This homemade Cream Cheese Frosting is fluffy and pipes beautifully. We’re sharing our tips for a perfectly thick and whipped frosting. Watch the video tutorial and see how easy it is.
We love this frosting on cakes, cupcakes, and cookies. It’s especially good on Red Velvet Cake, Carrot Cake Cupcakes, and Pumpkin Cake. If you’ve been looking for that perfect and versatile frosting recipe, this is a must-try!
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Cream Cheese Frosting Video
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The Best Cream Cheese Frosting
Hands down, this is our favorite cream cheese icing. Here’s why this will become your go-to recipe:
- Texture – it’s thick enough to pipe onto a cake or cupcakes and isn’t runny like many cream cheese-based frostings tend to be.
- Sweetness – this has just the right amount of sugar and isn’t overly sweet.
- Flavor – the proportion of butter and cream cheese is balanced and it doesn’t taste too much like cream cheese. The vanilla and salt also add great flavor.
- Freezer-friendly – you can make it ahead and freeze or even pipe it onto cakes and cupcakes and freeze an entire dessert (see make-ahead instructions below)
Ingredients
The key to making great cream cheese frosting is in making sure your butter and cream cheese aren’t overly softened.
- Unsalted butter – use an inexpensive, light-colored butter for a lighter-colored frosting.
- Cream cheese – 8oz adds just enough cream cheese flavor and lightens up the frosting.
- Powdered sugar – sweetens up the frosting without being too sweet like many storebought frostings, but you can add more if you prefer.
- Vanilla extract – use a real extract or homemade vanilla for the best taste.
- Fine Sea Salt – a little goes a long way to balance the flavor.
The Best Cream Cheese for Frosting
Make sure to use full-fat, block-style cream cheese. Avoid cream cheese sold in a tub as those can make frosting runny and are intended to be used for spreads rather than frosting.
How long to soften butter and cream cheese? Keep at room temperature (70˚F room) for about 1 1/2 hours, or until you can indent the butter with your fingertip. It should feel cool to the touch and should not feel too soft or squishy.
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat butter with an electric hand mixer until smooth and creamy then beat on high speed for 1 minute until lightened in color.
- Beat in cream cheese pieces just until combined, scraping down the bowl.
- Add vanilla and salt and beat to combine.
- Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and mix at low speed until incorporated. Increase to high speed and beat another 2-3 minutes until whipped, thick and spreadable, scraping down the bowl a couple of times to ensure everything is really well blended.
Common Questions
Yes, since it has cream cheese and is dairy-based, it should be refrigerated. See instructions for refrigerating and freezing in the “Make-ahead” section below.
Add more powdered sugar if an even thicker frosting is desired.
Yes, it is a sturdy frosting and perfect for cookies. You can even use gel food coloring at the end to tint the frosting.
It can sit out at room temperature for 6 hours. In a warmer or more humid climate, refrigerate until ready to serve.
Yes, use a spatula to fold in a gel food coloring to the finished frosting to reach the desired color. Gel colors are less likely to thin your frosting.
We love it with butter because it is thicker and easier to pipe and decorate with. It also keeps really well in the refrigerator when using butter.
Use Cream Cheese Frosting for
We love to serve this recipe for cream cheese frosting on all kinds of desserts. These pair really well with the balanced sweetness of this frosting.
- Red Velvet Cake
- Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Strawberry Sponge Cake
- Sugar Cookies
- Fudgy Brownies
- Vanilla Cupcakes
I hope this becomes your go-to Cream Cheese Frosting recipe. The texture is impressive, it pipes beautifully, and best of all, it freezes and keeps really well.
Make-Ahead
- To Refrigerate: Cover frosting and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or until ready to use. To use, let sit at room temperature for about 1 hour or just until spreadable or pipeable. If you frost and refrigerate your cake, let it soften at room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving.
- Freezing: Transfer frosting to a freezer-safe zip bag and shape it into an even thickness in the bag. Freeze flat for 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight then keep at room temperature for 30-60 minutes just until spreadable. You can pipe the frosting over cakes and cupcakes then just thaw the dessert in the fridge overnight before serving.
More Frosting Recipes
These frosting recipes every baker should have in their collection. You will use these again and again.
- Vanilla Buttercream – classic American buttercream
- Chocolate Buttercream – richly chocolatey
- Cupcake Frosting – light, airy and fluffy
- Swiss Meringue Buttercream – wedding cake worthy
- Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting – silky smooth
- Chocolate Ganache – perfect for glazing or frosting
- Homemade Whipped Cream – 3 ingredients
Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened and cut into pieces
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp salt
Instructions
- Place butter into a large mixing bowl. With an electric mixer, beat butter until smooth and creamy then beat on high speed 1 minute until lightened in color.
- Beat in softened cream cheese, just until combined, scraping down the bowl.
- Beat in vanilla and salt until incorporated.
- Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time and mix on low speed until incorporated. Once all the powdered sugar is in, Increase to high speed and beat another 2-3 minutes until whipped, thick and spreadable, scraping down the bowl a couple of times to ensure everything is really well blended.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
I did this frosting for your cupcakes recipe. I love all the recipes I’ve done from you. However, I found the frosting too sweet and I could taste the buttery taste more than the cream cheese. Is it possible to do maybe 1/2 less on the butter? Thank you. Your recipes do deserve 5’s.
Hi Carmen! You can definitely experiment with the ratios, just keep in mind that both the butter and sugar help its stability and texture. I would start with small modifications first to see how it works with less.
I love all of your recipes. For the cream cheese icing, does it have to be real butter or could I use the becel unsalted sticks?
Hi Liv! I worry it will be loose and unstable with margarine. Butter really is best for taste, texture, and stability.
I forgot 2 give you the 5 ⭐️’s 😉
Hi Natasha!
I’m making the banana Bundt cake. My frosting didn’t drape as perfectly like yours 🙁 But it’s delicious 😋. I have your cookbook and I’m totally enjoying your recipes ❣️
Hi Natasha,
Thank you for all your wonderful recipes!
They always turn out for me.
My friends and family are always blown away but I have to let them know that they are your recipes!
🤗
Hi Iris! You are so very welcome. I’m very happy to hear they are being enjoyed!
Hi there Natasha!
I made the carrot cake and it turned out well. However for the cream cheese frosting not smooth at all, I thought I followed the recipe per your instructions. The taste is absolutely amazing, I used only 3 cups of powdered sugar. However, it looked so grainy, not smooth like it supposed to be. What could have I done wrong? Please let me know. Thank you so much for what you do. I appreciate you very much, and so does my family.
Hi Maria! If you used less sugar, that could be the reason, it’s important to have enough sugar to get the right consistency. It could also be that the butter and cream cheese were too cold and didn’t emulsify well. Under-mixing or over-mixing are also common reasons.
Hi Natasha. Can cream cheese icing be used as a filling. Between cakes??
Hi there! Yes, you can, it’s not quite as stable as buttercream but it work well. Just make sure to fully cool your cake layers before.
I have made this icing and the chocolate one several times. My family loves it. But I would really like to know what tip you use to make the swirled icing? I believe I have seen you mention what tip on your website but I can’t locate it. I am doing 100 cupcakes for a theatre group and would like to know the tip. thank you!
Hi Grandma Peg! I’m so glad you enjoyed this frosting! I use a standard, Wilton 1M pipping tip mostly.
Hi! So I’ve made the carrot cake, now I’m going to attempt using a stand mixer for this frosting. Hope it turns out! 😁
Going to try for sure love cream cheese icing but never knew how to make
I hope you love it, Kim!
Hi…
I have tried your Strawberry Cream cheese cake, yule log, black forest cake etc and followed your recipes exactly. They have turned out to be super delicious! My family loves them!
Regarding this cream cheese frosting for the Red Velvet Cake, can one use whipping cream instead of butter in this recipe. As in your Strawberry Cream cheese cake recipe?
It could result to a more runny frosting. You can try using mix and experiment from there.
This my first attempt at making any type of cake frosting. It’s very good and very very sweet. It may be too sweet for others, so adjust accordingly. Overall 5/5 as it was easy to make and delicious.
Does this recipe really call for 1 and 1/2 cups of butter or is that wrong
Yes it’s 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened and cut into pieces
Hi Natasha
I’m not one to leave reviews and give feedback, but I felt compelled to come and leave a review after making this recipe along with your red velvet cake recipe.
My fiancé was blown away, as we’re watching the election I decided this was the perfect treat for tonight and it was a hit! Both recipes!
Thanks so much for all you do and sharing all these amazing recipes.
Hi April! That’s so great to hear. I’m happy you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for taking the time to share.
Unfortunately Cream is too sweet. I put 2 cups of powdered sugar, and this was enough for cream .
Hi Tanya! Glad you found a ratio you like. Using less sugar will also make the frosting softer and stickier in my experience and it can be difficult to pipe and frost with. But it will definitely work to rough frost a cake.
Can I use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment for this? Or would a whisk attachment be better
Hi Hazel, it’s totally ok to use a stand mixer.
Nice and fluffy and very easy. I felt it was too buttery with only minimal cream cheese flavor.
Excellent recipe!!! Not too sweet, light & fluffy and no palm ~” vegetable” oil! I am looking forward to using your red velvet cake recipe. <3 Thank you!!!
You’re so welcome, I’m so happy you loved it.