flu that you can keep solid food down or the morning after a boozy night out, we've all been in a position where even the thought of garlic, onion, salmon, or jalapeño is enough to turn your face green. It's those mornings that we kept in mind when sampling the plain, original Philadelphia cream cheese spread — a classic that we and surely most everyone else have had countless times. 

Velvety smooth, with a slight sweetness and rich creamy texture, the flavor of Philadelphia Original is subtle and understated. Plain cream cheese spread also deserves points for being the only spread that can couple with any bagel flavor, whether sweet or savory. And with a plain bagel topped with original cream cheese, the toppings options are endless — everything seasoning, honey and banana slices, fresh berries, etc. There's no need to fix it if it isn't broken, and the plain Philadelphia spread works just fine. 

Another middle-of-the-road classic is the strawberry Philadelphia cream cheese spread. This one will never let you down, but it doesn't blow you away either. Some bigger chunks of strawberry might have boosted it up on the list — the tiny pieces were indiscernible in the cream cheese's texture and didn't give the bursts of fresh berry taste that we'd have liked to see. Strawberry cream cheese is a timeless flavor that we've always regularly added to our grocery list, but the other berry flavor on this list far outshone this one in taste and texture. 

Of all the non-savory spreads, the strawberry cream cheese is one of the least sweet, so it might be the most tolerable for those with less sugar-tolerant palates. We will undoubtedly be picking this cream cheese flavor up again, but now that we've been cultured to the other varieties, it seems that strawberry has been humbled a bit. 

If you like to eat dessert for breakfast, this is the cream cheese spread for you. Super sweet with a nice cinnamon-y sizzle, this yummy brown sugar and cinnamon Philadelphia cream cheese spread tastes is so good it might not make it off the knife and onto your bagel. Many brown sugar and cinnamon-flavored things neglect the spice and overdo the sugar, but not this spread. The cinnamon, while not overwhelming, is intense enough to leave a lingering whisper of heat in the back of the throat, which harmonizes perfectly with the dessert-like sweetness of the brown sugar. 

With how sweet this spread is, we'd put it on half a bagel and a savory spread on the other half. This cream cheese flavor is reminiscent of the iconic butter from Texas Roadhouse — so you could also use it as a sweet dip for buttery rolls. It's scrumptious, but a bit much, so fourth place is a fitting rank.

Kicking off the top three Philadelphia cream cheese spread flavors is chive and onion. We really liked this spread for its smooth texture and very robust flavor. The onion is quite strong — so much so that its aroma will meet your nostrils before you've even taken a bite — and the taste of chive meanders in later after a bite or two. We like a punchy oniony-ness, so it was a suitable taste for us, but it might be a bit much for others, which is why this spread was beaten out by the garlic and herb flavor. 

Chive and onion is a versatile cream cheese flavor suitable for dipping, sandwiches, or use in recipes. This would be an excellent flavor for dunking veggies in or spreading on tortillas for wraps. It has a smooth, buttery texture and evokes a rich creaminess in each bite — and this pleasantly pungent flavor duo never gets old. 

The absolute best savory Philadelphia cream cheese spread in this lineup is the garlic and herb. Chive and onion gave this variety a tough race, but the jammy chunks of garlic and bright splashes of fresh herb pushed garlic and herb into the higher rank. This dynamic texture is accompanied by a beautifully balanced roasted garlic flavor reminiscent of homemade comfort food — just enough to put some solid vampire repulsion power in your breath, not too overbearing for a light morning breakfast. The herbs (which appear to include basil and parsley) are a bit more shy than the garlic but add a sense of freshness that keeps the spread interesting.

If the number one flavor on this list weren't an 11 out of 10, this would have easily been the top flavor. The texture is unique and compelling, the taste is robust yet balanced, and there are numerous potential applications outside of being a morning bagel spread.

The blueberry Philadelphia cream cheese spread is sweet, summery bliss. As you can see in the picture, this spread is loaded with juicy whole berries, which burst in the mouth and leave a taste of blueberries fresh off the bush. The tastebud experience is vivid and refreshing all at once — not to mention that with the ribbons of violet blueberry juice and overall purple color, it's a very pretty spread to look at. 

With its perfect amount of sweetness — not underdone, not nauseating — there's no better cream cheese for your mornings. We wouldn't change or add a thing — the blueberry spread's texture and flavor are without competition. Strawberry cream cheese is a classic, but the blueberry is light and interesting, definitely replacing the other berry flavor as the favorite sweet spread on this roster.