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.
Lynn H
I’ve been baking for a long time. I have never had frosting come out this fluffy smooth and beautiful. Actually beautiful. Weird but true. And on the first try too! I had to make 3 batches together. I only had 1186g of powdered sugar but the recipe calls for 500g for each =1500g. I’m so thankful this recipe is forgiving and it tastes amazing even with the lesser amount of powdered sugar. Thank you for my new favorite frosting! Can’t wait to share it!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Lynn! 🙂
Margo
I am a retired pastry chef and bakery owner. I made this today and loved it. I couldn’t do better myself. Kudos to you!
Veronica
Definitely will use this recipe for more than carrot cake! Fluffy yet thick enough! Thanks for sharing! Veronica
Akeisha D.
A delish icing! Could I add fresh strawberries to the frosting?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Akeisha! 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. 🙂
Laura
I am making this frosting for cupcakes. Do I need to refrigerate them? I’m never sure with cream cheese frosting. 🙂
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Laura! They can sit out for a few hours, but they will need to go in the fridge after that. Hope that helps! 🙂
Mary-Anne Bach
Too much butter. I think this recipe would be better with 1/2 the amount. Loses that lovely cream cheese flavor and tastes a bit fatty and sweet. I added more cream cheese to fix that.
Neila Lehman
Can this icing be frozen?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Neila! Yes, it freezes just fine. 😊
Angela Johnson
This is by far the absolutely best cream cheese recipe!I can’t say enough good things about it!!ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!
Emily Gyimah
Hello! I would like to make this recipe for cherry vanilla cupcakes, but I want to add maraschino Cherry liquid for taste and color. Will the frosting hold or be too runny? Thank you!
Sam
Hi Emily! I’d be concerned that you would need a good amount of the liquid here to impart a good cherry flavor and that would make the frosting a bit runny. You could try adding a splash or 2 and see how it goes. 🙂
Zoe
Can you make a tiered wedding cake with this?
Sam
Sure thing! 🙂
Natasha
Hi Emily, I see this is from last month, but have you tried kirsch? It’s cherry brandy, the kind used in Black Forest cake. I bet that would taste yummy. A bit boozy, but not too much.
Janice Emery
Made this frosting for a carrot cake I made today. Truly, the best I have had. My husband said “this frosting is perfect”. Definitely my go to, now! I did double it for a layer cake to be sure I had enough. I hate running out!
Evelyn S.
I hadn’t made cream cheese frosting in 20 years – this tasted just like my mom’s recipe. My husband who generally doesn’t eat frosting was all over it! Thanks for the refresher and not adding anything weird to it!
Robin
Any Dairy free substitute for the cream cheese ?
Sam
Hi Robin! Unfortunately I don’t have a good substitute here. 🙁
sav
you can use vegan cream cheese, it’ll taste almost the same but good. they sell it at most stores, but you can also make it.
Christina
Would this make enough for a 6” 3-layer cake?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yes! Enjoy 😊
Ruby
This is super delicous on cupcakes! my family loved it!! 😀
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We couldn’t agree more, Ruby! Thanks for coming back to leave a review. Enjoy! ❤
Angela
I made this today to put on a sour cream pound cake. Since it was almost St. Patrick’s day, I colored the frosting green and added chopped,toasted pecans; it was so good.
Thanks you for reminding me of my mother’s receipe from sp many years ago.
Angela
Will this be enough to frost a pound cake cooked in a tube pan?
Sam
Hi Angela! I think it would be enough, but that also depends how thick you’d like your frosting. 🙂
Jarlline
Hi,
I live in Europe where I can only find the spreadable cream cheese. How will this affect the recipe?
Thanks
Jarlline
Sam
Hi Jarline! It could make the frosting a bit runnier.
Jarlline
Is there anything I can do to fix the runniness?
Sam
Unfortunately with the spreadable cream cheese I don’t have a good solution for you. 🙁