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.
Eva Ramirez
I was wondering for the cream cheese part, would it be a bad idea to use the spread instead of the bar? Is there anything I should try adding to it or should I just buy a bar.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Eva! You must use the bar type for this recipe. The spreadable kind will yield a very runny frosting.
Jen
Will this frosting work well for piping or will it melt?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Jen! We actually address this in the post. Check the FAQ section and tips ☺️
Mary
I used 3 cups of powdered sugar and as sweet as we liked.
Jonita
Just made this recipe for my son’s birthday cake I made a pineapple cake it’s awesome I love it we’ll make it again thank you
Sylvia
My first time making cream cheese frosting for cinnamon rolls, it’s perfect. I like mine not too sweet so I lessened the sugar and vanilla extract. It’s an easy recipe with great tasting results.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you enjoyed it, Sylvia! Thanks for the review 😊
Jenna
Made this for my husband’s birthday cake. Substituted lavender extract for vanilla and it’s yummy (though I’m not a fan of lavender!).
Thank you for all your recipes. One of my go-tos.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’ll have to try that! Thanks for sharing, Jenna 😊
Tracey
making this for a baby girl shower…can I add food coloring to make it pink or will that change the consistency?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
That will work just fine. Enjoy, Tracey! 😊
Lori
This is great cream cheese frosting. I usually make it with sour cream course then it’s no cream cheese but either way both are so darn good I can eat with a spoon. Okay 1 maybe 3 spoons n done!!! Lol
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so glad you enjoy it, Lori! Thanks for the review 😊
Paula
These carrot cake cupcakes & cream cheese icing are absolutely delicious. I love the flow & ease of the recipe 😋
LeeAnn Weaver
I need to ice a white cake and want a super white frosting. Can I replace the butter with Crisco/shortening? I find buttercream is too sweet but I can replace all to half with shortening and it is not so yellow.
Sam
Hi LeeAnn! I think that could work here.
Lauren
Also a tiny drop of purple food coloring can help color correct
Charlene
I would like to know regarding the consistency, is it good for crumb coating under fondant/sugar paste? This will be for a cake
Sam
Hi Charlene! This will work fine for a crumb coat. 🙂
Charlene
Hi Sam. Thank you for the quick reply. Good I possibly ask you another question? The cake will be done in August, hottest month in Malta, which reaches a temp of 35°C but feels about 40°C even more. My dilemma is that once the frosting is applied it needs to be stored in the refrigerator or else it melts (happened on my son’s cake smash while still apply the frosting the butter was melting to the top of the frosting!!), But as far as I know you can’t put fondant in the refrigerator because it will sweat. Is this true? If yes how much before applying the fondant should I take it out? And in the temperature mentioned how long would you reckon I should apply the fondant and leave outside? Party will be at 6pm and I will do all the frosting the night before I think. Correct me if I am going about it all wrong. Thank you so much. And looking forward to trying this!
Sam
Unfortunately I am not familiar with using fondant. I haven’t used it many times and I really don’t want to give you some bad advice. 🙁
Stacey Dixon
Can u make this a chocolate flavor or a different color?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yes! Food coloring works fine, and for chocolate we’d recommend you use our chocolate cream cheese frosting.
Christina
Would this frosting be good on a red velvet cake
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Absolutely! Enjoy 😊
Courtney
How does this frosting store?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Courtney! The cream cheese frosting should be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It will last for a few days this way 😊
SUSAN LANIUS
I MAKE CAKES OFTEN……THIS RECIPE CAN BE FROZEN FOR MONTHS IN AN AIRTIGHT CONTAINER…….SO I USUALLY MAKE MORE THAN I NEED AND FREEZE FOR LATER!!
Aubri napiontek
I just have 1 question if you don’t use that much sugar as it says will you still get enough to frost a cake ?
Sam
Hi Aubri! If you reduce the powdered sugar you will reduce the volume so depending how much you reduce it you may not have enough to cover a cake and it may end up being a bit runny. 🙁
Aubri napiontek
Hi I just want to say that this is the best frosting ever and its super good for decorating cupcakes !!!❤❤❤ I most definently recommend .
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for the review, Aubri! We’re so happy you love it 🥰
LQ Barton
I just made this for the first time. I had a major sweet tooth. I poured it over a piping hot pineapple supreme cake and let me tell you, my family is in love. DE-LI-CIOUS!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yum! Sounds, wonderful. Enjoy!
Gabby
Great recipe we’ve used tons of times BUT you do NOT need anywhere near that much sugar! We’ve used 1 cup and 2 cups and it’s been way sweet enough, especially alongside an already sweet cake.
Sam
So glad you enjoyed, Gabby! I do want to note that if you do not use the full amount of sugar you will not have the buttercream/piping consistency shown.
Gabby
Consistency comes out fine!! We piped and wrote letters on the cake. Your body will thank you for less sugar!!
Valerie
Hi! How much corn starch do you add for 3 cups of powder sugar?
Terry Kitts
I would. Say the more the merrier that is if you LOVE sugar
Lyndsay
I love your recipes! The lemon blueberry layer cake is a show stopper!!
I’ve made this recipe 4 times now, the last time with cornstarch because I wanted to experiment with sweetness. I find 4 c or sugar to be a bit too sweet for me, but 3 c and a bit of cornstarch is nice. It’s keeps nicely, as I discovered when I stumbled upon a half batch at the back of my fridge, that had been there for more than a week. With cornstarch, it maintains beautiful shape on cupcakes. This recipe will stay in my recipe box forever. Thank you.
Deb Lind
How much cornstarch did you use with 3 cups of powdered sugar to retain the ability to pipe this frosting?
Julie Lancaster
Super light!