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.
As a few previous posters have commented above, I rarely leave comments. But this definitely warranted a comment. It was SO GOOD!! Thank you SO much for sharing. Exactly what I’ve been looking for in a cream cheese frosting!!!
These are my favorite type of comments! I’m glad you loved the recipe so much! Thanks for taking the time to leave your review!
Hi. Tried your recipe for the first time today. Tastes great. All was smooth and creamy until after I added the powdered sugar. I don’t think I over beat it. It is lumpy. What did I do wrong?
Hi Diane! I’m guessing your powdered sugar was lumpy. You can try sifting it before you add it next time and that should do the trick!
ok. Thanks I’ll give that a try.
ok, made the frosting again. sifted the powdered sugar and still lumpy. not sure what’s going on?
It sounds to me that the cream cheese and butter weren’t whipped long enough, before the sugar was added. You can put cream cheese and butter in the microwave a little to soften. If they are both soft, and whipped together well, there should be no lumps in the frosting.
I agree with Bonny. Make sure you are beating the cream cheese and butter really well before adding the powdered sugar and vanilla. You can try adding a little sugar at a time as well. Are you using a hand held mixer or a stand mixer. And if you are using a stand mixer are you using the whisk or the paddle attachment? I prefer a hand held mixer for this recipe like the one pictured. It seems to get the lumps out better. You can also try room temperature cream cheese and butter. I just like mine a little cold still so it pipes better. I hope you can get it figured out!
I agree. I didn’t need to sift but my butter was more than room temp and I put in the cream cheese at just above room temp and beat. I don’t have a hand mixer so I used my Kitchen Aid but I didn’t get any lumps. I also added the vanilla with the cream cheese and I was short on that so I added a tbl of sweetened condensed milk. I was trying to improvise without going to the store lol. Either way, it turned out amazing but I think the key is creaming your cream cheese and butter and then slowly adding the powdered sugar
Thank you sooo much for this recipe. I’m making carrot cake for the 1st time today & while I know how to cook, I am NO Baker. The recipe I had called for 3 cups of confectionery sugar & another one said 4. I appreciate you taking the time to explain step by step & I’m glad I read the comments first, because I would of used the whisk attachment instead of the paddle. I also added in a drop of lemon extract as someone suggested & doubled the vanilla, because I love it. Licking it off the paddles now. Delicious! Now lets hope the carrot cake comes out great as well.
Thank you so much for your comment Colleen! I’m so glad you like it!
Is it better to use a paddle attachment instead of a whisk attachment?
I prefer a hand mixer, but sometimes you need a combination of both the paddle and the whisk attachment to get all the lumps out. Try to get all the lumps out before you add the powdered sugar.
Hi there. Quick question… I know the recipe calls for cold cream cheese, but my mind is so used to room temperature butter for frosting, that cold cream cheese seems counter-intuitive. I’m feeling a little paranoid and just confirming that the cream cheese should be cold, not room temperature? Thanks!
Hi Cassie,
You can do either or, but I feel like the frosting is more firm with the cold cream cheese. Adding the butter a little at a time helps to keep the frosting smooth and not lumpy, even though the cream cheese is cold. Good luck deciding!
I doubled the recipe and covered the whole cake very well. I however did not have enough time to make a crumb coat first so it was just one thick-ish layer. Loved this so much!!!
Good to know! Glad it worked out and you liked it!
I made a cupcake boquet today for the first time,red velvet cupcakes,and this is the frosting that i used,even after adding a few drops of coloring it is still easy to pipe,😊.I love that it is not too sweet,thank you for sharing the recipe.It really is the best cream cheese frosting.
What a fun idea! I’m so glad you liked the frosting!
How much frosting does this make? Enough to frost a 4 layer, 8 inch cake?
It makes 1 1/2 cups. You would definitely need to at least double it for a 4 layer, 8-inch cake, maybe triple it depending on how much frosting you put between the layers.
This really IS the best cream cheese frosting I’ve ever tasted!
I’m so glad you feel that way Meg! Thanks for your comment!
Will it double or triple easy?
Yep! I quadrupled it once too.
I have been frosting / cake testing for weeks trying to come up with the perfect combination of low sugar cake / frosting for my son’s 1st birthday cake, that adults will also enjoy. I made a batch of chocolate zucchini and chocolate sweet potato cupcakes with whipped cream frosting. The frosting was pipeable but did fall a bit. So I would like to try this recipe. Could I reduce the sugar to 1/4 cup you think and it still taste good? In the heavy whipped cream frosting I only added 5tbsp of powdered sugar and got good feedback on the chocolate sweet potato cupcakes I topped them on. The cake recipe only calls for 1/2 cup brown sugar total but the zucchini or sweet potato seemed to help sweeten it enough, unless you are a major sweets person. The party is this Saturday so I am in panic mode. 🙂
Hi Teressa,
You can start with 1/4 cup and taste it. 1 cup of powdered sugar is really small compared to other recipes and it’s just the right amount of sweetness in my opinion, but you can absolutely start small and go up from there to how you want it to taste.
Thank you. I will try that and let you know 🙂 How long is it stable once made. I would like to do a trial run but don’t want to wait until too close to the party in case it doesn’t work for me. Also how much would you multiple the recipe by to frost 20-24 cupcakes and one jumbo cupcake made in the wilton pan?
I typically double this recipe to frost 24 cupcakes, but lessening the sugar will lessen the amount of frosting too. Definitely triple it. I have also stretched this frosting with cool whip. You can try doing that with whipped cream too. I would do about 1 cup whipped cream per batch if you want to try that out. I hope it works out for you!