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.
Bonnie
delicious!
Casey @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so glad you love it, Bonnie!
Ruthie
can one use regular sugar instead of powdered sugar?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Ruthie! You need to stick with powdered sugar for this recipe. If you only have granulated sugar, we’d suggest our ermine frosting or Swiss meringue buttercream.
Teresa
5 stars and more! This is hands down the BEST cream cheese frosting ever! I am sensitive to sugar, especially powdered sugar, but wanted to do our daughter’s favorite for her birthday: red velvet with cream cheese frosting. It was easy, piped on beautifully, tasted better than any other I have eaten, and didn’t bother my digestive system. As a bonus, if you have any left, it keeps in the fridge (or freezer) for months! The chocolate cream cheese frosting here is equally outstanding! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thank YOU so much for the sweet review, Teresa! We are so happy our recipe was a winner for your family 🥰
Elizabeth Brazee
Great recipe, everyone loves. I used it on brownies, but for a cake, I would add a tablespoon of milk.
VH
How does this frosting do for frosting a cake and not piping on cupcakes? TIA
Sam
It’s great on cakes as well. 🙂
Andrea
Agreed. Sounds like she grabbed flour instead of powdered sugar, because that’s a ludicrous comment. I just made this for my Red Velhvet cupcakes, and it came out FANTASTIC! Great recipe, thank you!
SV
What happens if I use the tub of cream cheese vs the block of cream cheese?
Sam
It may be too soft and not pipe-able or firm.
Larissa Keller
I am wondering if this icing can be sat out or does it need to be refrigerated at all times? I didn’t see anything about storage.
Sam
Hi Larissa! Personally I am comfortable leaving it at room temperature for a day or so, but since it has cream cheese in it, it is recommended to keep it refrigerated. 🙂
MG
Can this be frozen?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yes! Just make sure to store it in an airtight container 😊
Damon
Amazing
Denisse
How long can I store this cream cheese frosting for? I made it once already but used it right away. I’m planning on making my daughter’s birthday cake, but I only have a little bit of time at a time to make the components so I was hoping to make this frosting a few days in advance. How well does it store and for how long? Thank you!
Sam
Hi Denisse! It will keep in the refrigerator in an air tight container for about 5 days. 🙂
Christy Ann
Not very impressed, it wasn’t very sweet or vanilla-y. Honestly reminded me of corn bread.
Sam
Hi Christy! I think something went really wrong here. I’m not sure how the frosting would taste like cornbread…. 🙁
April
This is killing me 🤣 Cornbread?!
Thanks for the recipe, I made this to go with your yellow cake for some cupcakes.
Ricardo A
I just made this frosting and it was amazing…..Far from cornbread. I actually used 3 cups of powdered sugar, It was more than sweet. It was Perfect!
Thank you for sharing your recipe
Irma
Amazing flavor
Brenda
This is the best cream cheese frosting I have ever found. It has always been difficult to get the perfect combination of ingredients and measurements resulting in unsuccessful results. This one has just the right sweetness and is so creamy. Has become a family favorite.
Andrea Norquay
My go to! Literally never fails me.
Kelsey A
How easy! I’ve never made a homemade cream cheese frosting before. This recipe was so simple and turned out delicious.
Brenda
Can you add flavoring (like mint) to cream cheese frosting?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Sure! We prefer peppermint over mint extract (which can taste like toothpaste). Would be tasty on a chocolate cake!