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.
Nerve
Would the length of time mixing male a difference? What would happen if I over mix or under mix?
Sam
If you under or over-mix it the consistency won’t quite be right.
Nerve
How will I know it’s already the right consistency?
Sam
There’s a short video in the post where you can see the frosting as I make it and pipe it. Yours should look similar. 🙂
Nerve
Thank you!! ☺️
Queenie
Hi 😊 I live in a warm climate .. after I frost my cake , should I put the frosted cake in a fridge ? Or is it okey to leave it outside ? As the party will start few hours after I planned to frost the cake 😊
Sam
If it’s warm it’s safer to put it in the refrigerator. 🙂
Andrea
Can this be made a day ahead of time and then piped the next day?
Sam
Hi Andrea! You can make it the day ahead of time. Make sure to cover it tightly and refrigerate overnight. It may need a minute or two at room temperature to soften a bit and then a brief stir before piping. 🙂
Cynthia Patterson
Why put butter in cream cheese frosting?
Sam
It’s important for the flavor and texture. 🙂
Josue Cedric Charles
Could I store a large batch in the freezer?
Sam
Sure thing! 🙂
lillian
I beyond love this recipe. I used it to make a strawberry cheesecake cup and there were so beyond delicious!!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoy it so much, Lillian! 🙂
Marie
Un-flipping-believable!!! I will never buy frosting again. I went to bed dreaming about this frosting and couldn’t wait to wake up for another cupcake. I will make again and again!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Marie! Homemade is always better in my book. 🙂
Maria
I can only find spreadable cream cheese, is there a way that i can use this and still get a good and firm frosting?
Sam
Hi Maria! Unfortunately your frosting won’t be as firm with the spreadable stuff. 🙁
Maria
Is there a way to fix this the texture and firmness? Perhaps adding more sugar or cornstarch when using spreadable cream cheese?
Sam
I do not know of a good way to fix it. There are additives in the spreadable stuff so that it doesn’t firm up the way it’s supposed to. 🙁
Arianna
Best icing ever, but just to let you know mine was enough for 40 cupcakes maybe even more. But still the bomb. This is my new icing recipy.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Arianna! 🙂
Ashley
Hi! Sounds delicious! Can I use food coloring in it to make it colorful?
Sam
Hi Ashley! Yes, this frosting colors well (just as well as buttercream). Stir in the food coloring at the end until the desired color is reached. Enjoy! 🙂
Carolyn
Hi. I need to frost a cake in a 9×13 pan. Does this make enough? Thanks,
Sam
Hi Carolyn! You should have enough to cover a 9 x 13. 🙂
Simisani Mkandla
Hie!
I was wondering if it’s possible to eliminate the butter completely from the cream cheese frosting. I do not eat butter for health reasons.
Sam
I think you could use shortening, but you can’t just eliminate it.
Josué Cédric Charles
An alternative is whipping some heavy cream untill medium-stiff peaks then slowly incorporating your cream cheese little by little while alternating with the powdered sugar, then salt and vanilla extract. Will be creamy and lighter in texture but still pipeable with an enforceable hold.
JustTilde
Simisani,
You could use Earth Balance Buttery Sticks in place of butter. It’s a vegan product as well.
Jas
This frosting was so easy and quick to make! I cut the cream cheese and butter in small cubes so that they would be at room temp quicker. I blended them manually with a whisk/spatula and added/whisked in all the powdered sugar with a hand whisk before using the electric whisk (to avoid a mess). It was honestly so yummy and not too sweet in my opinion, will def be making again! 🙂
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Laura
Hi Kathy,
I’ve made this frosting several times, and it’s amazing. I use it on carrot cake. I have a question, would this recipe frost a triple layer cake?
Kathy Asfaw
Great recipe! I 1/4 the recipe and it turned out perfect. I also made your carrot cupcakes and wow! AMAZING!
Sam
I am so glad to hear this, Kathy! Thank you so much for trying my recipe and letting me know how it turned out for you, I really appreciate it! 🙂
Ileana
I love this recipe so much!! I never like eating normal butter icing because is too heavy for my taste. This was a huge hit with my entire family as well. We ended up just dipping strawberries in it and eating it without the cake too. It is the perfect icing. I will never make icing any other way.
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Swetha
Hey! What happens if we use the spreadable cream cheese? Cos, the brick style cream cheese isn’t available in the place where I stay.
Sam
The frosting won’t end up being quite as firm and could be difficult to pipe.
Tanya D
Hi Sam
Im going to try this frosting recipe on my Granddaughter’s Baby Shower Cake. Since the recipe contains cream cheese, does that mean that the cake will need to be refrigerated before actually serving? I intend to make the cake the night before the Baby Shower.
Sam
Hi Tanya! I normally recommend refrigerating the frosting after 2 days, unless you are in a very warm/humid climate. 🙂
Cece
Hi there.
How long can I keep this in the freezer for future usage?
Sam
Yes this can be frozen. 🙂
Erica
I attempted this recipe but found the icing to be runny. Trying to pipe cupcakes but the icing melts off. 😣 What am I doing wrong? I used a brick of Philadelphia cream cheese and used all 4 cups of icing sugar. Is there anything I can do to fix this?
Sam
Hi Erica! are you in a very warm climate? It definitely shouldn’t be runny. That sounds very frustrating 🙁
Erica
No I do not live in a warm climate. It’s pretty cold here. Do you think I may have mixed the icing too much? Does that make a difference? I eventually ended up adding more icing sugar but it made it pretty sweet. I was able to pipe the cupcakes but it still wasn’t as stiff as I wanted it to be.
Sam
One last question, did you use the brick style cream cheese or the spreadable kind in a tub? If the cream cheese got really really warm this could be causing this issue. It’s not impossible to over-mix this frosting but it’s unlikely. You can add a little bit of cornstarch to thicken it up without adding more sugar. I hope this helps. 🙂
Elvie
Do you just re-whip it prior to using leftover frosting as I’ve notice it does harden slightly in the fridge?
Sam
Hi Elvie! A brief stir should suffice. When you refrigerate it you need to make sure to cover it to keep it from drying out. If you didn’t cover it you may have trouble with it. 🙁
Kunnida
Hello. I’ve always had a hard time with my cream cheese frosting being too soft even though I use the 2:1 ratio for butter/cream cheese and powdered sugar. At which point can I start incorporating the cornstarch to the recipe and what is the max tbs should I stop at? Thank you in advance.
Sam
Are you using spreadable cream cheese? I’m not sure what you mean exactly by the 2:1 ratio you mention, but if you use the amounts listed here and still end up with a runny frosting it may be your cream cheese. You can stir in a little bit of cornstarch after you add all of your powdered sugar. 🙂
Kunnida
Hello Sam. No, I am not. I am using a regular cream cheese block that we always use for cream cheese. 2:1 ratio meaning that I use 2 blocks (whether cream cheese or butter) with 4 cups of powdered sugar (every 1 bar of butter equals 2 cups of powdered sugar). I have tried both room temperature and straight-out-of-the-fridge cream cheese. Nothing has worked except with adding a stabilizer such as gelatin powder. What is the max tablespoons of cornstarch can I add? Thank you for your response.
Sam
I think your ratios may be the problem. If you follow the recipe it’s not going to line up with your ratios if I’m understanding you correctly (a brick of cream cheese is going to be about 2 sticks of butter). I can’t be sure how much cornstarch to add because I’ve never run into this problem and you shouldn’t need to add it if you follow this recipe. Sorry I can’t be of any more help here. 🙁