The BEST Cream Cheese Frosting
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This is the BEST cream cheese frosting recipe. And it’s super easy to make as well. Creamy and delicious. Make it then use it to frost a carrot cake or red velvet cupcakes!
Cream cheese frosting is something that I think is a recipe every baker needs to have in their backpocket.
Because man oh man I can’t turn down anything frosted with cream cheese frosting. The balance between sweet and slightly tangy is just irrestible to me. But canned cream cheese frosting I think is just the worst. And some recipes I find are too wimpy to hold up to piping. Not cool in my book.
I want to give you a recipe that is not only delicious but sturdy enough to pipe onto a cake or cupcake. So that is what I have for you today. What I think is the best cream cheese frosting recipe plus all the tips and step by step photos so you can whip up a homemade cream cheese frosting whenever you need it.
And if you’re licking the beaters after. Well I’m sorry. Not sorry.
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Ingredients Needed
- Butter – You want to use unsalted butter vs. salted butter and make sure it’s softened properly.
- Cream cheese – Full fat is best! And make sure it’s softened.
- Powdered Sugar – You can sift this but I usually skip this step.
- Vanilla extract– Pure is always best, since this isn’t baked the flavor will really stand out.
- Salt – I prefer kosher salt since it has a pure salt taste.
How To Make Cream Cheese Frosting
You want to start first by creaming together your softened butter and cream cheese.
Then add in your powdered sugar. Make sure to do this about a 1/2 cup at a time with the mixer off. Then mix on low until incorporated. Unless you love cleaning up powdered sugar in your kitchen everywhere…
Then add in your vanilla extract and a pinch of salt.
Recipe Tips
- Use softened butter and cream cheese. This is important. If either one is too cold they won’t incorporate and turn into a smooth frosting. You will end up with a lumpy cream cheese frosting. And if you need to soften your butter quickly I have 3 easy ways to do that for you. But basically you can leave them out on the counter for an hour or so until softened.
- Cream The Butter First. Then add in your cream cheese. Otherwise you may end up with a weird mouthfeel if you do this the other way around. A tip I picked up from The Kitchn.
- Scrape down the bowl as you go. Sometimes the butter and cream cheese will stick to the bottom of the bowl or beater and not be mixed in evenly. So stop and scrape the bowl down with a sturdy silicone spatula to ensure that everything is being mixed in.
- Use Full Fat Brick Style Cream Cheese. Sorry but now is not the time to save those calories.
- Use unsalted butter. Different brands of butter can use varying amounts of salt in their salted butter. So you want to control the amount of salt by adding it yourself.
- Sift If Piping Your Cream Cheese Frosting. I usually don’t have a problem with powdered sugar lumps. But if you want to be on the safe side, especially if you are going to use a piping bag with this frosting, you can sift your powdered sugar first. This will ensure no lumps get stuck in your piping bag. If you’re not a fan of sifting (and neither am I!) you can also just whisk your powdered sugar in a bowl before adding it to the frosting.
Runny Cream Cheese Frosting?
This can happen for a few reasons.
1. Your butter may have been to warm. When you are softening your butter make sure there is no melted spots to it.
2. You mixed the cream cheese for too long before adding your powdered sugar causing the liquid in the cream cheese to dissolve some of the powdered sugar. If your cream cheese is softened you should only need to mix for a minute or so before adding the powdered sugar.
3. You used the wrong kind of cream cheese. Again make sure to use full fat cream cheese.
4. You added in more liquid. If you add in some lemon juice to make it a lemon cream cheese frosting that extra liquid could have contributed to your cream cheese icing becoming runny. It’s best to use lemon extract (a little goes a long way) or lemon zest.
To fix this:
If your icing is runny you can try a few things:
- Add more powdered sugar. Add a few tablespoons at a time. This can cause the frosting to be a bit on the sweet side. So just a little at a time.
- Add cornstarch. Again a few tablespoons at a time and then mix again to see if it thickens up.
Storage Instructions
Desserts covered in cream cheese frosting should be refrigerated.
One week in the fridge: I make it up to a week ahead of time and store in the refrigerator.
Freezer for 3 months:You can also freeze this frosting up to 3 months. When ready to use, thaw the frosting overnight in the refrigerator.
Recipe FAQ’s
Absolutely! This homemade cream cheese frosting is thick enough to pipe onto cakes and cupcakes. It’s all about using the correct ratio of cream cheese to butter so that its not too wimpy. I found that 1 stick of butter and 1 brick of cream cheese frosting was ideal.
This will easily frost a dozen cupcakes, a 2 8-inch layer cake or 9×13 cake. If you are frosting a larger cake (like a 9-inch layer cake) and if you plan on adding embellishments like rosettes then I recommend making a double batch.
What To Use This Cream Cheese Frosting On
You can use this on any cake or cupcake really! I love using it on my carrot cake for Easter of course, or my Hummingbird cake.
It’s also delicious on my carrot cake oatmeal cookies!
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Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 8 Tablespoons (113 grams, 1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 8 ounces (227 g) full fat cream cheese
- 4 cups (454 g) powdered sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream the butter until smooth about 1 to 2 minutes. Beat in the cream cheese until smooth and combined, on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth, about 2-3 minutes. 8 Tablespoons (113 grams, 1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature 8 ounces (227 g) full fat cream cheese
- Gradually beat in the confectioners’ sugar until totally incorporated, increase the speed and then beat until smooth. 4 cups (454 g) powdered sugar
- Mix in the vanilla extract. Add in a pinch of salt. ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- You can use immediately or store for up to 4 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Notes
Tips For Making Cream Cheese Frosting
- Use softened butter and cream cheese. This is important. If either one is too cold they won’t incorporate and turn into a smooth frosting. You will end up with a lumpy cream cheese frosting. I used to recommend using cold cream cheese frosting so it could be piped. But no longer. I found that when I did that it was not smooth. Pipeable maybe. But not smooth. So soften both. Being able to pipe will come down to ratios of butter to cream cheese which this recipe has. And if you need to soften your butter quickly I have 3 easy ways to do that for you. But basically you can leave them out on the counter for an hour or so until softened.
- Cream The Butter First. Then add in your cream cheese. Otherwise you may end up with a weird mouthfeel if you do this the other way around. A tip I picked up from The Kitchn.
- Scrape down the bowl as you go. Sometimes the butter and cream cheese will stick to the bottom of the bowl or beater and not be mixed in evenly. So stop and scrape the bowl down with a sturdy silicone spatula to ensure that everything is being mixed in.
- Use Full Fat Brick Style Cream Cheese. Sorry but now is not the time to save those calories.
- Use unsalted butter. Different brands of butter can use varying amounts of salt in their salted butter. So you want to control the amount of salt by adding it yourself.
- Sift If Piping Your Cream Cheese Frosting. I usually don’t have a problem with powdered sugar lumps. But if you want to be on the safe side, especially if you are going to use a piping bag with this frosting, you can sift your powdered sugar first. This will ensure no lumps get stuck in your piping bag. If you’re not a fan of sifting (and neither am I!) you can also just whisk your powdered sugar in a bowl before adding it to the frosting.
- Frost: This will easily frost a dozen cupcakes, a 2 8-inch layer cake or 9×13 cake. If you are frosting a larger cake (like a 9-inch layer cake) and if you plan on adding embellishments like rosettes then I recommend making a double batch.
- Make Ahead: I make this up to 4 days in advance and store in the refrigerator. Or I will freeze the frosting for up to 3 months. Just simply thaw in your refrigerator overnight.
This was delicious, thanks! I doubled the recipe and it turned out that I had a bunch leftover, and I am not ashamed to say that I found a great use for it. I had some yummy but boring soft pretzels that were only good for another day, so I introduced the two and it was love at first sight (er bite?)!
Ooh, what a combo! I might have to try that.
For sure the BEST cream cheese frosting! I used it to frost carrot cupcakes and got rave reviews!!
This cream cheese frosting is truly spectacular!
Thank you!
Cream cheese frosting is my weakness. I could literally eat it by the spoonful, but I try not to! This recipe will be hard to avoid though! Love the mix of cream cheese and butter to add that smooth texture. So good!
It’s my weakness too! Love it! I definitely eat a spoonful or two when I make the frosting though, ha!
I can see why you called this the best cream cheese frosting recipe. It was so delicious, and better yet it only took 10 minutes. My whole family loved it. I can’t wait to try your other recipes that would go well with this frosting!
This turned out absolutely perfectly! Thank you for the fab recipe. 🙂
You’re welcome!
While the icing was great tasting, it was waaayyy to soft and liquid oike for piping
Hi Megan! I’m glad you liked the taste, but sorry you had problems with consistency. You can always try putting it in the fridge to firm up, or adding a little more confectioners sugar. If you are still having issues, try adding a teaspoon or two of cornstarch. Hope that helps!
Thank you for this great post. Your ketchup recipe is a staple in my kitchen! I just made another batch yesterday 🙂
Would this icing be suitable on a traditional moist chocolate cake?
Hi Melanie! I think it would be delicious! You could always make it a chocolate cream cheese frosting to go with the cake as well by adding unsweetened cocoa powder (I would try a 1/2 cup?) and adjust the taste from there. Let me know how it turns out!