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.
Annie
What’s the texture like on a refrigerated cake? Is the icing still somewhat soft after refrigeration? Does it work well as a crumb coat?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Annie! It will definitely firm up in the fridge, but it will soften as it thaws, similarly to a buttercream. It does work well for a crumb coat 😊
Isabelle Estrella Smith
I used this recipe for my mom’s birthday cake, my mom loves cream cheese frosting and this recipe was perfect! 😍🤩🎂
Shelley Marie Marks
My favorite cream cheese frosting recipe! I use it all the time. Creamy, perfect taste! Love it!
Nick
Excellent recipe, thank you. However just wondering, is it better to melt the butter or leave it room temp?
Sam
I would not melt it.
Jenni
How long do you let the cream cheese and butter soften before using, how soft do you want it? I only made a 1/4 the recipe to try it and it seems really soft/thin so not sure if I let my butter and cream cheese soften to long and that’s what happened. Does sifting the powdered sugar also make it thinner? I put it in the fridge for a bit to see if that will help to thicken it a little. If it is too thin still, can I just add a little more powdered sugar until it is thick enough for piping? Thank you.
Sam
Hi Jenni! You want it to be about room temperature. If you measured your flour after sifting, it could cause some issues because you would end up with less powdered sugar, if not weighing it. You are correct that you can just add a little more powdered sugar to thicken it up. 🙂
Hafsa Mustafa
Hello,
This recipe looks amazing I want to use it for my daughter’s first birthday cake.
Can I make this frosting a day before? Just simply store it in an airtight container in refrigerator? Any tips on how to store or re-use.
Thank you!
Sam
You can absolutely make it the day in advance. It may need a brief stirring after taking it out of the refrigerator. I may let it warm at room temperature slightly before trying to put it on the cake. Happy birthday to your daughter! Kids are so precious. 🙂
Liz
Thanks so much, this recipe could not have been easier. I followed the instructions and quantities and it was perfect for piping. Great taste as well, not as sweet as buttercream or as cheesy as some cream cheese frostings. Love it and will make it my go to 👍
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you found our recipe, Liz! Enjoy ☺️
Denise
Oh this recipe is terrific!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
So glad you like it, Denise! Thanks for the review 🩷
Jade Mckenzie
Hi, I love ur icing,thankyou. how ever my son loves lemon cream cheese icing lol, can I add some lemon instead of vanilla essence? if yes how much should I add
Sam
Hi Jade! I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure how it will work if you add lemon. You could certainly try adding a lemon extract, but you will want to use less than the amount of vanilla as it’s more potent. I do have one on my list of things to make. 🙂
Melissa
I made this for my carrot cupcakes. People couldn’t stop complimenting me on the frosting. Definitely going to make this a lot.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We love that combination, Melissa! Thanks for coming back to leave a review 🩷
Jennifer
I made this for my spice Cupcakes and they were amazing with it!! it was perfect. I will make this over and over just to right combination of everything!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yum! That sounds tasty, Jennifer. Thanks so much for using our recipe 🩷
Eme
Looks great! Just printed it off. Can I ask what type of piping bag you’re using?
Sam
Hi Eme! I use plastic disposable ones you can find on my amazon shop. 🙂
Gabriella
I loved this frosting
P Graham
I want to freeze some of the frosted cupcakes; does this frosting freeze okay?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yes it does! We hope you love it 😊
Brenda
Best frosting ever!
Laurie
Have you ever used this a cupcake filling?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Laurie! That will work just fine 😊
Wendy
This is good icing but it is definitely NOT pipable frosting- does not hold it shape at all- very soft- works great if you are doing a sheet pan of cake but most definitely not for round layered cake
Sam
Hi Wendy! Did you substitute any ingredients or use low-fat or was your cream cheese and butter very, very warm? You can see in the photos and in the video it’s quite pipeable; it’s designed specifically to have the same consistency as an American buttercream.
Wendy Jane Aleman
Thank you for your reply – maybe that is the problem -too warm -i will make the frosting the night before icing the cake, refrigerate overnight in a piping bag and put the icing out out for 15 minutes to warm slightly – the is icing otherwise is very good