This is my family favorite BEST cream cheese frosting recipe! It goes great on Carrot Cake, Red Velvet Cake, and just about any other flavor cake or cupcake you can imagine. I’ve been making this cream cheese icing for years!
If I had things my way, every cake and every cupcake would be be buried beneath a mountain of cream cheese frosting.
Not buttercream — Never rarely buttercream — always and only cream cheese. For someone with such a rampant sweet tooth, it’s alarming the number of times I’ve turned down a slice of cake or a sky-high frosted cupcake because the buttercream just makes my teeth hurt (OK full disclosure I have a buttercream recipe coming up on the blog next month, and it’s delicious, but cream cheese frosting will always win over my heart, even over my favorite chocolate frosting).
While buttercream frostings are usually too sweet, cream cheese frosting I could eat with a spoon, and this recipe is every bit as versatile as buttercream — it’s sturdy, pipe-able, can be dyed, and, most importantly, it’s delicious.
Tips for Making Cream Cheese Icing:
- Make sure that you are using full-fat brick cream cheese, not low fat or spreadable cream cheese (which is usually sold in a tub rather than in brick form).
- I always like to use unsalted butter and add a dash of salt so that I have complete control over the flavor of the frosting. However, if you only have salted butter on hand then just omit the salt called for in the recipe.
- Make sure you allow your cream cheese and your butter to soften before making your frosting! Softening the butter and cream cheese ensure that your ingredients will combine well and be lump free.
- If you intend to pipe your frosting, I recommend sifting your powdered sugar before mixing it into your butter/cream cheese mixture, as small lumps of sugar can clog up your piping tips, especially if you’re using a smaller tip.
Can cream cheese frosting be used for piping?
- Yes! Especially with this recipe because it is nice and thick. Now, this frosting (as with most) is prone to melting in hot weather, but it pipes nicely and as you can see in the photos it holds its shape neatly as well.
How do I make my cream cheese frosting thicker?
- What I love about this recipe is that it already makes a nice thick frosting, but if needed you can add more powdered sugar to make your cream cheese frosting even thicker. I recommend adding about 2 Tablespoons at a time until the desired thickness is reached. Alternatively you can add cornstarch… see more on that below.
Can I add cornstarch to my cream cheese frosting?
- Yup! While this recipe does not call for it, if you need a particularly stiff frosting or are looking to make your frosting thicker without making it sweeter, you can add cornstarch (in fact, I use this technique for my carrot cake cookies). I don’t recommend adding more than a few Tablespoons, so start with just one Tablespoon at a time until desired thickness is reached.
Alright, while (in my humble opinion) cream cheese frosting goes great with everything, there are certain cakes and cupcakes that complement it particularly well. Wednesday I’ll be sharing one of my favorite cupcakes with you — the exact cupcakes seen in the photos above.
Can you guess what flavor they are???
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter softened (113g)
- 8 oz cream cheese softened (brick-style, not spreadable) (226g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups powdered sugar* (500g)
Instructions
- Combine butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer (or you may use an electric mixer) and beat until creamy, well-combined, and lump-free.
- Add vanilla extract and salt and stir well to combine.
- With mixer on low, gradually add powdered sugar until completely combined.
- Use to frost completely cooled cake or cupcakes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Viv Nunn
dying to try this but i would like to know if I could add a gel colour or something or not?
Sam Merritt
Hi Viv! You could certainly color this frosting. You will want to stir it in briefly at the end. 🙂
Rose
Thank you for sharing this recipe, it tastes great 😁🫶 Quick question: does it have to be refrigerated for any period of time before going on the cooled cake or cupcakes? My cupcakes are still cooling so im going to put the icing in the fridge for a few minutes so it doesn’t loosen from sitting in my hot kitchen. But would you normally recommend refrigerating it after its made so it can hold its form better as you pipe it? Just wondering because I’ve had icing get too warm while piping if not refrigerated and it gets runny. Thanks again 😊
Sam Merritt
Hi Rose! If you are in a warm kitchen I would recommend putting it in the refrigerator so it doesn’t get too soft.
Jackie
Very good taste, but would not thicken.
Sam Merritt
Hi Jackie, what kind of cream cheese did you use?
Gracie
Tastes amazing but mine always melts and never keeps it shape, any way to fix this? 😢
Sam Merritt
Hi Gracie! It won’t hold up to really warm temperatures. Are you using brick style cream cheese? The spreadable stuff won’t hold it’s shape as well. 🙁
Terry
DANG! it is GREAT!
Randa
Fantastic recipe! Worked perfectly for me and tastes heavenly. I will definitely use this recipe again. Should I refrigerate my cake once I frost it? Can I leave it sitting out at room temp? I know people who do without incident but I was just wondering if it was safe. Thank you.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Randa! We recommend refrigerating just to be safe 😊
Alex
Hello , i bought spreadable cream cheese philadelhia , my frosting actually got thick but not to the point i want , i also doubled the ingredients. I was wondering how to thicken it up more , is it going to work if i put cornstarch?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
It’s hard to say; the spreadable cream cheese has additives to keep it spreadable, so it may never thicken up properly. You could try adding more sugar or cornstarch to see if that helps.
Tracey Cook
I wanna add orange marmalade to my frosting. how do I do that?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Tracey! We would be worried about the added moisture causing the frosting to separate. If you do try it, just add a very little bit at a time.
Mandy
I added Hershey chocolate syrup running down the sides of the cake for more stripes. 🥰 THIS! Unable to post a pic.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yum! You can always tag us on Instagram 😊
Jamie
Can I make the frosting ahead of time?
Sam
Hi Jamie! If it’s made ahead of time, you will just want to make sure to refrigerate and press some plastic wrap onto the top to prevent it from drying out. 🙂
Ki
As someone who knows their way around a whisk, I have to say—this recipe delivers. Quick, straightforward, and brilliantly written. The result? Fluffy, perfectly baked cakes with a texture and flavor that hit all the right notes. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned baker, this one’s a keeper. Bravo!
THANK YOU! 🤩
Joe
That’s the recipe I use. I double the ingredients when I front my Carrot cake. It’s so good!
Diana L Brill
No more plain ole buttercream for me🤯 mind blown, how easy this was🥣🧁🍰 I’m dairy, gluten and corn free and I just made this for my spiced carrot/blueberry cake. My hubby who had to go gluten free a few years ago, says we’d fool anyone who didn’t know it was gluten etc free ❣️😋😁👍
Emma
I thought it was amazing I ran out of cream cheese so I used yogurt instead. NEVER USE YOGUR but I love it is so creamy and good
Gayle
what do you think about adding meringue powder as a stabilizer?
It will stay out awhile at a party.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Gayle! We have not tried it, unfortunately, maybe someone else who has can chime in. This recipe is a pretty stable one as-is, though! Keep in mind cream cheese frosting shouldn’t sit out of the fridge for more than a few hours, especially in warm temperatures.
Cathy
Very good recipe. Not too sweet. Tastes great too. Easy recipe.
Lea Ward
This cream cheese frosting recipe was easy and delicious. Thank you!