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
Hi Natasha,
Loved your chocolate cream cheese recipe. Going to make your cream cheese recipe Please clarify: you show in the demonstration what appears to be 3/4 cups of butter, but the recipe says 1 1/2 cups. Thanks
Hi Margaret, I looked back at the video and we don’t mention the measurement of 3/4 cups. Was that possibly from another recipe? We definitely used 1 1/2 cups of unsalted butter for this frosting. I hope that helps!
Hi Natasha. I see that for frosting recipes for cupcakes, you have 1 which includes heavy whip cream. What is the difference in the frosting with and without the whip cream
Hi Alyson, the cupcake frosting that you are referring to with heavy whip cream is light and airy, not very stable whereas my buttercream frostings are sweeter and more stable than both the whipped cream or cream cheese frosting.
Hi Natasha
My question is about “butter” I ran out of unsalted and only have salted. Would it make a difference in the use and how would using salted affect items calling for unsalted? And I love your spirit. God Bless
Hi Patty, thank you! I have not tested this with salted butter to see what the outcome would be. Omit the salt that the recipe calls for if you are using salted butter. Be blessed.
How long can the red velvet cake with butter cream icing stay in the refrigerator??? Thank you
Hi Diane, you can fully assemble and refrigerate the cake for 3-4 days. See make-ahead instructions for tips on freezing if you’d like.
Hi Natasha, can you use this cream cheese recipe in creamhorns?
Hi Dora, yes- you sure can!
Can the cream cheese frosting be kept frozen? If so, for how long?
Hi Colleen, you can make it ahead and freeze or even pipe it onto cakes and cupcakes and freeze an entire dessert (see make-ahead instructions in the recipe)
Hi Natashia
Can I freeze the cream cheese icing? and can I divide it in half?
Do you have recipe just for 2.
Thanks for all the great recipes and hints.
Hi Donna, I have this in the recipe notes, it is freezer-friendly. As for adjusting the servings, I have a fancy little tool built into the recipe card, just hover your cursor over the number of servings listed in red and you can adjust the servings.
You are great Natasha.
I like the way you cook and your
husband does a great job with
the videos! May God bless you and your family. Take good care
of yourselves. Good luck to everything you do!!!!
Thank you for that wonderful compliment, Frene! I’m so glad you’re enjoying my recipes!
Regarding Nutrition Facts
Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Amount Per Serving (what is the
amount per serving 1-2 or 3 Tablespoons?) Thanks, Liz
Hi Liz, I didn’t really measure it that way but the serving size for this whole recipe is 24 cupcakes so most likely it could be 2-3 tablespoons.
I really love the simple way you teach us!! Thank you! I’m about to try your cream cheese frosting to use for Easter!!
You’re welcome, Debbie. I hope you will love the frosting and all the other recipes that you will try!
Really good cream cheese frosting! It’s fluffy and flavorful, perfect for cakes!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Eden!
Realized that I was short 1/2 cup of butter, but made it anyway. Still perfectly buttery, tangy, and delicious! You can’t beat homemade cream cheese frosting!
I’m so happy it all worked out Kara! That’s so great!
This is the best frosting! Red velvet and carrot cake are favorites in our house and this is the only frosting I’ll use!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Dana! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Natasza, bardzo dziękuję, że można składniki przeliczać na wartości metryczne.
Przy najbliższej okazji zrobię krem w Twoim wydaniu.
Pozdrawiam Ryszard
Hi Ryszard, If you scroll down to our printable recipe card, most of our recipes have a metric conversion option on the printable recipe card. We are currently working on adding metric measurements to all of our recipes, but it is taking some time to add them one at a time. Thank you so much for being patient! In the meantime, check out our post on measuring which should help.
Do you have an idea of how to make this chocolate cream cheese icing? This would be a favorite!
Hi Loris, you can try my Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting HERE. I hope you love it!
Thank you! Hubby’s birthday is tomorrow and this is his special request 🙂
You’re welcome! Happy Birthday and I hope he enjoys it.
Could I use margarine? I have some unsalted butter, but I meet to double the batch. So I was curious if I could use both for a similar effect.
Hi Ambria, I have not tried using margarine for this recipe to advise. If you do an experiment, please share with us how it goes.
I made this cake and it is as delicious as you said it would be! I am so pleased!!!
Great to hear that you loved it!
I just made 72 cupcakes with this recipe this past Saturday for Thanksgiving party for my kiddos at church. It came out so good & l got great comments on it. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Yay, wonderful to hear that! Thanks for sharing that with us, Ola. I’m really happy to know that the recipe was a huge hit!
Do you have a recipe for cream cheese whipped cream frosting?
Hi Debbi, I bet you’d love this Cupcake Frosting Recipe HERE.
This frosting tasted delicious! Not sure what I did wrong, but it almost melted and looked almost curdled when I was done mixing it.. I didn’t mix it very long so I don’t know what happened. It was good and everyone loved it though!
Hi Nora, that could be due to using cream cheese or butter that are overly softened. Make sure you let it sit at room temperature (70-75˚F) for about 1 1/2 hours and you don’t need longer than that. It will be even faster in a humid or warm location.