Unwrap the cream cheese and place it on a microwave-safe plate. Remove cream cheese from any paper packaging but keep it in the foil packaging. Superfast: In the Microwave. Let sit at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes. How to quickly bring cream cheese to room temperature Cut cream cheese into small cubes and spread out on a plate. Here are three quick and easy ways to bring cream cheese up to room temperature. Microwave it 10 seconds at a time, checking the texture and temperature after each interval, for 30 seconds. It will come to room temperature (65° F to 70° F for baking) quickly in the smaller pieces. If you don't have that time to spare, try this method: Slice the stick of butter thinly or grate it.