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.
Katie
One of my fav recipes, I even managed not to ruin this one and the steps/notes were really exact, loved the flavor. Used the cream cheese frosting recipe for my red velvet mother day cake, She loved it!
Kate
Will this frosting be stable enough to decorate cake ( piping flowers etc.)
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Kate! This frosting is like a buttercream. You won’t be able to get as detailed as a royal icing will though 🙂
Calli
I followed the recipe except I used Almond extract instead. It was wayyyy to sweet for anyone I know. Ended up adding an extra 8oz of cream cheese and it was much better!
Jeanette
Thank you for sharing your recipe. It tastes amazing!! I made it for a 9 x 13 chocolate cake. The texture and taste is perfect but it slides off the cake when taking a piece from the pan to serve. I followed the recipe exactly. Does anyone have any ideas what could cause this?
Sam
Hi Jeanette! If you used brick style cream cheese and it was still too soft you can always stir in more powdered sugar to thicken it up a bit more. 🙂
CS
Hello, could be a number of things… frosting to thin, too soft, too much on cake, a warm cake, also not be enough fat like butter or cream cheese. it might be the temperature in the room. So many factors. 🙂
Melissa
This is exactly what I was looking for! I used lemon extract instead of vanilla. Probably a little more than a tsp. Went perfect with our zucchini cake! Thank you!
Deleese
Do you need to whip the butter for 10-15 minutes first before adding in the cream cheese, as you would for American buttercream?
Sam
Hi Deleese! It’s not necessary to whip the butter. 🙂
Henlu
I really want to try this! I live in Germany, so products are different here. I have icing sugar in the pantry. Will that work just as well as the powdered sugar?
Sam
That will work just fine, they are actually the same thing. 🙂
julie Green-Hernandez
Icing sugar is the same as our powdered sugar. We actually use both names depending where we live in the United States. Happy Baking
Sarah
Hi, I’ve made this before and it’s delicious. I was wondering, could I add in some strawberry reduction to create a strawberry cream cheese frosting?
Sam
Hi Sarah! It could potentially work, but you will want to make sure it’s well reduced and you add it very gradually as too much could end up breaking the frosting.
Rebecca
Can you use salted butter instead of unsalted butter?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yes, you can just omit the salt in the recipe. Enjoy ☺️
April Byers
delicious and easy!!
Mary
can you freeze it?
Sam
Sure thing! 🙂
Melissa
Hi does this frosting by chance harden on cookies I need one that does!! I’m not sure if it’s soft kind.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Melissa! This frosting will crust like a buttercream, but it won’t be like our royal icing or sugar cookie icing.
Amanda
Hi
Can I use this to cover chocolate cake? Thanks
Sam
Absolutely, enjoy!
Ashley
Hey! I have made this icing in May and it was to die for! Mmmmm! I used it within 24 hours. I am now going to make it again, but was wondering the storage time For fridge and frozen? Thank you!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Ashley! We’re so happy you liked the frosting 😊 It should keep up to a week in the refrigerator in an airtight container. We’d estimate it would be good for a few months in the freezer. Hope that helps!
Sherry
Perfection! Not too sweet and easy to spread on my lemon blueberry cake.
Maritza
Hi, can this frosting be made in advance ?
Thanks
Sam
Hi Maritza! This does well being made a couple of days in advance. You will need to wrap it tightly so it doesn’t dry out. You may need to whip it briefly before using. 🙂
Lucia
Love this frosting <3 Just a question, what’s the best way to store it? Am I able to leave it at room temperature overnight? Thank you
Sam
Hi Lucia! I typically recommend storing it covered in the refrigerator. 🙂
Beel9
Hello, I only have spreadable cream cheese since I’m in France.
Is it still possible to do it?
thank you for the recipe.
Sam
Spreadable cream cheese may not hold up and be quite as stiff as intended. 🙁
Hems
HI,I Have been using this recipe with St Moret cream cheese and it’s doable. I even reduce the sugar as it’s usually for my kids birthday. It won’t be very stiff but it’s delicious. I’m also living in France.
D Lee
Love this recipe. The frosting is perfect!
Lily
No fail recipe. Very flexible as well. I have subbed the vanilla with 50/50 of orange or lemon extract and it’s always delicious.
Krystal Whyte
can you freeze this?
Sam
Hi Krystal! That should work just fine. 🙂
John
I’ve been trying to figure out what I think is a little bit of a zesty/tangy taste in cream cheese frosting on a sweet potato cake that I like. Very subtle, and maybe I am imagining it. Would lemon or orange extract do that, or would it need to be more like lemon juice or lemon zest? It is a very light hint, but I think it is there.
Thanks for any help!
Sam
Hi John! Without having tried it personally it’s going to be hard to say exactly how to recreate the flavor. I think adding a little bit of zest could certainly add that extra flavor you are looking for. 🙂
Sabine
I love this cream cheese frosting.
Is it possible to color it in bright colors (red, blue) without making it to runny?
Sam
Hi Sabine! It is possible to color the frosting. I find that food gels work the best. 🙂
Sabine
Thank you, Sam! 🥰 Coloring with gel and oil based colors was super easy and did not change the consistency at all!