Cream Cheese Frosting
Posted Feb 23, 2022, Updated Oct 20, 2024
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This is the best cream cheese frosting recipe. It’s made with 5 ingredients 5 minutes with the perfect ratio of cream cheese to butter, flavored with vanilla and sweetened with powdered sugar. Delicious served on top of cinnamon rolls, banana cake, pumpkin cake, carrot cake and so much more.
Frosting is my favorite component of cake, and cream cheese frosting is my all-time favorite frosting flavor (followed closely by chocolate buttercream and peanut butter frosting).
There’s something about the sweet, buttery tangy flavor that keeps me coming back for more. So, over the years I have created the perfect cream cheese frosting recipe.
This recipe for the best cream cheese frosting is made with 5 ingredients 5 minutes. It has the perfect ratio of cream cheese to butter, is flavored with vanilla and sweetened with powdered sugar.
It’s delicious served on top of cinnamon rolls, banana cake, pumpkin cake, carrot cake (or carrot cake cupcakes), hummingbird cake, as a filling for chocolate cake or yellow cake, and so much more.
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients & Substitutions
- Full-fat cream cheese. Lighter cream cheese or dairy-free cream cheese can be used if necessary, but full-fat yields the best results.
- Salted butter. unsalted butter can be used in place of salted butter.
- Vanilla extract. the seeds of 1 vanilla bean or vanilla bean paste can replace the extract.
- Fine sea salt: just a pinch of salt takes this recipe up a notch, I don’t recommend omitting it.
- Powdered sugar. You can make your own refined-sugar free powdered sugar.
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
This recipe comes together in a flash and is pretty simple to make. As always, we’ll walk through the process together, and don’t forget to watch the video.
Begin by beating the butter until light and fluffy, either In the bowl of a standing mixer, or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer. I always prefer to beat the butter alone first to ensure there are no lumps in the frosting.
Next, add the room temperature cream cheese and beat until the mixture is smooth and there are no lumps.
Then, add the vanilla and sea salt and beat until combined.
Next, it’s time to add the powdered sugar. I prefer to do so 1 cup at a time, beating thoroughly after every addition until 4 cups has been used. This prevents the powdered sugar from flying out of the bowl and making a mess.
For a firmer frosting, add more powdered sugar ¼ cup at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
Serve
Once you’ve reached the desired consistency, use it to frost your favorite cakes, cupcakes, brownies etc. Here are some suggestions:
- Cakes. This cream cheese frosting is a great topper or filling for any cake, try this carrot cake, chocolate cake, yellow cake, banana cake, pumpkin cake, healthy carrot cake, zucchini cake, hummingbird cake, etc.
- Cupcakes. Use it to top these banana cupcakes (so delicious), chocolate cupcakes carrot cake cupcakes, or vanilla cupcakes!
- Cinnamon rolls. Cream cheese frosting is the best when used on warm gooey cinnamon rolls (in my opinion), or pumpkin cinnamon rolls!
- Brownies. I really love spreading this cream cheese frosting recipe on top of homemade brownies, zucchini brownies, pumpkin brownies, etc.
- Cookies. or use it as a frosting on soft pumpkin cookies, maple cookies, etc.
Store/Freeze
Store leftover cream cheese frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw slowly at room temperature before using – do not microwave.
This recipe makes quite a bit of cream cheese frosting, but I almost always make the full batch and freeze half of it for another day (so it’s ready for zucchini bars, cinnamon rolls, banana cake, etc.).
Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe FAQs
Frosting is thicker and can be used to pipe decorations onto cakes. Icing is thinner (it usually contains milk to thin it out) and is used more like a glaze.
Once you have it spread or piped onto your favorite baked goods, chill the frosting in the refrigerator to set.
To make a firmer frosting, add more powdered sugar. If your ingredients are too warm and contributing to the frosting being runny, refrigerate it until it firms up.
Yes, the butter in this recipe helps it harden well when chilled in the refrigerator.
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Best Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup salted butter softened
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Pinch sea salt
- 4 ½ to 5 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy.
- Add cream cheese and beat until mixture is smooth and there are no lumps.
- Then, add the vanilla and sea salt and beat until combined.
- Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, beating thoroughly after every addition until 4 cups has been used.
- For a firmer frosting, add more powdered sugar ¼ cup at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
- Use to frost your favorite cake, cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, etc.
Video
Notes
- Full-fat cream cheese. Lighter cream cheese or dairy-free cream cheese can be used if necessary, but full-fat yields the best results.
- Salted butter. unsalted butter can be used in place of salted butter.
- Vanilla extract. the seeds of 1 vanilla bean or vanilla bean paste can replace the extract.
- Fine sea salt: just a pinch of salt takes this recipe up a notch, I don’t recommend omitting it.
- Powdered sugar. You can make your own refined-sugar free powdered sugar.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I simply LOVE every recipe created by Laura. Thank you so much. Huge fan.
Thank you so much Brenda!
I made this recipe to put on a carrot cake. The frosting was so fluffy like wipped cream, and was difficult to put on the cake (not the recipe’s fault). After putting it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, it was perfect and tasted beautiful!
I’m so glad you love it. I definitely recommend leaving it at room temperature for easy spreading.