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.
Sarah
can this frosting be left at room temp over night?
Sam
Hi Sarah! I am personally comfortable leaving at room temperature overnight. Generally though cream cheese frosting should be refrigerated.
Betsy
This frosting is delicious! I wanted a cream cheese frosting for carrot cake muffins I’ve been making (literally for decades) that I could pipe onto the cupcakes. This is that recipe! So easy to make and it has the perfect sweetness. And it is truly like a buttercream. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I will forever use it!!
Sarah
Absolutely delicious and super simple! A family favorite, I will be saving this and using it for years to come!
Jenny
Hi, I’m planning on using your recipe for my cupcakes, I read you can freeze the icing. How long will it keep? Also thank you for this wonderific recipe. I can’t wait to use it!!🫶🏻
Sam
Hi Jenny! The frosting will last a couple of months in the freezer. 🙂
Bailey
Hi, I would like to use this recipe for my bday in a couple weeks but I was wondering what temp the butter should be? before combined with the cream cheese
Sam
Hi Bailey! It’s always best when everything has softened close to room temperature. 🙂
Shirley Black
Can you use mascarpone instead?
Sam
Hi Shirley! Mascarpone likely wouldn’t work well here. 🙁
Andy
can I use Stevia powdered sugar for keto frosting?
Sam
Hi Andy! I have never used stevia powdered sugar so I’m not sure how it would work. If you do try it I would love to know how it goes. 🙂
Yakarah_3
Me and my family absolutely LOVE this frosting! I used it on spice cupcakes, and did a cinnamon topping–this frosting topped it off well! Everyone kept wanting more, definitely will be using this again!
Janice
This icing is very good not too sweet and holds up very well.
Leann3212
Perfect! The best recipe I’ve used by far!! Thanks for sharing!
Neetu
How long can the creamcheese frosting stay out before spoiling?
e.g. the cake stay out of refrigerator
Sam
It should be refrigerated if not being consumed within several hours. This time will also vary depending on the temperature of the room. 🙂
Cristel Day
I did as instructed and my frosting was runny.!?? A total waste of time and money. I should have made it the old fashioned way. Very disappointed
Sam
Hi Cristel! I’m so sorry to hear this! Did you reduce the sugar? Did you use spreadable cream cheese?
Summer
I did the same recipe and mine was not runny
sandy
This was a real hit at Thanksgiving yesterday. I added cinnamon to it and used it on an apple spice cake. It went together easily and was nicely stiff for frosting. What a versatile frosting. I know I will be using it a lot. Thanks for the recipe!
Sunita
Absolutely delicious! Making again today for my boyfriends birthday cake. Can I freeze excess icing?
Sam
Hi Sunita! This will do just fine in the freezer. 🙂
Tina
hello, can this frosting be used for cinnamon rolls? I have been looking for a good frosting and this sounds amazing.
Sam
Sure thing! I actually have a cinnamon roll recipe that uses a pared down version of this if you don’t want to make a whole batch. 🙂
Summer
I made this, I feel like it was good but it’s way too sweet for me. Maybe I’ll add more cream cheese next time
Summer
Just wanna add my pecan crunch cupcakes with the cream cheese icing was a hit, they were the best cupcakes I’ve made so far, it paired well with the cake and didn’t see too sweet after all. I wanted to keep eating them.
Arianna
SO GOOD!!!
Angelique
I made this with exactly the cream cheese you said NOT to (the spreadable kind in a tub), plus I only added 2 cups of p.sugar. Indeed it came out the consistency of runny cinnamon roll icing and entirely too sweet alone…however since this was for a gingerbread bundt cake it was absolutely PERFECT! It looked like a Better Homes and garden bundt cake picture!
Sam
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Angelique! More sugar will firm up the frosting as needed. 🙂
Gayle
I made this recipe however I only used 2 cups of powdered sugar and it was fabulous!
car
do you think I could add powered up freeze dried strawberries to this recipe to make a strawberry cream cheese frosting?
Sam
Hi Car, absolutely! I I would only add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, add as much strawberry powder as you’d like/add it to taste, then add additional powdered sugar as needed to reach the proper consistency. Enjoy!