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.
Leila
This is a great recipe. Thanks for sharing. I actually had enough to frost a 9×13 cake along with 12 cupcakes. Everyone loved it
Jem
I love this recipe. I’ve been making it for years with the exception of the salt. I plan to add that next time to see if it makes the flavor pop even more. My tip is to buy the 1 lb. boxes of powdered sugar. It makes the recipe less messy, and more accurate. I always keep a few boxes in my pantry.
Dee
How can I make this in whipped form ? Would we just add heavy whipping cream ?
Sam
Hi Dee! You could try adding whipping cream to this if you’d like. You will need to add it slowly so that the frosting doesn’t break. Good luck! 🙂
Cheesygorl
YUM!
Priya
How long can the cream cheese frosting stay outside on display? We have a crafter’s market event soon and carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is in da menu! Any advise on how I can manage at a 30°C tropical outdoor stand?
Sam
Hi Priya! Unfortunately it won’t be good for very long at those kinds of temperatures. That is pretty warm for a cake and it will get pretty soft. You could also run into food safety issues with the cream cheese. I would recommend refrigeration until right before serving.
Kellie R.
You could place the containers in a cooler with cold packs covered with plastic (such as garbage bag) or just fill some large ziplocķs with ice and use that (I’d still cover with plastic or a towel) Also try to put some along sides of containers if possible.
Joe
This stuff is the jam! I iced my cinnamon rolls with this and my family loved it!!!
Saved the leftover for the next round.
Thanks!!
Mary Jo
Can’t wait to try! Can this recipe be made ahead? If so how long can it be stored in the refrigerator? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Mary Jo! It will be good for 4-5 days in the refrigerator. 🙂
Crystal
First time ever making anything with cream cheese. Don’t like the taste, but daughter and family loves this recipe. Thought I had purchased from the store.😁
My ususal go to is buttercream, but will now add this to the recipe book.
Debbie
Made this frosting to put on a white cake and it was perfect. Easy to work with, fluffy and delicious.
Hanna
How long does the frosting last after piping onto the cupcakes?
Sam
Hi Hanna! It will be good in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 🙂
Kelly
When I was a kid in the 70s, my Mom used to put cream cheese frosting between 2 graham cracker halves and toss it in our lunch boxes as a special surprise. This recipe was made for that! The graham cracker cream cheese frosting sandwich makes a comeback!!
Sam
What a delicious and wonderful surprise! 🙂
Debbie
just told my husband about your cream cheese and graham crackers. He was like you couldn’t tell mebthat before I finished the graham crackers. I’m making the icing for cinnamon rolls. they’ll be extra for him though and more graham’s are being delivered. it was funny
Christina Thomas
I didn’t use as much sugar as I thought it was sweet enough. Couldn’t pipe it. Wouldn’t hold its shape so I just spooned it in. Tastes nice but not stiff enough by a country mile.
Sam
Hi Christina! That would be because you did not use all of the sugar. The sugar is critical for consistency.
Claire
You need the full amount of sugar to make it stiff enough to pipe.
Kate A
I found the frosting too sweet – covered up the tang of the cream cheese. I’d make it again for sure, but would cut the sugar by a cup. Even before I added those last 8oz, it had a great consistency so think adjusting to taste would work out well.
Jeanna
I just made a pan of oatmeal raisin bars and I would like to try your cream cheese frosting recipe . My question is do I have to refrigerate my bars now with the frosting on them.
Sam
Hi Jeanna! It is recommended that cream cheese frosting be refrigerated. 🙂
Hanna
Can you make this with spreadable cream cheese instead of brick? What’s the difference?
Sam
I don’t recommend it. Spreadable cream cheese has additives that will prevent the frosting from stiffening up.
Sarah
Tastes good and good consistency
Sue
I’ve made this in the past and it is great. I know it says you can use it on a two layer cake but is that enough to include frosting in between the layers and maybe a little for piping? Thanks!
Louisa
This recipe looks great. Making this recipe today
Claudia
I have been using this recipe for a few years now, I live in Mexico. I have to admit I only use 2/3 of a cup of sugar, I couldn’t imagine using the full 4 cups.