Is Kite Hill Real Cream Cheese? No Dairy, vs Philadelphia

Kite Hill Plain Cream Cheese Alternative is a plant-based product whose first ingredient is almond milk, while Philadelphia Original Cream Cheese is made from pasteurized milk and cream. This comparison does not pick a winner. It sets the label facts side by side, including the FDA cream cheese standard, the gums, the preservative wording, sodium, fat, protein, and allergens, so you can decide what matters for your own needs. Compare the numbers only with each serving size in view: 2 Tbsp (33g) for Kite Hill and 1 oz (28g) for Philadelphia.

Key takeaways

• Kite Hill Plain is labeled a "Cream Cheese Alternative" and is not held to the FDA cream cheese standard of identity.
• Kite Hill lists xanthan gum and guar gum plus rowanberry fruit extract. Philadelphia lists carob bean gum and its page states "no preservatives."
• Per serving, Kite Hill has 200mg of sodium (9% DV) per 2 Tbsp, and Philadelphia has 110mg (5% DV) per 1 oz.
• Kite Hill has 6g total fat and 0g saturated fat per 2 Tbsp. Philadelphia has 10g total fat and 6g saturated fat per 1 oz. Both list 2g of protein for their serving sizes.

Is Kite Hill Plain Cream Cheese Alternative real cream cheese?

No. Kite Hill labels its Plain product as a cream cheese alternative, and the brand's product page describes it as "Our non-dairy cream cheese alternative" under the category "Cream Cheese Alternative." Its ingredient list begins with almond milk made from water and almonds, so it is a plant-based product rather than a dairy cream cheese.

Whether a food counts as cream cheese in the legal sense depends on the federal standard of identity. That standard, found in 21 CFR 133.133, defines cream cheese by its dairy ingredients and milkfat content.

For another label comparison between a dairy product and a plant-based alternative, see Is I Can't Believe It's Not Butter Real Butter? vs Country Crock.

Kite Hill Plain vs Philadelphia Original: What is each one made of?

Kite Hill Plain lists 8 ingredients and Philadelphia Original lists 4. Kite Hill Plain lists almond milk (water, almonds), salt, rowanberry fruit extract (to preserve freshness), enzyme, xanthan gum, guar gum, cultures, and lactic acid. Philadelphia Original lists pasteurized milk and cream, salt, carob bean gum, and cheese culture.

The two ingredient lists differ in their base ingredients. Kite Hill's base is almond milk, and Philadelphia's base is milk and cream. Philadelphia's package carries the allergen statement "CONTAINS: MILK." Kite Hill's almond milk is a plant milk, and its label lists almonds within that ingredient. For a side-by-side look at how plant milk labels are read, see Does Silk Almond Milk Have Carrageenan? Silk vs Almond Breeze.

Does Philadelphia Original Cream Cheese have gum?

Yes. The Philadelphia Original ingredient list includes carob bean gum, and it is the only gum named on that list. The package does not disclose how much carob bean gum is used.

The FDA standard limits stabilizers for cream cheese to a total of 0.5 percent of the weight of the finished food. Because the amount of carob bean gum is not disclosed on the label, the label alone cannot show how the product compares with that limit.

What does the FDA cream cheese standard require, and does Kite Hill have to meet it?

The FDA standard for cream cheese requires a minimum of 33 percent milkfat and a maximum of 55 percent moisture by weight of the finished food. Kite Hill Plain is labeled as a cream cheese alternative, so it is not held to that standard.

The regulatory text at 21 CFR 133.133 states that "The minimum milkfat content is 33 percent by weight of the finished food, and the maximum moisture content is 55 percent." It names the dairy ingredients as "Milk, nonfat milk, or cream," and it states that "The name of the food is 'cream cheese.'" The milk and cream listed on the Philadelphia label are among the dairy ingredients the standard names.

How do the gums compare: xanthan and guar vs carob bean gum?

Kite Hill Plain lists 2 gums, xanthan gum and guar gum, while Philadelphia Original lists 1, carob bean gum. Neither label discloses how much of any gum is in the product.

Xanthan, guar, and carob bean gums are all used as thickeners or stabilizers in foods. The number of gums on a label does not measure how much of each is present or how the product performs. The ingredient order on each label also tells you the rough ranking of ingredients by weight, which is worth checking on the package itself.

The 0.5 percent stabilizer limit in the cream cheese standard applies to products under that standard. Kite Hill Plain is not held to that standard, so the limit does not directly apply to its gums.

What preservative is in Kite Hill Plain, and does Philadelphia use one?

Kite Hill Plain lists rowanberry fruit extract, and the label says it is included to preserve freshness. The Philadelphia Original ingredient list does not include a preservative, and its page states "no preservatives."

Whether rowanberry fruit extract counts as a preservative in regulatory terms is not stated in the sources used here.

How much sodium is in Kite Hill Plain vs Philadelphia Original per serving?

Kite Hill Plain has 200mg of sodium per 2 Tbsp (33g), which is 9% DV. Philadelphia Original has 110mg of sodium per 1 oz (28g), which is 5% DV.

The FDA describes 5% DV or less of sodium per serving as low, and 20% DV or more as high. By that scale, Philadelphia's 5% DV falls in the low range, and Kite Hill's 9% DV falls between the low and high ranges. Because the serving sizes differ, a direct comparison by weight is also useful. Calculated from the label values, Kite Hill is about 606mg of sodium per 100g and Philadelphia is about 393mg per 100g.

Kite Hill's container is about 7 servings. People who track sodium for medical reasons should follow guidance from their own clinician and read the full Nutrition Facts panel for the amount they actually eat. The FDA's guidance on sodium in the diet is available at the FDA sodium resource.

How much fat and saturated fat is in each product per serving?

Kite Hill Plain has 6g of total fat and 0g of saturated fat per 2 Tbsp (33g). Philadelphia Original has 10g of total fat and 6g of saturated fat per 1 oz (28g).

The percent Daily Values on the labels are 8% DV for Kite Hill total fat and 12% DV for Philadelphia total fat. Philadelphia's saturated fat is listed at 29% DV. Cholesterol is 0mg for Kite Hill and 30mg for Philadelphia, which is 10% DV. Calculated from the label values, Kite Hill has about 18g of total fat per 100g and Philadelphia has about 36g per 100g. Philadelphia lists 0g of trans fat, and Kite Hill's trans fat amount was not disclosed in the sources used.

For a different side-by-side look at saturated fat on a food label, see Primal Kitchen vs Hellmann's Mayo: Is It Healthier? Same Sat Fat.

How much protein and calcium is in each product per serving?

Both products list 2g of protein per their serving sizes, which are 2 Tbsp (33g) for Kite Hill Plain and 1 oz (28g) for Philadelphia Original. Kite Hill Plain has 28mg of calcium (2% DV), while Philadelphia Original lists 0mg of calcium.

Philadelphia's protein is listed at 4% DV. Kite Hill's protein percent Daily Value was not disclosed in the sources used. Kite Hill also lists 73mg of potassium per serving, and Philadelphia's potassium was not disclosed. Calculated from the label values, both products are about 6g to 7g of protein per 100g, with Kite Hill about 85mg of calcium per 100g.

Is Kite Hill Plain Cream Cheese Alternative healthy compared with Philadelphia Original?

Neither wins on every line: per serving, Kite Hill has 200 mg sodium vs 110 mg and 0 g saturated fat vs 6 g, while Philadelphia has more total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. This article does not label either product as healthier.

The health picture depends on the rest of the diet, the amount eaten, and individual health needs.

Readers with specific dietary needs should use the full Nutrition Facts panel for the amount they actually eat.

Do Kite Hill and Philadelphia both contain allergens to watch for?

Yes. Kite Hill Plain lists almonds, a tree nut, within its almond milk, and Philadelphia Original carries the statement "CONTAINS: MILK." The FDA lists tree nuts and milk among the major food allergens.

The separate allergen statement on the Kite Hill package was not disclosed in the sources used, so the almond listing in the ingredient statement is the reference point here. Neither source discloses information about shared equipment or cross-contact. People with allergies should read the full ingredient and allergen statement on the package each time they buy, and the FDA's food allergen information is available at the FDA food allergies page.

How do the two labels compare at a glance?

Kite Hill Plain has 70 calories per 2 Tbsp (33g) and Philadelphia Original has 100 calories per 1 oz (28g). The table below lists the verified label values for each product, with each serving size in its own column. Values marked as not disclosed were not available in the sources used for this article.

Label item	Kite Hill Plain (2 Tbsp, 33g)	Philadelphia Original (1 oz, 28g)
Calories	70	100
Total fat	6g (8% DV)	10g (12% DV)
Saturated fat	0g	6g (29% DV)
Trans fat	Not disclosed	0g
Cholesterol	0mg	30mg (10% DV)
Sodium	200mg (9% DV)	110mg (5% DV)
Total carbohydrate	2g	1g
Total sugars	1g (0g added)	1g (0g added)
Protein	2g	2g (4% DV)
Calcium	28mg (2% DV)	0mg
Potassium	73mg	Not disclosed
Gums	Xanthan gum, guar gum	Carob bean gum
Preservative wording	Rowanberry fruit extract (to preserve freshness)	None in ingredient list; page states "no preservatives"
Allergen statement	Almonds named within almond milk	"CONTAINS: MILK."
Regulatory category	Cream Cheese Alternative	Cream cheese (dairy)