The BEST Cream Cheese Frosting + Video
This is the BEST Cream Cheese Frosting recipe that you will ever make! It’s thick, sturdy, pipeable, and lightly sweet with only 1 cup of powdered sugar!
Use it on red velvet cake, carrot cake, any other cake, inside sandwich cookies or cake rolls, or on top of cinnamon rolls. The possibilities are endless!
Why is this the BEST Cream Cheese Frosting?
Okay ya’ll! I’m serious when I say this is the BEST Cream Cheese Frosting recipe out there! I’ve tried so many kinds. Other recipes tend to be soft and stringy. (No thank you!) This has been my go-to recipe since 2014.
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This cream cheese frosting is stiff, sturdy, pipe-able, spreadable, you name it! Plus, it’s NOT overly sweet like the other recipes either.
The beauty of cream cheese frosting is that it should be tangy and and taste like cream cheese. Not be taken over by gobs of powdered sugar like a buttercream frosting. (However my even my buttercream frosting uses far less sugar.)
The Difference from Other Recipes
See the ripples in that frosting? Yep, that’s proof right there that it’s stiff enough to pipe and decorate with. The big difference between this recipe and all those other ones floating around the web, is that this recipe uses more butter and less powdered sugar.
More butter and less powdered sugar gives the cream cheese frosting a buttery, creamy texture, yet still has that tangy cream cheese flavor to it.
Less powdered sugar helps it not be stringy, and the butter helps to lighten and fluff up the frosting.
That’s right! More powdered sugar (can) = stringy frosting!!!
It’s a fine dance. You have to use way less powdered sugar, or use way more powdered sugar to keep the frosting at a good consistency.
In fact, you would have to use 4 cups of powdered sugar to help it go from soft and stringy to thick.
OR — you can use 1 cup of powdered sugar and call it good.
Using only 1 cup of powdered sugar will produce less cream cheese frosting overall, but I’ll take a lightly sweet frosting over a ridiculously sweet frosting any day.
How Much Frosting Will This Make?
This cream cheese frosting recipe yields 1 1/2 cups of frosting. Which is enough to pipe 12-14 cupcakes. You can cover a single round or rectangle cake with it, but double the recipe for a layered cake.
If you want another great option that yields a little more, my whipped cream cheese frosting makes 4 cups. It’s equally tasty, even lighter in texture, and still only slightly sweet.
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
Let me show you how easy it is to make this cream cheese frosting.
- Place the cream cheese in a mixing bowl.
- Using a hand mixer, beat until smooth.
- Gradually add the butter 2 Tablespoons at a time, and continue beating until smooth and well blended. (Gradually adding the butter helps it fluff up, creating volume, and blend better with the cream cheese.)
- Add powdered sugar and vanilla all at once.
- Blend until combined and smooth. Use for any recipe that calls for cream cheese frosting.
Tips For Making Cream Cheese Icing
- Which type of cream cheese should I use? I’ve used full-fat and Neufchatel cream cheese for this recipe. Neufchatel will be slightly softer, but still manageable. Brick-style cream cheese is a must. Do NOT use cream cheese tubs/spreads.
- Use COLD cream cheese. This is not a typo. It seems like a big no-no, but it works, I promise. The room temperature cream cheese will help blend the two together without making the frosting soft.
- Use flat beaters, if possible. Honestly, my cheap $20-ish Hamilton Beach hand mixer (affiliate) is my favorite. The flat beaters help mix the frosting in a bowl better than in a stand mixer.
- Beat the cream cheese and butter together as long as you want BEFORE adding the powdered sugar and vanilla. Try and get all the lumps out beforehand. Once the powdered sugar is added, don’t beat it for too long or the frosting will become too soft to pipe. If this happens, place the frosting in the refrigerator or freezer until it firms back up.
- Type of butter to use: Unsalted butter is best, so if you want to add salt, you can control the amount you put in. Make sure that the butter is room temperature for this recipe.
Can I Color this Frosting?
Yes, this cream cheese frosting can be dyed. I recommend food color gels over liquid food coloring to avoid adding too much liquid into the frosting.
How to Store Cream Cheese Frosting
Due to the cream cheese, you will want to store this frosting in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Any cakes/cupcakes that have been frosted with cream cheese icing can be left out at room temperature for up to 2 hours. If you don’t like cold cake, simply remove the cake/cupcakes from the fridge and bring them to room temperature for 20-30 minutes before consuming.
To Freeze: Place cream cheese frosting in a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag and freeze for up to 2-3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. You may want to stir/re-whip it gently to freshen it up.
More Cream Cheese Frosting Recipes:
I’ve made many variations of this same recipe! Pick your flavor:
- Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
The BEST Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 8 oz (226 g) brick-style cream cheese, COLD
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, (1 stick) room temperature
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place the cream cheese in a mixing bowl.
- Using a hand mixer, beat until smooth.
- Gradually add the butter 2 Tablespoons at a time, and continue beating until smooth and well blended.
- Add powdered sugar and vanilla all at once. Blend until combined and smooth. (Don’t beat too long or the frosting will be too soft to pipe. If this happens, place the frosting in the refrigerator or freezer until it firms back up.) Use for any recipe that calls for cream cheese frosting.
Video
Notes
- YIELD: 1 ½ cups frosting, which will frost about 12-14 cupcakes
- STORAGE: Store this frosting in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Any cakes/cupcakes that have been frosted with cream cheese icing can be left out at room temperature for up to 2 hours. If you don’t like cold cake, simply remove the cake/cupcakes from the fridge and bring them to room temperature for 20-30 minutes before consuming.
- TO FREEZE: Place cream cheese frosting in a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag and freeze for up to 2-3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. You may want to stir/re-whip it gently to freshen it up.
Nutrition
Did you make this?
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Extra pictures and video added 4/1/17. Post updated with step-by-step photos January 2024.
How long can this be stored in the refrigerator? Your recipe b far is the best I have tried. My husband kept sticking his fingers in it before I got it to the cake. I made a zucchini carrot cake with pecans and it was amazing. I made the cake about a month ago and had some me frosting left over. It has been in the refrigerator since then and now I am wanted my to make cinnamon rolls.
Hey Brenda! So glad you are enjoying this recipe! I would store this frosting for 7-10 days in the fridge. About 1 month in the freezer.
Can’t wait to try this! I’ll be frosting 2-3 layer, 9 inch cakes. How much frosting will I need (multiplayer for your cream cheese recipe)?
Thanks!
Ellen
Each batch makes about 1 1/2 cups of frosting. Doubling it would be enough for a thin coating of frosting. Tripling it would provide thicker layers of frosting.
I just made this and it tastes so good but a bit lumpy even tho I’ve mixed a lot! How could I fix this?
It’s best to mix it well before the sugar is added. You can continue to mix it to remove any lumps, but it will get softer, so you might need to refrigerate it to firm it back up; especially if you plan on using it for piping.
Thanks so much for your reply! So looking forward to making this for my flag cake on the 4th!
Can regular bar of cream cheese be used as well?
Yes, this recipe uses the bars of cream cheese, not the kind in the plastic tub.
Is this recipe enough to frost a cake in a 13 x 9 x 2 pan? Thanks in advance.
If it’s in the pan and it’s just the top, yes. This recipe yields about 1 1/2 cups of frosting.
I have a question on this too, (now that’s I’m typing it, it seems silly and obvious) does the butter have to be room temp still? It’s just the cream cheese you use cold?
Yes, I like to have the butter soft, and the cream cheese cold.
Thank you for the recipe Amber, this really is the best cream cheese frosting of all time. Not too sweet, not too cheesy, perfectly smooth and delicious. I have used the recipe dozens of times over the past couple of years and in a world of infinite choice, this will be my forever cream cheese frosting recipe. Many many thanks.
I’m so glad you feel the same way I do about this recipe! Thanks for letting me know your experience with it!
I’ve used this recipe twice and it’s been a huge hit. However, my daughter requested chocolate cream cheese on her birthday cake this year. Would adding cocoa powder be enough? If so, how much?
Yes, anywhere from 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of cocoa powder can be added. Just keep in mind that cocoa powder is bitter and with the small amount of powdered sugar used in this recipe, you may want to use less over more.
I love cream cheese frosting but I want to be able to pipe some really tall, pretty cupcakes using a 1M Wilton piping tip for an upcoming special event. When you say this recipe is pipable, is it as light and pipable as regular frostings or is it heavier (and possibly better for lower profile piping)? Thanks for sharing your expertise with us!
I am using a Wilton 2D tip in the photos and video. The texture is somewhere in the middle. Not super light, but not dense. It’s definitely pipeable. I piled it on pretty high at the beginning of the video. You’ll have to use your judgement. You could always do a small batch to test it out.
I haven’t tried yet BUT picked your recipe for the rv cupcakes because it’s exactly the same as mine minus the butter which I’ve been wanting but hesitating to use. Why? Because BUTTer 😁 I will def lyk the verdict later. Meanwhile, thanks for the recipe!