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.
Paula
Could I keep this frosting out of the fridge? Need to Cover a cake that will be out of the fridge for 2 days. Thank you! 🙂
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Paula! This frosting can only be out of the fridge for a few hours, so we suggest you make buttercream frosting or vanilla frosting instead 🙂
Trey
This recipe is easy and tastes like a good cream cheese frosting. I scaled the sugar down to 3 cups after reading the comments and the sweetness is perfect for me. The only problem I have is that it was only enough for basically a thick crumb coat on a 2 layer 9-inch cake, so I would suggest doubling it if you want a good amount of frosting on your cake.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you like the frosting, Trey! And yes, this recipe can frost an 8 or 9-inch cake, but depending on how much icing you like and decorating you do, you may need more. Thanks so much for your review–enjoy! 😊
Patty
Everyone loves this! Use all the time, brownies, cakes, cup cakes…fast n easy…and like the recipe says…at least 2 cups of sugar….or more depending on how sweet ya like it. Thanks!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you like it, Patty! Enjoy 😊
kim mclachlan
Ok soo same as you Sam I am NOT!! a Carrot Cake Eater & I will pick the nuts out & eat the cream cheese frosting. However I was tired of chocolate things well OMG!!! between just me & my husband we finished the whole cake in 2 days!! & just like you I also could eat this cake even w/out the frosting! FYI & Im sure you know this but there is NOT a store bought cream cheese frosting that even tastes like cream cheese! (my husband prefers store bought frosting!! WHAT!?!) & I make some really good frosting. Your site is my go to site for baking so far I have Loved everything! There are many more items to try so TY TY TY Sam U ROCK!!!
Sam
Thank you so much, Kim! I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Amber
I added just a splash of milk to mine for some extra creminess… It was amazing!
Ashley @ Sugar Spun Run
I am glad that you enjoyed the frosting, Amber. Thanks for your feedback, we appreciate it! 🙂
marva hall
Delicious I added 2 drops of orange essence!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Sounds amazing, Marva! Thanks for sharing ❤️
Hannah Attika
How many cups of frosting does this recipe make? 😊
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Hannah! We haven’t measured it out, but it will cover a two layer 8 or 9 inch cake. 🙂
Hannah Attika
Thank you!! I’m trying to make enough for a a 12”x7” cake 😵💫
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Hannah! That should work fine 🙂
amber
I used it for cinnamon rolls in a 10×13 pan and had plenty!
Lexie
Mine turned out to be too sweet is it OK if I add 2 cups of sugar instead?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Lexie! You can try using less sugar but the consistency will not be as firm.
Tye
How do you store the leftover frosting?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Tye! You will want to store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container. 🙂
Shea B
Can I use salted butter and leave out the salt?
Sam
Yes that will work just fine. 🙂
Babs Moss
I’m going to use your cream cheese frosting today.
Can I put the frosting on my cake then freeze?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Babs! This frosting will freeze just fine. Enjoy!
Norma Jones
I tried this recipe to go on spice cupcakes, and it was delicious. I only used two cups of sugar, however. I will be using this again.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you like the frosting, Norma! Sounds like a great combination 😊
Janice Cox
Excellent taste and consistent. 💗
Mary King
Can I use this frosting on aour cream cut out cookies?
Sam
Sure thing!
Tea J
Hi! Does this frosting work well for decorating sugar cookies? I didn’t see anything about cookies.
Thank you!
Tea
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
You can use it for cookies, but just keep in mind that it won’t harden like classic sugar cookie frosting.
Jolee Pitts
I made it for my cinnamon rolls on Christmas.
WAY TO MUCH SUGAR!!!!
I re-made it with half the sugar (2 cups).
It was better that time.
Definitely need to reduce the sugar to 2 cups.
It was still pipe able (I used extra on carrot cupcakes).
It also was a perfect ratio of sweetness and you could taste the cream cheese while the first one you couldn’t.
All in all, the final project wasn’t bad, next time, reduce the sugar by 2 cups!
Hayleigh Myatte
I’m using it today on our freshly made cinnamon rolls. So delicious!
Paula McCullough
Great recipe. I was in a pinch and didn’t have my butter softened so I opted for a baking stick (Crisco) and added a little butter flavoring (LorAnn). It was lovely, creamy, sweet but not overwhelmingly so. I had bought canned cream cheese frosting just in case (lol) and ended up needing more frosting (because I used way too much in the middle of my 2 9 inch rounds) so I used it for the sides. There was an obvious difference between the two in flavor and texture. So easy to make and so much better than canned.
Mely
Can this be made ahead of time?
Sam
Sure thing! You will want to store it in the refrigerator in an air tight container. 🙂
Karen Pichocki
Agree, this is the best cream cheese frosting, yummy!!
Rachel B
Hi! I’m planning to use this recipe to frost brownies and would like to add peppermint extract. I’m not sure if I should swap this for the vanilla or try and use both? I don’t want to add too much liquid and have a consistency issue.. any suggestions?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Rachel! We would suggest adding a very small amount of peppermint extract (it can be super potent!) along with the vanilla. That small amount shouldn’t affect the consistency. 🙂
Melinda S.
I agree this is the best cream cheese frosting ever! I made it today to frost a fresh orange cake, so I stirred in about a tablespoon of orange zest along with the vanilla extract and salt. It tastes heavenly and the consistency is perfect! This is the only cream cheese frosting recipe I’ll be using from now on, plain or otherwise. Thank you for sharing!