The Best Camembert Spread – Simpler Obatzda Recipe

Last Updated on 23/03/2020

This Camembert spread or German Obatzda recipe is our favorite bread spread or dip. Cream cheese, scallions and lots of sweet paprika make this cold Camembert dip a perfect appetizer or snack. Ready in 5 minutes.

CAMEMBERT SPREAD OR OBATZDA RECIPE

I am not kidding you, although I make lots and lots of bread spreads, at least one spread a week (we have The Best Hummus Ever and the Easy Spinach Artichoke Dip in the fridge right now), this Camembert spread is really the best of them all. Absolutely perfect!

I have been making it regularly for about ten years now (I remember it, because I’ve made it for the first time while my son was still a baby), I have brought it to different parties or gatherings, we have had it on regular bread, rye bread, pumpernickel, crispbread or as a dip for vegetable sticks, it is amazing every time and in any combination.

And I cannot even remember how many times I had to give somebody the recipe…

It is my daughter’s favorite bread spread as well, she loves Camembert with a passion, even the really ripe kinds we had in France.

I have always find it funny that a small child would rather eat Camembert than Gouda or jam. 🙂 She calls it “Lieblingsaufstrich” – “favorite bread spread” and when I make it, she won’t eat anything else on bread until the spread is all gone.

GERMAN OBATZDA RECIPE

First of all, this Camembert spread is a very simplified and rather healthier version of a traditional German Obatzda

Regular Obatzda is absolutely amazing and I would rather eat Obatzda with soft pretzel whenever in Munich instead of something heavy and meaty, but for the home cooking I always prefer this lower-fat, healthier version of it.

And it really tastes so good, you will not miss the extra cheese or the butter.

It was actually in Munich that I had Obatzda or Camembert spread for the first time, at the Viktualienmarkt, a beautiful farmer’s market in the middle of Munich.

One bite on top of a piece of soft salty pretzel and I was already feeling sorry for my husband, who was eating Bratwurst…

What is Obatzda?

Obatzda is a Bavarian cheese spread or dip, usually seasoned with sweet paprika powder, caraway seeds, chives and a small amount of beer. You can eat it most everywhere when in Bavaria and it is truly addictive, I have yet to meet somebody who tasted it and didn’t rave about it! Either the original Obatzda or my simplified version.

HOW TO MAKE CAMEMBERT SPREAD

• Dairy:

You can make the Camembert spread or Obatzda recipe with regular full-fat Camembert and full-fat cream cheese.

Or you can make it with low-fat Camembert and low-fat cream cheese, it really doesn’t matter in this case, the spread/dip is delicious either way.

I often mix the two and use full-fat cheese and lower-fat cream cheese or the other way around. It is really up to you!

• Green onions:

You can use green onions or chives to make the Camembert spread. I use green onions/scallions most of the times because they have a stronger onion taste and I like that.

• Spices:

Definitely a very good sweet paprika powder, I always use Hungarian sweet paprika powder, the best quality I can get. Cheap paprika powder that you can buy for less that one Euro at the supermarket is a joke…

Do use caraway seeds, if you like them. I absolutely love them, but I don’t add them to the healthy Obatzda recipe very often. As mentioned above, this Camembert spread is my daughter’s favorite dip and she is not crazy about caraway, so I don’t want to ruin it for her…

Another bonus when it comes to this Camembert bread spread is that you will probably not need more than 5 minutes or so to make it, especially if you use a kitchen machine.

I always make it in my Thermomix, I throw in the scallion pieces first, process them for 1 or 2 seconds. Then I add the Camembert cut into chunks and the cream cheese. Some salt and pepper, plenty of sweet ground paprika, process for 5 seconds or so and you’re done!

The Camembert spread should not be turned into a smooth paste, the Camembert should be finely chopped but not pureed, the Obatzda should remain slightly chunky.

To make the Camembert spread without a food processor is also very easy.

• Chop the green onions very finely and give them to a bowl.

• Chop the Camembert very finely and crush it slightly with a fork to make it finer. However, it should not become a paste, but remain slightly chunky. Add it to the bowl.

• Add the sweet paprika powder, some fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir well and adjust the taste with more spices, if necessary. That’s it!

HOW TO SERVE OBATZDA?

The classic way of serving Obatzda is with large soft pretzels, absolutely amazing! But as pretzels are not something I buy or bake very often, we actually almost always eat the Camembert spread on regular sourdough bread or on crisp bread.

When entertaining, I make a larger quantity of this Obatzda recipe and serve it with crackers and vegetable sticks like radishes, the German version of Daikon radish (very Bavarian), carrots, kohlrabi, cucumbers and so on.

The Camembert spread or Obatzda keeps well in the fridge for several days, just make sure you keep it in an airtight container and give it a good stir before you use it again.

The Best Camembert Cream Cheese and Scallion Bread Spread

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

This Camembert spread or German Obatzda recipe is our favorite bread spread or dip. Cream cheese, scallions and lots of sweet paprika make this cold Camembert dip a perfect appetizer or snack. Ready in 5 minutes.

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Ingredients

• 2 scallions/green onions
• 150 g/ 5.3 oz Camembert
• 200 g/ 7 oz/ scant 1 cup cream cheese (See note)
• 1 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika powder
• fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Cut the scallions into smaller pieces. Process them for 1 or 2 seconds in the kitchen machine. Add the Camembert cut into chunks, the cream cheese, sweet ground paprika, a little salt and pepper. Don't add too much salt at first, taste the finished bread spread and add more if necessary.

Process for a few seconds until the Camembert is finely chopped, the spread should remain a bit chunky, it really should not become a paste.

If you don't have a suitable kitchen machine, chop the scallions finely and give them to a bowl. Chop the Camembert very finely as well, crush it slightly with a fork to make it a bit finer and give it to the bowl together with the cream cheese, paprika, salt and pepper. Mix well and adjust the taste with more spices.

Serve with soft pretzels, on any kind of bread or as a dip for raw vegetables.

Notes

The nutrition is calculated with full-fat Camembert cheese and lower-fat cream cheese. However, both cheese sorts can be full-fat or low-fat and you can also use low-fat Camembert and full-fat cream cheese, it is up to you.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1/6 of the spread
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 145Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 419mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 0gSugar: 2gProtein: 8g

Nutritional information is not always accurate.