Horseradish Cheese Spread
Cheesy and creamy with a spicy kick, this Horseradish Cheese Spread is an appetizer or snack that’s tasty and guilt-free!
Appetizers don’t always have the best reputation. And for good reason. Herbs and salt mixed with sour cream–then served with potato chips–isn’t the best recipe for good nutrition.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. With a little creativity, an appetizer can even help fill common gaps in the American diet. And still be seriously tasty!
According to Oregon State University, 44 % of the US population don’t meet the recommended calcium intake. Yes, I admit, sometimes that’s me.
So sign me up for a cheesy appetizer.
Why You’ll Love This!
Flavorful. Spicy horseradish perfectly complements the creamy sharp cheese in this. And the spread tastes good with varied dippers from crackers to veggies!
Easy. Just grate the cheese, then process all of the ingredients in a food processor.
A Healthier Treat. Many cheese spreads use a substantial amount of unhealthy mayo, sour cream or cream cheese to cream with the cheese. This uses yogurt for a healthier treat! Serve with veggies for the best nutrition. Calcium and veggies? Um, yes!
What You’ll Need
Ingredients
- Cheese. This provides the creamy, cheesy goodness.
- Wine or beer. This adds flavor and liquid for creaming the cheese. If you can’t have alcohol, you could use apple cider or even water.
- Plain Yogurt. This helps cream the cheese and even adds a smidge more calcium.
- Prepared Horseradish. This provides the spicy horseradish flavor.
- Dried minced onion. This adds flavor. You can substitute half the amount of onion powder.
- Dijon mustard. This adds flavor and a slightly different kick of spice.
- Salt, Pepper. These enhance flavor.
Special Tools
- You’ll need a food processor to cream the ingredients.
Step by Step Overview
Place ingredients in a food processor.
Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides periodically.. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
Serve with crackers, bread, veggies or your favorite dippers.
How to Serve
Horseradish Cheese Spread lives up to its name, and spreads nicely onto crackers or bagel chips. But it can also work as a dip. I enjoyed both carrots and broccoli florets with it and thought the slight sweetness of the carrots was an especially nice compliment to the spiciness!
Some other good serving options include rye chips, pita chips or even French bread. Since the cheese spread is firmer like a spread, vegetable options will work best if they are sturdy, like kohlrabi sticks or cauliflower.
This would be delicious served as a hearty appetizer with cocktails–with or without dinner. And it would also be lovely on a brunch table.
Tips & FAQs
I used a fairly sharp 2-year cheddar which held its own nicely with the horseradish. Feel free to swap in a different cheese—a good Swiss might also be tasty. Just be sure to use something with enough character to provide a good flavor balance.
I am a horseradish lover! But if you’re gun shy about the quantity in this, start with half. Then when it’s all creamy, taste, add more and blend a little more, depending on your personal tastes. You can adjust the salt and pepper at the same time.
Since cheese often has a fair amount of salt, I didn’t think I’d need any. But the dip tasted slightly flat—so then I salted it which fixed the problem. As a result, I made this part of the permanent recipe. I still recommend tasting and adjusting the final spread as needed.
More Brunch Recipes:
- Curried Chickpea Salad Sandwich from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Monte Cristo Stuffed Waffles from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
- Pizza Frittata from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole Recipe from Blogghetti
- Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake from Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box
- Chorizo Breakfast Casserole from Our Crafty Mom
- Butterfly Pea Flower Cocktail from Easy Recipes for One
- Spring Salad with Grapes and Pistachio-Crusted Goat Cheese from The Spiffy Cookie
- Ham and Egg Cups from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
Horseradish Cheese Spread
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups sharp cheddar grated, or another flavorful hard cheese
- 2 Tablespoon white wine or beer
- 2 Tablespoon plain yogurt
- 1 Tablespoon prepared horseradish
- 1/2 Tablespoon dried minced onion or a scant teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Pinch salt, pepper (or to taste)
Instructions
- Place ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides periodically.
- Taste and adjust salt and pepper (I recommend not omitting these)
My dad would have loved this cheese spread as he loved all things with horseradish. I do, too, so I will be making this. Bonus is that no one else in my family likes horseradish, so it’s all mine.
This is a perfect party food! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks!
I can never stay away from the cheeses and spreads at a brunch buffet! This would be no exception. Adding this to the must try list as delicious snack.
This sounds like the kind of spread that would absolutely steal the show at any gathering, cheesy, creamy, and with that punchy horseradish kick? Yes, please!
I definitely do not get enough calcium and this is an awesome way to fix that, plus I love using yogurt in ways!
This would be a great party recipe! Yum!
This is so easy and I”m sure much healthier and tastier than the processed horseradish cheese in the refrigerated section.
We love horseradish cheese — I can’t wait to try this!
I adore the heat that horseradish brings to the table!
Totally with you Karen!