Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese Bites: The Appetizer That Disappears Fast

If you’re looking for an appetizer that looks impressive, tastes even better and doesn’t require you to spend half the day in the kitchen, these smoked salmon cream cheese bites deserve a spot at the top of the list.

The best part? They’re ridiculously easy. Toss the salmon and cream cheese on the smoker, let the smoke do the heavy lifting, and in about an hour you’ve got a creamy, smoky, slightly sweet spread that practically begs to be piled onto a crispy piece of baguette. And unlike some appetizers that have about a 90-second window between “perfect” and “sad,” these are just as good once they’ve cooled down. That means you can actually enjoy your own party instead of babysitting the food.

To make them, you’ll need about 3 pounds of salmon, four 8-ounce blocks of cream cheese, your favorite BBQ seasoning, a baguette, butter, chili crisp and dill. A sweet-and-smoky brown sugar BBQ rub works especially well here, bringing a little sweetness to balance the rich salmon and cream cheese.

Start by heating your smoker to 275°F. An oven will work too—just set it to 300°F. While things are heating up, remove the skin from the salmon and generously season it. Score the cream cheese in a crosshatch pattern and give it a healthy dusting of seasoning as well.

Place the salmon and cream cheese in the smoker and let them go for roughly an hour. While they’re getting smoky and delicious, slice up a French baguette, butter the pieces and toast them until they’re nice and crispy.

When the salmon is finished, shred it and mix it together with the softened, smoky cream cheese. Scoop that glorious mixture onto the toasted baguette pieces, then finish each bite with a little chili crisp and fresh dill.

And that’s it. No complicated technique. No fancy culinary gymnastics. Just smoke, cream cheese, salmon and a few toppings coming together to make an appetizer that will have people hovering around the plate pretending they’re “just grabbing one more.”

Spoiler alert: they’re not grabbing one more. They’re grabbing three.