Why would you want to thicken cream cheese dip?
Cheese sauce starts as a classic béchamel sauce which is known as one of the mother sauce in French cuisine. Simply, it’s a mixture of milk thickened by flour that has been browned in melted butter that can come with many dishes such as soups, soufflés or savory pie fillings.
Yes, it sounds like a piece of cake to make this sauce, however, with just a mistake, you can turn your perfect imagining sauce into a watery liquid which cannot make a great coat to your tasty chips or crackers.
Can you thicken cream cheese dip?
However, in fact, there are several ways to thicken the runny dip if you just sadly make an unsuccessful cream cheese sauce, but the easiest way without changing the flavor of the sauce is return to the béchamel base.
Other methods will use additional ingredients such as flour or cornstarch to make the dip thicker. Let’s find out how each way work so you will have your own choice.
Tips to thicken cream cheese dip
- You can add flour or cornstarch instead of egg yolk or cheese. However, be careful that the flavor might be altered
- When adding egg yolk to the dip, remember to cook the dip after that to kill potential salmonella found in some eggs
- Use a heavy-bottom saucepan is better to tolerate the high heat
- If you realize that your cheese dip becomes far thicker than you wish while simmering, you can thin it with 1 tbsp. of milk or reduce the heat until the desired thickness is achieved
Things you’ll need
- A stove top
- A saucepan, a bowl, a fork or whisk
- Paper towel
- Some ingredients to make béchamel sauce: onion, milk, butter, nutmeg, bay leaf, flour…
- Cheese/ an egg
How to thicken cream cheese dip by adding a new béchamel sauce in the runny cream cheese dip
- Combine milk, onion, grated nutmeg and bay leaf in a saucepan
- Simmer the pan until it starts to boil
- Remove the pan from the heat, cover and rest for 15 minutes
- Strain it through a fine sieve over a bowl to catch the onions and bay leaf
- Wipe the pan clean with paper towels then melt butter over medium heat
- Add flour to the pan and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to form a roux that will thicken the sauce
- Gradually add strained milk mixture, stirring with a whisk until blended until boiling and thick
- Add the new béchamel sauce to the cream cheese dip, and simmer until combined and desired thickness is achieved
How to thicken cream cheese dip using egg yolk
- Pour the runny cheese dip into a pan then put on the stove top over low heat (keep stirring it occasionally to avoid burning)
- Separate an egg and take the yolk only, using a fork to break the yolk and beat it slightly
- Add the egg yolk to the heated cheese dip and cook until the consistency is as desire
How to thicken cream cheese dip by using cheese
- Pour the runny cheese dip into a pan then put on the stove top over low heat (stir the sauce occasionally to avoid burning)
- Add shredded or diced cheese to the dip and keep stirring until it reaches the desired thickness
- Let the dip cool before serving to allow it to get thicker
