According to Better Homes & Gardens, the best way to soften cream cheese is by letting it sit in a warm water bath. This is a quick process, as the cream cheese shouldn’t need to sit for longer than 15 minutes. Leaving the cream cheese in its foil wrapper, simply place the block in a bowl of warm water and let the softening begin. Hot water out of the tap works best because you don’t want it to be boiling, Cheese Knees notes. You can simply let the block sit until it’s soft, or you can flip it every few minutes — either way, you want the whole thing to be submerged in the water (via The Pioneer Woman).
So how is this method any better than heating up cream cheese in the microwave? For one, you won’t subject your block to potential uneven heating, notes Better Homes & Gardens, as your cream cheese should be fully covered in water. And if you microwave it for too long, you risk cooking the cream cheese, which creates a different textural challenge. If you are determined to use this method, Cheese Knees recommends microwaving in increments of 10 to 15 seconds, checking each time for desired softness. But for a quick set-it-and-forget-it method, a warm water bath is the way to go.
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