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.
I did it today for red velvet cupcakes and everybody loved it. They mentioned specifically how tasty it was. Thank you!
So glad it was a hit! Thanks for your comment Martina!
hi amber! am living in a hot country (~32 degree celsius) all year round and am wondering this recipe is pipeable on cupcakes and will hold its shape? been wanting to find a frosting recipe that doesnt have as much sugar and i cant wait to try this out! its just the runny thing that always makes me a little worried. hope to get your advice asap as i’ll be working on a batch of cupcakes tomorrow. thanks!
Hi Carrie,
I have had many say it does pretty well in heat and humidity. You can keep it refrigerated as much as possible if needed, but I think you will be okay.
I love this recipe. I recommend it to everyone I know!
Thank you so much recommending my recipe to your friends Anna!
Nice, thick cream cheese frosting and not too much sugar. Love this recipe!
What is the nutritional information ?
I just added nutritional information to the recipe card. It is merely an estimate and will depend on the ingredients you use.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I too have been looking for a cream cheese frosting that did not get soupy. I tried this recipe and not only is it stiff enough to pipe but is spreadable and tastes delicious. One more thing about this wonderful frosting – I left the cake out for more than a couple days and the frosting did not start to run. It still held up strong!! BRAVO!!!
I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for taking the time to share your experience with the recipe Beth!
Can you freeze cream cheese icing?
You can, but will need to thaw it in the refrigerator, and keep it chilled with whatever cake you put it on.
hola!!!! me encantaria muchísimo probar tu receta, pero con las medidas en onzas y tazas, me pierdo; vivo en España y aquí las medidas, son en gramos (g)…
por favor, podrias indicar la cantidad de todos los ingredientes, adaptadas a nuestro sistema decimal métrico???
gracias anticipadas y felicidades por todos tus éxitos.
Hi Celia,
I don’t typically provide metric measurements because I use the American Standard, but I googled the information and this is what it gave me. Good luck!
225 g cream cheese
113.4 g butter
125 g powdered (confectioners) sugar
4.2 g vanilla extract
Hi! Mine tastes really good, but it’s not as smooth as icing normally is. This is my first time ever making my own icing, so is it normal… or did I do something wrong? Lol..
You can whip the cream cheese and butter as long as you need to before you add the powdered sugar and vanilla. If you decide to let your cream cheese soften first, you may need to throw the icing in the refrigerator to firm it up a little before using for decorating. Hope this helps!
I’ve tried this recipe so many times and it always comes out too runny because I’m trying to get the cream cheese choose or too lumpy because I’m trying not to overmix
What kind of mixer and attachment are you using?
I used regular cream cheese. Go with a name brand, as they are different. I just threw the butter and cream cheese in, whipped for a little bit, then added tge the extract and dumped in the sugar. Bingo. Mixed it for a bit and it was just right.