Homemade Lox Spread
Updated Sep 29, 2025
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If you’re a fan of bagels and smoked salmon, this homemade lox spread (also known as Miami cream cheese) is about to become your new favorite breakfast companion. Combining the rich creaminess of softened cream cheese with finely chopped smoked salmon, it’s a delightful twist on the classic bagel topping. Whether you’re looking to elevate your brunch game, or hosting a Break Fast, this easy-to-make schmear recipe delivers big flavor with minimal effort.
A bagel with cream cheese, smoked salmon (or lox), tomatoes, and onions is the classic Jewish bagel, but a bagel with a smoked salmon or lox spread is a great shortcut when the whole kahuna isn’t in the cards. Making your own smoked salmon and cream cheese schmear is surprisingly easy and affordable, and will usually taste fresher than store-bought. Think of this as the easier, more budget-conscious, make-ahead cousin of traditional lox on a bagel.
Homemade lox spread is a great way to use up a couple of leftover slices of salmon, which wouldn’t be enough for more than one person. Now, everyone can have some salmon on their bagel! And if you choose to include the optional add-ins, you will arrive at a very flavorful lox spread, also known as Miami Cream Cheese.
For a great brunch, serve this along with Smoked Trout Spread and Whitefish Salad and lots of bagels!
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What's In This Post?
What Is the Difference Between Smoked Salmon and Lox?
We tend to use the words interchangeably, but there truly is a difference! Lox gets its name from the Yiddish word for salmon, laks, a derivation of the German word for salmon (lachs). Lox is cured in brine and has a very pronounced salty flavor. Smoked salmon is usually produced with a combination of a light brine and cold smoking. It has a more delicate flavor and a more balanced level of salt.
Some people refer to smoked salmon as nova lox.
Why you’ll love this family favorite recipe!
My family and I love nothing more than a bagel brunch on the weekend. And anyone in my family would pick up a bagel for a meal, any time, any day (and since we live in NYC, lucky us, we have so many opportunities). I love bagels so much that I’m heading back to be a judge at the NYC Bagel Fest! Last year, I sampled 30 different bagels and schmears, and while I was having trouble catching my breath at the end, I have zero regrets.
Lox spread is my absolute favorite cream cheese topping for a bagel (sesame, for me, please). I don’t like pre-packaged smoked salmon spreads found in the refrigerator case at the supermarket, which can be full of fillers and thickeners, and low-quality lox. Making my own lox spread and being able to choose the smoked salmon means I can control the flavor, texture, and saltiness.
Also, you can add a small amount of smoked fish for a more delicate salmon taste or make it pretty chunky with a generous amount of smoked salmon for a real treat.
What Is a Schmear?
The word schmear comes from a Yiddish word that derives from German, meaning “to spread.” It’s become synonymous with any cream cheese topping spread on a bagel.
Ingredients
- Plain cream cheese – At room temperature. I like full-fat, but you can use low-fat cream cheese or Neufchatel.
- Smoked salmon – Finely chopped. If possible, buy your smoked salmon freshly sliced at a Jewish deli or market with the option of salmon sliced to order. Pick a high-quality, thinly sliced smoked salmon. Nova-style or cold-smoked salmon works really well. If not, look for packages of cold-smoked salmon. King (Chinook) is an excellent type of salmon, as is red (sockeye), which might be less expensive. Look for nova lox, which is less salty, instead of regular lox. Good smoked salmon should have an even color and a firm texture; stay away from mushy smoked salmon. Avoid hot-smoked salmon, which has a firmer texture and more intense flavor that won’t blend into the cream cheese as smoothly.
Add-ins:
You can add any or all to this spread.
- Fresh dill
- Chives or scallions
- Fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Capers
- Lemon juice and/or lemon zest
Kitchen Smarts
Make sure the salmon and any extra ingredients you add are finely chopped so they blend well into the cream cheese spread.
How to Make Homemade Lox Spread
- Add the ingredients: In a medium bowl, add the softened cream cheese with the chopped smoked salmon. At the same time, add any of the other ingredients you are using: salt and pepper, dill, chives or scallions, capers, lemon juice and/or zest, and parsley.
- Blend well: Stir until well combined (you can use a fork, a spoon, or an electric mixer). Garnish with freshly chopped chives, dill, or parsley.
Variations
- Miami Cream Cheese – Include all of the optional add-ins: capers, dill, chives or scallions, lemon, and parsley (or include most of them – Miami cream cheese is lox spread on steroids!).
- Try finely minced red onion instead of the scallion.
- Low-Fat Lox Spread – Simply use low-fat cream cheese or Neufchatel.
- Salmon Spread – This recipe is a cousin to lox spread, but made with a combo of cooked fresh salmon and smoked salmon. I think of this more for appetizers, spread on a cracker or baguette slice.
Storage
Lox spread will keep for up to a week in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you are planning to make it ahead for a brunch or gathering of any sort, it’s best made about 1 day ahead of time and stored in the fridge until just before serving. The flavors improve after a few hours in the fridge as the ingredients meld together.
Ways to Serve Lox Spread
- On a bagel! Toasted or not, your preference. Some great bagel varieties to pair with lox spread are everything, sesame, poppy, onion, and plain. I would steer clear of sweeter bagels, like cinnamon raisin, but other people love the flavor contrast.
- In a sandwich with sliced onions and tomatoes.
- With crackers as an appetizer.
- Spread on slices of cucumber.
- As a tea sandwich filling (perhaps with thinly sliced cucumber).
Lox Schmear Questions, Answered
No. Lox spread requires smoked salmon (cold-smoked or Nova-style). Fresh salmon has a different texture and flavor, and it needs to be cooked before eating (unless you’re having salmon sushi!).
Absolutely! Make it a few hours ahead, or even the night before. Just keep it refrigerated in an airtight container until ready to serve.
I don’t recommend this, as the cream cheese can separate and become grainy. It’s best enjoyed fresh from the fridge.
You can swap the cream cheese for a dairy-free cream cheese alternative, or use a low-fat or even fat-free cream cheese for a lower-fat version. The texture might be slightly less creamy, and the flavor a bit less rich, but it will still be delicious.,
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Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese (at room temperature)
- 4 ounces smoked salmon (finely chopped)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (optional; to taste)
Add-ins: (you can add any or all to this spread)
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped dill
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped chives (or scallions)
- 1 tablespoon rinsed and chopped capers
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, blend the softened cream cheese with the chopped smoked salmon.
- Add any of the other ingredients you are using: salt and pepper, dill, chives or scallions, capers, lemon juice and/or zest, and parsley.
- Stir until well combined (you can also use an electric mixer).
Adding this to the family’s love for bagels definitely made everyone happy!