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.
Hanin
Hello, can I fold this frosting with whipped cream to make it lighter?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Sure! Enjoy 😊
Arlie
My nephew wants a strawberry cake that looks like a banana for his birthday! I have a strawberry cake recipe that I make a strawberry cream cheese frosting for. I use strawberry compote so it naturally colors the frosting pink (which won’t work for making a frosted cake look like a yellow banana!). Would I be able to add strawberry essence to this recipe? (I do add vanilla to my strawberry compote for a little richer sweetness). Thanks!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Arlie! Without trying it ourselves, we can’t say for sure how it would go. We think it should work fine, just not sure how the flavor will be though 😊
Kim
Can this be stored at room temp?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Kim! We recommend storing in the fridge. Enjoy 😊
Jess Toll
You absolutely cannot just add cornstarch to make it thicker. Cornstarch will not thicken anything unless it’s been heated so that is a terrible tip and I can’t believe more people aren’t commenting about that
Sam
Hi Jess! I am not sure where you go that information from but, it is wrong. Cornstarch absolutely, 100% works as a thickener, no heating necessary. In fact it is the cornstarch in the powdered sugar that is what helps makes the cream cheese frosting as sturdy, thick and pipe-able as it is. I hope that helps clear things up for you!
Christine
Super easy to make. Only next time I will not use near as much sugar. It’s overly sweet for me.
annonymous
Can i switch out unsalted butter for salted butter & use less salt ?
Sam
Yes you can 🙂
Kelly K.
This is THE BEST cream cheese frosting. It’s simple and absolutely delicious. It’s everything it should be. The recipe makes a lot. So I can use 1/2 to ice my 9″x13″ cake, and freeze the other 1/2 for something else. 😋
Kim
How do I add chocolate to this Recipe?
Sam
Hi Kim! I actually have a chocolate cream cheese frosting recipe. 🙂
Judy Clayman
Can I add gel food coloring to this recipe? The food coloring I bought says it’s enough for a 16 oz can of frosting. Is it enough for yours?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Judy! That will work just fine. Gel food coloring is more potent than liquid, so start small and go from there. Enjoy!
Mo
I am a fairly new baker & just made this frosting & it’s so tasty & super easy!! I am wanting to frost sugar cookies with it. How much cream of tarter should I add?
Sam
Hi Mo! I have never added cream of tartar to this recipe, is there a reason you want to add it? You could use this recipe without it.
Laura
Hi Sam,
I love this frosting, I have been using it on a carrot cake that we love. My son thinks it’s way too much frosting lol, can you ever have too much frosting?
Thanks for the recipe
Laura
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Too much frosting?! We’ve never heard of such a thing! 🤣 So glad you love it, Laura ❤️
Antonio Hughes
Hi Sam. I’m loving the reviews I’m seeing here. I’m definitely willing to try your Cream Cheese recipe as the other ones I’ve tried have been runny. Just so I’ll know ahead of time, will this cover a 2 layer cake or do I need to double the recipe? I truly appreciate ya and you all for the reviews.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Antonio! This recipe will cover a two-layer 8 or 9″ cake. We hope you love it!
Mayad
How far ahead can I make this recipe? Can I freeze this cream cheese icing and use it later to frost a cake? Thank you
Sam
Hi Mayad! I’d say about 3 days in advance. Yes it can be frozen, thaw overnight in the fridge then you will need to bring it to room temperature and likely re-whip it to return it to the proper consistency. Enjoy!