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.
Faye
I use this recipe every single time I make cream cheese frosting! It’s great! Sometimes I add a spoon or two of unsweetened cocoa powder for a velvety chocolate taste. I recommend this recipe for anyone who wants a solid and simple cream cheese frosting.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks so much for your review, Faye 😊 We’re honored to know that our recipe is a staple in your home!
Noranda Arnett
I’ve been using this recipe for cream cheese frosting and adding 100g of crushed up mini Oreo cookies and 400g of icing sugar for a cream cheese cookies and cream frosting with chocolate cupcakes l
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Sounds delicious and very similar to the icing we use on our Oreo cupcakes! ❤
Jessica
Really good but a bit sweet! Adjusted it to have a bit less sugar and a squeeze of lemon – perfection.
Jennie
The most delicious frosting EVER! Used it with the carrot cake cupcakes. Delicious
Nancy Worthington
EXCELLENT!!! EASY!!! DELISH!!!! be sure to sit your cream cheese block and unsalted butter out to soften
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you enjoyed it, Nancy! Thanks for your review 😊
Mary
Wonderful! This frosting is easy to make and about a thousand times better than store-bought.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Mary! We’re so happy you like it 🥰
Natasha
I absolutely love this recipe just as it is! I’m wondering if I can freeze my leftovers for later use?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yes you can! Enjoy 😊
Lisa
This is my new go to cream cheese frosting recipe. I did follow your notes and only used 3 cups of sugar and it was perfect for me! It’s so smooth and creamy and light and even at 3 cups sugar it was still firm enough to hold its shape.
Garlan H
Delicious and super easy!!! Thank you for sharing
Vicki J.
Made a half recipe of this tonight, to top a dozen carrot cake cupcakes. Delicious! This recipe is a keeper. Will definitely be using it again.
Mary Jane Morrison
Beautiful, not too sweet and creamy. Thank you for you for the recipe,
Nancy
You are awesome and so sweet to share this! Icing is Great!!!
Diane
I accidentally added SALTED butter. Will that change the taste?
Sam
Hi Diane! It may make the frosting a little bit salty, but it should still be good. If you ever run into this issue again I do have an article on using salted or unsalted butter. 🙂
Amy
Could I use lemon extract instead of vanilla extract? Would the amount still be 1 tsp? I just want a lemon-y hint. TIA
Sam
Hi Amy! You could use lemon extract, but you’ll want to go very very light on it. It’s rather potent. I would try maybe 1/8 teaspoon and add more if needed. 🙂
Sally
This is the best cream cheese frosting I have ever made. It was so easy to make. I doubled the recipe and piped 40 carrot cake cupcakes and they looked great! Thanks for the great recipe!