Best Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
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Make the best cream cheese frosting with just 4 ingredients! This easy, creamy recipe is perfect for cakes, cupcakes, and cinnamon rolls. Ready in 10 minutes, it’s pipeable, spreadable, and loved by all!
Cream Cheese Frosting is one of my family’s favorite frostings and I’ve been making it for many years. This homemade cream cheese frosting is perfect for piping on cupcakes or spreading on a classic carrot cake and cinnamon rolls, delivering a creamy texture every time. Fluffy, creamy, and delicious – you’ll want to make this frosting again and again!
This Cream Cheese Frosting is just perfect for so many cakes and desserts and is so quick and easy to make with just four simple ingredients. It is a great recipe to add to your recipe collection along with my buttercream frosting. While buttercreams are usually a bit sweeter, both are equally useful and versatile. Like buttercream, this cream cheese frosting is sturdy enough to be piped for decorating cakes and cupcakes and can be easily colored. Did I mention it is delicious?!
Let me share how easy it is to make this scrumptious frosting!
Tips for the BEST Cream Cheese Frosting
- Make sure cream cheese and butter are fully softened so that the frosting is lump-free and creamy.
- Use full fat cream cheese. No low fat or reduced fat or it won’t turn out as delicious!
- Desserts topped with this frosting require refrigeration.
- Sift powdered sugar so that it is clump-free. This will make for the creamiest and prettiest frosting as well as reduce the incidence of any problems if you choose to pipe your frosting.
- If you need to make it thinner, use a tablespoon (at a time) of heavy cream. You can make it thicker with an extra tablespoon (at a time)of powdered sugar. Mix after each addition until the frosting reaches the desired consistency.
Ingredients for Cream Cheese Frosting
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.
It’s so quick and easy to make with four simple ingredients: cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract.
How to Make the Best Cream Cheese Frosting
This frosting comes together quickly, but there are a few steps to make sure that you make the best cream cheese frosting possible.
Step by Step Instructions
- Cream together softened butter and cream cheese until smooth.
- Add confectioner’s sugar, in batches, until smooth and creamy.
- Mix in the vanilla extract.
- Beat on high until light and fluffy.
Recipe Variations
Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting: Add 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder to the recipe for a rich, chocolatey twist.
Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting: Substitute dairy cream cheese with a plant-based alternative and use vegan butter.
Best Desserts for Cream Cheese Frosting
Carrot Cake: The tangy frosting complements the spiced cake perfectly.
Hummingbird Cake: The sweetness of the fruit cake pairs beautifully with the frosting.
Red Velvet Cake: A classic pairing for a vibrant, festive look.
Pumpkin Cake: Ideal for fall baking with a creamy finish.
Cinnamon Rolls: A classic frosting for these cinnamon and sugar filled rolls.
Cookies: Cream cheese frosting for Christmas cookies (or sugar cookies in general) is a good thing!
Storage Tips
To store: Place frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three to four days, but do not freeze as it will ruin the consistency of the frosting. Desserts topped with cream cheese icing require refrigeration. Store those desserts in airtight container in the refrigerator.
To use after it’s been refrigerated: Remove frosting from the refrigerator and add a tablespoon of heavy cream to the frosting. Then mix with an electric mixer until the frosting returns to a fluffy, spreadable consistency.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you need a thinner frosting, you can add heavy cream a tablespoon at a time to thin it to your desired consistency.
If you need a thicker frosting, you can add confectioner’s sugar a tablespoon at a time to thicken it to your desired consistency.
Yes, absolutely! This frosting spreads and pipes beautifully. It is sturdy and holds it shape well if you wish to pipe it onto cakes or cupcakes.
No, freezing ruins the consistency, but it can be refrigerated for 3–4 days.
I’d love to hear how your cream cheese frosting turns out! Leave a comment, rate the recipe, or tag me on Instagram @addapinch with #addapinchrecipes.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 2 (8-ounce) packages (452 g) cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup (113 g) butter, softened
- 3 cups (340 g) confectioner’s sugar, sifted
- 1 1/2 teaspoons (7.5 g) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Soften Ingredients: Ensure ingredients are softened to room temperature to prevent lumps.
- Cream together: In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter together with a stand or hand mixer on medium speed for 3 minutes until smooth.
- Add sugar: Sift 3 cups of confectioner’s sugar and add 1/2 cup at a time, mixing on low speed to combine. After each cup, increase to high speed for 10 seconds to lighten.
- Incorporate vanilla: Add vanilla extract and beat until fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Adjust Consistency: For thinner frosting, add 1 tablespoon heavy cream; for thicker, add 1 tablespoon powdered sugar, mixing after each addition.
Notes
- Use only full fat block cream cheese. Do not use cream cheese in tub.
- If your frosting is too soft, chill it for 15 minutes before piping
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
Originally published in 2011, updated in 2025 to include new tips and photos.
not sure if my comment made it on so I’ll try again. What is the three layer cake in the picture? An apple cake with cream cheese frosting? I would love to find the recipe for it, thanks
I scrolled through the comments but couldn’t find the answer to my question-what is the three layer cake that is in the picture? It looks like an apple cake. Do you have the recipe for the cake? Thanks
Hi Jill! The cake you see in some of the Cream Cheese Frosting pictures is my Hummingbird Cake. It is AMAZING! I hope you enjoy it if you give it a try! Thanks! xo
Robyn, many thanks for the recipe. I just made a carrot cake with your frosting for my wife’s birthday. She’ll be home any minute now, and I know she’ll love the frosting most of all!
Loved this frosting! The kids and I finished what was left from icing the carrot cake. This is my 3rd time making it and it sure won’t be the last!
Wonderful, Nancy! I’m glad you and your family enjoyed it! xo
In one part of the receipt is asks to blend cream together with cream cheese until light and fluffy. My question to you is what cream is it asking for since it is not in the ingredients? Thank you Gloria
Hi Gloria,
“Cream” in that part of the instructions is referring to a step in the recipe – a cooking term, like blend or mix. Thank you – I hope you enjoy the frosting! xo
can this be made ahead and of time and frozen for use?
I have always loved cream cheese icing, so does my husband on a moist Hershey’s semi sweet chocolate cocoa homemade cake, so this is the first time I made homemade icing instead of store bought, and the way I made it was with 2 sticks of unsalted butter, 3 1/2 cups of 10x confectioners sugar and the 16ozs of cream cheese and no vanilla and let me tell you if GOD has cream cheese icing in heaven, this would be the one, so thanks a billion for letting us fellow cooking readers into your recipe secrets and that it, the recipe could be done a little different and it turned out again, heavenly. Bless you and your dedication in cooking because it sure came out in this one recipe for now that I have tried! See I am new to your site and will look here first if I need any help with my recipes or am looking for a new recipe, thanks again!
I’m so happy to have you join me here, KAS! And I’m just tickled that you enjoyed the frosting! So honored that mine was your first homemade frosting and that you enjoyed it so much! I love this frosting too!
Your comment is so kind and so appreciated and I hope to speak with you again!
Thank you so very much! xo
Made recipe exactly as stated and it turned out perfect!
No extra cream is needed.
Thanks so much Therese! xo
Hello. I love this recipe and I’m about to try it today. Next week I am going to make a cake and cover it with this recipe. And my question is. Can I put the frosting on the cake in friday morning and keep it until saturday lunch without the frosting getting Bad? I’m going away on friday so the morning is my only chanse where I have time enough. I’ll do a “test cake” today to make sure what kind of “frosting” I can use.
I’m swedish so I apologize for not perfect english hehe.
I just made this for a red velvet cake. It is not thick enough. If I put it in the fridge overnight will it thicken up? Is there anything else I can try?
Hi Laura,
I’m sorry it didn’t get thick enough – I’ve not had that happen. Is there a chance the butter got too warm (warmer than room temperature?) If so, that could be the reason…and you could refrigerate for a while til cool, then beat with mixer until fluffy, then frost the cake. I hope this helps. Thanks!