Out of Cream cheese, one case
Cream cheese substitute for soup
6 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Neufchatel cheese
Same amount as the cream cheese
In soup, replace cream cheese with the same amount of Neufchatel or mascarpone: both melt in smoothly and can simmer. Sour cream also works 1:1 but must go in off the heat, because it curdles if it boils. Heavy cream adds the richness but not the body: start with ½ cup per 8 oz block and thicken the soup another way.
- Verdict —
- Works
- The tweak —
- Cube it, let it soften, and whisk it in over low heat near the end.
- Best for —
- potato soup
- Pantry —
- Likely in your cupboard
One casethe full cream cheese card
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of cream cheese | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Neufchatel cheesepotato soup | Same amountWorks | Works |
| 2 | Mascarponetomato soup | Same amountTweak it | Tweak it |
| 3 | Sour creampotato soup | Same amountTweak it | Tweak it |
| 4 | Heavy creamblended vegetable soups | ½ cup per cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 5 | Full-fat Greek yogurta lighter potato or vegetable soup | Same amountYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 6 | Coconut creamdairy-free soups | ½ cup per cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
Neufchatel cheese
the same tang, slightly less rich
The block sold beside cream cheese with about a third less fat. It melts into soup the same way and tastes the same.
- Best for
- potato soup, chicken and tortilla soups, slow cooker soups
- Prep
- Cube it, let it soften, and whisk it in over low heat near the end.
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- Dropped in cold and whole it melts unevenly and leaves white flecks, as cream cheese does.
Mascarpone
richer and milder
Higher in fat than cream cheese, so it melts very smoothly and does not break at a simmer. It has almost no tang.
- Best for
- tomato soup, mushroom and squash soups, soups that will be reheated
- Prep
- Whisk it in at the end and add a squeeze of lemon juice, to taste, for the tang cream cheese would have given.
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- Thickens a little less than cream cheese. The soup can taste flat without the added lemon.
Sour cream
tangier and lighter
It brings the tang and some of the richness. It is thinner than cream cheese, so the soup ends up a little looser.
- Best for
- potato soup, chicken enchilada and taco soups, a dollop at the table
- Prep
- Take the pot off the heat, whisk a ladle of hot soup into the sour cream, then stir that back in. Do not boil it afterward.
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- It curdles if the soup boils or sits for hours in a slow cooker. Light and fat-free sour cream break even sooner.
Heavy cream
rich and neutral, with no tang
Heavy cream gives the richness and can boil without curdling. It is a liquid, so it thins the soup where cream cheese would have thickened it.
- Best for
- blended vegetable soups, chowders, soups that are already thick
- Prep
- Start with ½ cup per 8 oz block of cream cheese and add more to taste. To put the body back, blend 1 to 2 cups of the soup and stir it in.
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- A thin broth-based soup stays thin. Half-and-half and milk are thinner again and can curdle at a boil.
Full-fat Greek yogurt
sharper and leaner
Thick and tangy, with far less fat than cream cheese. It works when it is handled like sour cream, only more carefully.
- Best for
- a lighter potato or vegetable soup, stirring into a single bowl
- Prep
- Off the heat, temper it with a ladle of hot soup before stirring it in. Serve without boiling again.
- Contains
- dairy
- Where it fails
- It curdles more easily than sour cream, and it grains when the soup is reheated.
Coconut cream
a clear coconut flavor
The dairy-free option: the thick part of a can of full-fat coconut milk. It simmers without curdling and makes the soup rich.
- Best for
- dairy-free soups, curried squash, carrot and lentil soups, tomato soup
- Prep
- Start with ½ cup per 8 oz block of cream cheese, add more to taste, and finish with a squeeze of lemon or lime.
- Suits
- dairy-free, vegan
- Where it fails
- Soups where coconut does not belong, such as a classic loaded potato soup.
How it behaves in this recipe
In soup, cream cheese is added near the end to do three things at once: thicken the broth, make it rich, and add a mild tang. Most swaps cover two of the three, so decide which one the soup can do without.
Tips for substituting cream cheese
5 tips- An 8 oz block of cream cheese is about 1 cup; a recipe that calls for 4 oz wants about ½ cup of the swap.
- Potato soup: mash or blend 1 to 2 cups of the cooked potatoes back into the pot. That replaces most of the body cream cheese would have added, and then sour cream or heavy cream covers the richness.
- Slow cooker soups: add sour cream or yogurt in the last few minutes with the heat off, not at the start. Neufchatel and mascarpone can go in for the last 30 minutes.
- Whisk a cheese swap with a ladle of hot broth in a bowl first, then pour it in. That prevents white flecks.
- Taste for salt and acid at the end. Cream cheese carries both, and heavy cream and mascarpone carry neither.
Questions
4 questionsWhat can I use in place of cream cheese in potato soup?
Sour cream in the same amount, stirred in off the heat, is the usual choice and suits the flavor. Blend or mash 1 to 2 cups of the potatoes into the soup first so it stays thick. Neufchatel works 1:1 with no other changes.
Can I leave the cream cheese out of soup?
Yes. The soup will be thinner and less rich but still good. Blend part of it for body and finish with a splash of cream or a spoonful of sour cream in each bowl if you have either.
Can I use milk in place of cream cheese in soup?
Only for some of the creaminess. Milk is thin and can curdle at a boil, so it will not thicken the soup. Add it over low heat and thicken the soup separately, by blending part of it or simmering it down.
Why did my soup curdle after I swapped in sour cream or yogurt?
It got too hot. Sour cream and yogurt have much less fat than cream cheese, and their proteins clump when boiled. Add them off the heat, tempered with a little hot soup first, and reheat leftovers gently without boiling.