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 L.
Hi! I am making a red velvet wedding cake, and couple want a cream cheese icing. Would you recommend this recipe for that? Also, how long could it safely be out at the reception?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Paula! Our recipe would work great for this! How long it can sit out depends on your comfort level; it should be fine for a few hours though. Hope that helps!
Stephanie
Absolutely delicious!! Thank you soooo much!! 🙂
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks so much for the review, Stephanie! 😊
Brandi
Absolutely delicious, wouldn’t change a thing! Actually, I did cut the confectioner’s sugar down to 3 cups; doing so made it silky smooth when frosting my cake.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you enjoyed it, Brandi! 🥰
Kay
Is it possible to flavor the cream cheese frosting with something like chocolate or coffee or with freeze dried fruit powder?
Sam
Hi Kay! I actually have a chocolate cream cheese frosting. You could add a bit of freeze dried fruit powder to this one if you’d like. 🙂
Heather
I just made this to top my spice cake cupcakes and it was absolutely perfect!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Wonderful! We love that combination 🥰
Kymmi Kym
WHAT A YUMMY FROSTING!!
Made it to decorate my Pumpkin Spice muffins..
Definitely a keeper for future pastries..
Questions: Are the frosted muffins refrigerated afterwards? If so, how long?
(I baked 12 muffins)
Thanks in Advance for your response.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you like it, Kymmi! We typically recommend refrigerating, but if you want to leave it out at room temp, we wouldn’t recommend letting it sit beyond 48 hours.
George
Wonderful thank you!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Enjoy, George! 🙂
Amber
I’m going to be making cupcakes tomorrow. Should I sift the sugar? I always do when I make buttercream. I think my tip is 1M.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Amber! There’s no need to here, unless your powdered sugar is really lumpy. 🙂
lisandro
Im making a carrot cake tomorrow and I’m soooooo excited to try out this recipe, ill rate it tomorrow after I make it. I bet it is 5 stars.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We hope you love it, Lisandro! 🤩
Fran
I have been reading your page and I am wondering if you could combine this cream cheese frosting with the old-fashioned cooked ermine frosting?
Sam
Hi Fran! I’m not quite sure how it would work. I would be worried about it becoming a bit lumpy. I would probably trying adding the ermine frosting to the cream cheese frosting very slowly. Let me know how it goes if you do decide to try it. 🙂
Carol Surles
Excellent, and quick! I used Greek cream cheese with 1/2 the fat, and frosted two standard loaves of carrot bread made with an easy oil recipe. The recipe was enough to frost two loaves of carrot bread which I made from an easy oil recipe–tastes like deluxe carrot cake! Thanks!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re happy you liked it, Carol! Thanks for using our recipe 😊
Lola
Frosted carrot cake cupcakes for a Halloween party. My daughter said, “this frosting is the BOMB!”
Linda
Made this last night it was a hit at the party. This is the best cream cheese icing I have ever had thank you.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks so much for your review, Linda! Enjoy ❤️
CS Volkman
Excellent
Jude
Once the cake has been frosted, does it need to be refrigerated? Can cream cheese frosting be left out on the kitchen counter?
Sam
Hi Jude! I believe food safety guidelines would recommend keeping the frosting refrigerated due to the cream cheese. Personally I will leave mine out at room temperature for up to a day or two at room temperature (about 72F) and refrigerate beyond that, but that is what I am personally comfortable with in my own home.
Gaye Fedorchak
Best cream cheese frosting I’ve tasted! My daughter found it and made it and it was great!