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.
Christine
I have been making the same carrot cake and cream cheese frosting for my husbands birthday for 34 years. He’s never complained but I’ve never liked the frosting as it just always seemed too sweet. I found your recipe and tried it. Hallelujah I did because it is perfect. The major difference is that you recommend weighing and I did and this is the best recipe I’ve used by far in all those years!!! We lived in Europe for a bit and I purchased a nice scale and it really is amazing how weighing your ingredients will make all the difference. The only thing I changed was using a tub of marscapone since I needed to use it. Thank you for the recipe. ♥️
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Christine! 🙂
Katherine
So good and easy!
Rebeca Segui
Hi, can I make this frosting an refrigerate over night before applying to cake
Sam
Hi Rebeca! Yes, that will be fine. Store in an airtight container. The frosting will firm up overnight, so you will likely need to let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or so and then stir it well again before using. I hope that helps, and I hope you love the frosting! 🙂
Kay
It looks soooo delicious! I would love to make a chocolate cream cheese frosting- would I be able to add something to this recipe to make it chocolate? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Kay! Absolutely, check out my chocolate cream cheese frosting where I do exactly that (super simple and adapted from this recipe here). Enjoy! 🙂
Janel Contreras
Can you make this into chocolate cream cheese frosting? For a chocolate cake…
Sam
Absolutely! See my chocolate cream cheese frosting recipe 🙂
Cat
I’ve NEVER made homemade icing before. I always went with store bought bc I thought I’d mess it up. This recipe was the best I’ve EVER had store bought or someone else’s homemade. It was rich and creamy and PERFECT for red velvet cake (what I made it for)!!! Everyone that tried it, also loved it as well!!! THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS!!!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Cat! 🙂
Paula
Easy, creamy, smooth and delicious….great receipe my go to from now on…
Cat
My kids and I have even been snacking on the extra that I left in a bag in the fridge…lol it’s even good after being refrigerated for a couple days… Just great!!!
Mary Cavanagh
I am very excited to try this frosting. Can I add Wilton color gel to tint it? Or food coloring?
Thanks very much,
Mary
Sam
Hi Mary! Yes you definitely can add food coloring, just stir in at the end until you reach the desired color. I hope that helps, and I hope you love the frosting! 🙂
Ellie
Can I use spreadable cream cheese too or does it need to be the block kind?
Sam
Hi Ellie! I don’t recommend spreadable cream cheese here as often the frosting turns out much too thin and watery. If it all you have, you can instead try adding it to-taste to my classic buttercream frosting, some people have reported success with this!
Sahar
Does this crust?
Sam
Hi Sahar! It will crust a little bit after sitting for a while. 🙂
Bonny
I made this frosting to put on brownies and took them to a party. The brownies were a hit, with many compliments going to the frosting. It was delicious!
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Bonny! That sounds like an awesome combination. 🙂
Betty Ball
works great on all my 18 inch vinyl dolls! thanks sam!!!
Wasima Siddiqui
Can I use this frosting to frost an 8″ birthday cake? Would it be too thick for it or pretty smooth to spread?
Sam
Hi Wasima! Yes you can, it spreads very nicely. Enjoy! 🙂
Victoria
Best cream cheese frosting recipe! Just made this for family and company. Used a red velvet cake mix and made jumbo cupcakes! Everyone thought I bought these from a high end bakery! Bam 💥
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Victoria! 🙂
Jude
Hi Sam,
You got it! This is the ‘ONLY’ way to make cream cheese icing the right way.
Thanks,
Jude
Sam
Thank you, Jude! 🙂
Nancy Lachapelle
Used this in a wedding cake I made recently it comes together beautifully and tastes great.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Nancy! 🙂
Polly v
Try this recipe today on carrot cupcakes. It best cream cheese frosting recipe ever texture . Taste, my son loved it . Wondering if cupcakes with cream cheese frosting have to be refrigerated
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them, Polly! I would recommend moving them to the refrigerator in an air tight container after a few hours. 🙂