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.
Hope
Will the cupcakes need to be refrigerated since it’s cream cheese?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Hope! Food safety guidelines would probably recommend keeping the frosting refrigerated due to the cream cheese. Personally we will leave it out at room temperature for up to a day or two at room temperature (about 72F) and refrigerate beyond that. It really depends on what you are personally comfortable with 😊
Jody
I made this following another recipe for lemon flavour which said to add 3 tbsp lemon juice. I ended up with spreadable frosting rather than pipeable for my cupcakes and not sure what to do with it now 😞 maybe icing for a vanilla cake? 🤔
I should have checked your recipe first. Damn. I’m supposed to take these cupcakes to a new year’s eve party tomorrow so guess I’ll have to make another batch of frosting that is pipeable.
Regina
What if I wanted to make this frosting for a cake, how much more should I add in?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Regina! This frosting works great for frosting a cake–no changes needed 😊
Diana
I decorated 18 cupcakes with it. Tastes great, stays in shape perfectly, even with food coloring in it. Not runny at room temperature and easy to make.
Dave
Not knowing what to expect with this recipe because I’m not familiar with all the different types of icing and their names, I tried this recipe and loved it. For me it tasted a lot like store bought icing but better. The fresh cream cheese adds a lot of good homemade flavor
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
So glad you enjoyed it, Dave! 😍
Jody
I made this following another recipe for lemon flavour which said to add 3 tbsp lemon juice. I ended up with spreadable frosting rather than pipeable for my cupcakes and not sure what to do with it now 😞 maybe icing for a vanilla cake? 🤔
I should have checked your recipe first. Damn. I’m supposed to take these cupcakes to a new year’s eve party tomorrow so guess I’ll have to make another batch of frosting that is pipeable.
Bianca T Samanis
I only have salted butter! 🙁 will this ruin the recipe?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Bianca! You can just skip the additional salt in the recipe. Enjoy! 🥰
Missy
Here it is Christmas Eve and I’m looking for this to frost my red velvet cake. I only eat my Granny’s, best ever lol. But she’s 86 now and I thought let me try to make “her cake” fingers crossed this is how she did her icing too. Thank you for sharing this. Merry Christmas from a Florida Mimi
Maurissa
Wow this was so delicious and easy 💕😊🙌 I had to make it by hand also since I don’t have any electric mixers but it worked perfectly even still 😊🙌 thank you so much 🙌
Acts 2:38 KJV
Heather
I want to make this more of an icing consistency to drizzle over a gingerbread bundt cake. By the comments and directions, I just add less powdered sugar? Maybe a little
More milk? I might try buttermilk instead of regular milk. Thank you.
Sam
Hi Heather! I’m not sure exactly what the consistency is you are searching for but you could certainly add some milk to thin it out, or add less sugar 🙂
Allison Lehman
This recipient looks awesome. Quick question. IF I want a thicker consistency and I choose to add cornstarch, when do I add it and do I need to hydrate first?
Allison
Sam
Hi Allison! I would probably just add more powdered sugar to make it thicker. 🙂
Debi Schule
I made this last night to go on pumpkin cranberry muffins. I told my daughter if she comes to visit and finds me on the floor dead with a bowl on my head, it’s because I was licking the bowl clean! This frosting is that good! I did pipe it onto the muffins and left them out for a couple hours. This frosting looks fantastic! Held up for a 20 mile drive!
Lori Losey
I use this frosting to decorate my sugar cookies. Works great. You might want to mention it to your followers. Merry Christmas and God Bless you.
Sam
Thank you for sharing, Lori! I’m so glad it works so well for you. Merry Christmas!
Laura
Hi Sam, I only discovered your page a few days ago and absolutely love it. I have not made the frosting yet but the recipe looks amazing so I gave it 5 stars. I am baking carrot cake cupcakes for a Christmas party on Friday. If I make the frosting a day before and put it in the fridge over night, will I still be able to pipe it the next day? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Laura! It will become pretty firm and will need to sit at room temperature for several hours to be soft enough to pipe (you’ll want to give it a good stir before piping). If your house is a bit cool/not too warm, you can leave it at room temperature overnight in an airtight container, if you are comfortable doing so (I personally am comfortable leaving the frosting out up to 48 hours). I hope that helps, and I hope you love the recipe!
C
Hi! Can I make this ahead of time and store in the fridge until ready to frost my cupcakes?
Sam
Sure thing! It will be good in the refrigerator for several days. 🙂
Jen
Hi! I haven’t made your frosting yet, but I want to make it this weekend to go on my red velvet cupcakes. Is the cream cheese very sweet? I make vanilla frosting with 4 cups of confections sugar also, and it is very sweet.
Thanks!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Jen! The cream cheese actually helps to cut the sweetness, so compared to your vanilla frosting, this should be less sweet. 😊
Elizabeth Bouchard
I gave this recipe a 5 purely because of all the positive comments here. I haven’t made it yet, but was just looking for a good cream cheese frosting recipe. I am going to be using your recipe, for sure. My step grandaughter sent her mom a picture of a recipe for a pineapple carrot cake, that was cut out of a book, I believe. It said ‘cream cheese frosting recipe’ on page 144! LOL. There IS no page 144! Hence, here I am. We’ll be making it for Christmas this year. I will try and get back to you for my review. Thank you for this!
Sam
I hope you love it, Elizabeth! 🙂
Liz
I just made these and followed the recipe exactly. Thank you for providing the weights also! They came out perfectly and were easy to make once I used the correct cream cheese.( I made the first frosting using a light cream cheese- tasted awful- use full fat cream cheese!) How long will the frosted cookies last with the peppermint candies? Can I store the frosted cookies in a plastic air tight container left out or should I freeze or refrigerate? I would like to take them to a party in 5 days.
Sam
Hi Liz! The cream cheese frosting should be stored in the refrigerator in an air tight container. The refrigerator will dry out the cookies. I would personally hold off on frosting until the day before and then just store at room temperature in an air tight container overnight. 🙂
Lisa
This was perfect, definitely able to pipe and decorate with it..