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.
Lori
First time making home made cream cheese icing. WOW, it is amazing!! I do have extra and wondered if this can be frozen??
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you liked it, Lori! Yes, it freezes just fine. 😊
Andrea
So good and inexpensive!! Tastes better than store bought!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you think so, Andrea! Thanks for your review ❤
Emily
This worked well. I would have actually liked a stronger cream cheese flavor, maybe I’ll experiment with 50% more cream cheese and 50% less butter next time. Swapped in lemon extract for the vanilla to frost cupcakes stuffed with strawberry jam. It was a hit.
Alyson
How many cupcakes will this cover if the frosting is being piped on?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Alyson! If you frost generously (like the pictures in the post), then it will only frost 12 cupcakes. Otherwise it could cover as many as 24. 🙂
Wanda McHenry
Excellent!
Kristen M
Hi there! I’m so excited to make this (cream cheese is my weakness) for my daughters 1st birthday cake this weekend! Question though.. I want to make it strawberry flavored. Do you recommend fresh, smashed (cooked down) strawberries or dried strawberries blended to powder? I cook, not bake. So these are the types of questions I would never be able to answer myself lol. TIA!
Sam
Hi Kristen! The best way to do it is to pulverized some dried strawberries and stir them in. If the mixture becomes too dry you will want to stir in a little extra cream. 🙂
Joanne McKenney
Yummy! This is an excellent frosting! Thank you!
Christina R
This is the best cream cheese frosting for sure! I recently made this for my son’s birthday to frost a chocolate cake. It was so delicious and everyone loved it!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Sounds like a winning combo to us, Christina! We hope your son had a great birthday. Thanks for your review 😊
Brittany
Would making this two days ahead be a bad thing?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Brittany! This icing will last about a week in the refrigerator, so two days ahead should be just fine. It may need a brief stir before attempting to put it on a dessert. 🙂
Lisa
I am making this frosting for a 13×9 cake, but I’d like to make extra for coloring and piping on a few flowers and a border around the cake as well. Should I just double it and thicken the portion that will be used for piping? Thank you for your advice!
Lisa
Sam
Hi Lisa! This recipe is great for piping so no need to thicken it. A double batch should give you plenty to cover a 13 x 9 and decorate it. 🙂
Alan
Very inexperienced baker. When you say will cover either one 2-layer 8″ or 9″ cake. Does that include in between the 2 layers or just the outside and should I make more?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Alan! Great question! This icing recipe will cover the entire cake, including in between the layers. We hope it turns out great 😊
Rosie miller
This is the best cream cheese frosting I have ever made we all loved it thank you.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks so much, Rosie! We’re so happy it was a hit for you 😊
Tim
Can this recipe be used for filling cream horns, I do like them a little rich? Thanks
Sam
It would be very rich but it will work. 🙂
Trinnity McMillen
My icing came out so thin! But I don’t really want it to be any sweeter! What can I do?
Sam
Hi Trinnity! Did you use the full amount of sugar called for and did you use brick-style cream cheese? It really shouldn’t be thin and you shouldn’t have to add more sugar than the recipe calls for.
Denise
If making for the next day, should it be refrigerated?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Denise! Yes, this icing needs to be refrigerated. Enjoy!
Rachel
Can I add food colouring gel for colour or will that change the consistency?
Sam
Food coloring will work just fine here. 🙂
Lisa
Made this icing with my 4 year old grandson today. It was so good and easy to make! Thank you!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
That’s wonderful, Lisa! We hope you made some sweet memories together 😊
Julie
I doubled the recipe and it was too sweet and tasted like powdered sugar. Would you use less powdered sugar when doubling the recipe?
Sam
Hi Julie! You can reduce your powdered sugar but your frosting won’t be quite as firm. 🙂
Sallie
I made a batch and a 1/2 and reduced the powdered sugar by 1 cup. It was still delicious but definitely not as firm. This is the perfect cream cheese frosting recipe
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you enjoyed it, Sallie 😊
Natashia
I never comment on these things, but I had to!
I made gluten free pumpkin cupcakes and this icing was AMAZING! I love a cream cheese base, but not everyone in my family does. It’s a good mixture. It’s not TOO sweet but it’s also just sweet enough. This is definitely being saved in my future baking board!
My kids are all super picky and they loved them too. And don’t tell anyone, but I might have had a few tablespoons on a spoon…ya know, for science!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much for commenting, Natashia! We are so pleased to hear that the icing was such a hit for your family. And we know all about taste testing for science–it’s one of the most important steps in a recipe! 😉 Enjoy!
Daws
So good!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you like it, Daws! Thanks for coming back to leave a review 😊
Warda Ahmed
Making this for an order, is this ok to a layer cake fully? I already crumb coated it but am nervous I won’t be able to have it hold up or crust at all as it is a larger base 10 in 3 layer. I need a crust bc I will be decorating the outside with butterflies and gold leaf and sprinkles etc!
Sam
This frosting will crust after a little bit of time being exposed to the air. 🙂
Elizabeth
My 7yo daughter made her first spice cake yesterday, and my sons made this frosting. It was sooooo easy, and they were super proud. Totally boosted their confidence. We also made a basic powdered sugar glaze since my husband hates cream cheese on or in anything sweet. To our surprise, he asked to try some of the cream cheese frosting with her spice cake. He said he HAD to try it how it was meant to be since this was her first cake (and not my 50th, I presume, LOL). Um… he loved it. He had two pieces. This frosting is magic. 😀 It’s going in the “tried and true” section of the recipe box.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
That’s too sweet, Elizabeth! We’re so happy your sons enjoyed the process and the final product was a real hit! Thanks so much for your review ❤
Angie
Best cream cheese icing I’ve made!! 👍. sifted powered sugar
Prior!