This super smooth cream cheese frosting has the perfect amount of sweetness and tanginess. This is an easy recipe perfect for frosting cakes and cupcakes and will stay soft and fluffy! It’s the perfect complement to red velvet cake, carrot cake, cinnamon rolls, and pumpkin cake.
I admit, for an embarrassingly long time, I did not know how to make classic cream cheese frosting. Every time I made it, it would get grainy and separate. I learned that the trick to making it super smooth is to use an electric hand mixer and have room-temperature ingredients.
Table of contents
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
Use high-quality cream cheese (full-fat) for the richest flavor.
Use high-quality butter as well for that extra creamy flavor and consistency. The better the cream cheese and the butter you use, the better the cream cheese frosting will taste!
Sift your powdered sugar for super-smooth cream cheese frosting. I know, I hate sifting sugar too. But if you don’t sift your sugar and you end up with lumps, there really isn’t a way to get those lumps out.
Vanilla extract is the classic flavoring for cream cheese frosting, but I love how orange extract or lemon extract pairs with the tanginess of cream cheese.
Warming the Ingredients
- Cold does not like to mix with warm. So if you’ve got room temperature butter and cold cream cheese, you’ll end up with a lumpy separated mess.
- Don’t worry, it’s easy to soften cream cheese pretty quickly. Cut your cream cheese into four cubes and place it onto a heat-safe plate. Microwave for 10 seconds and voila, softened cream cheese.
- You can soften the butter the same way but only nuke for 10 seconds. Softened butter should be soft enough that you can leave an imprint on the surface of the butter.
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
*THE SECRET TO MAKING SMOOTH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING* – Use an electric hand mixer or the whip attachment on your stand mixer, and mix on LOW speed. The whip creams together the frosting so much better than the paddle attachment so you get perfect fluffy, yet smooth, cream cheese frosting.
- Sift the powdered sugar into a large bowl and set it aside.
- Add the softened butter to a large bowl and mix on low with an electric mixer until smooth and lump-free.
- Next, add the softened cream cheese in small cubes and combine on low until smooth and completely homogenous.
- Add in your powdered sugar one cup at a time. If you want to make your frosting thicker, add in an extra cup of powdered sugar.
- Lastly, add in your extract and salt. A traditional vanilla flavor from vanilla extract goes well with cream cheese, but I love using orange extract or lemon extract for a unique taste.
- This is enough frosting to frost and fill three 8″x2″ layers or 24 cupcakes. I used a piping bag with a 1M piping tip for these cupcakes.
Storage Tips
- Cakes with homemade cream cheese frosting must be refrigerated but can be left at room temperature for up to 4 hours without any risk.
- Leftover frosting can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days or frozen for a month or more.
- Bring frozen cream cheese frosting to room temperature and then re-whip before using it to bring it back to a smooth consistency.
FAQ
Absolutely! Cream cheese frosting is a classic favorite with many cakes and cupcakes. It is not as stable as a meringue-based buttercream or American buttercream and has to be refrigerated every 4 hours, so it’s not always the best frosting for a wedding cake. It also cannot be used under fondant, because it will melt the sugar in the fondant.
Actually, yes! To make cream cheese frosting without powdered sugar, cream 8 oz of softened cream cheese in the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment until smooth. Add in two cups of prepared swiss meringue buttercream and mix on low until smooth.
Runny cream cheese frosting is most likely because the ratio of cream cheese to butter and icing sugar is off. It could also be too hot in your room, so try refrigerating it for 10 to 15 minutes. If it’s still not thickened after that, add a few tablespoons of powdered sugar. If it’s not stable enough to frost a cake, it would be perfect for drizzling over hot cinnamon rolls.
This recipe will not crust, but if you’re looking for a more stable frosting suitable for piping flowers or for use in stacked cakes, try my crusting cream cheese frosting recipe.
While cream cheese frosting is very soft, you can definitely pipe simple rosettes onto your cakes or cupcakes and they will hold just fine. Just remember to keep your cakes chilled as much as possible to keep the frosting from melting and becoming too soft.
Sometimes these words are used interchangeably, but cream cheese icing is thinner than frosting but thicker than glaze. Icing is usually made with powdered sugar and milk, juice, or water and then drizzled onto cookies or on top of cakes.
Yes, you can add 1/2 cup of cocoa powder to make this recipe chocolate.
You can tint cream cheese frosting using food color gels but I wouldn’t get too crazy. For instance, I wouldn’t try to make dark colors such as black or navy blue. Lighter, more pastel colors are a safe bet and shouldn’t be a problem, again, as long as you use gel food color and not liquid. Any unnecessary added liquids can break your frosting and make it too soft to use.
Related Recipes
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Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
- 16 ounces (454 g) cream cheese (2 cups) softened and slightly warm
- 8 ounces (227 g) unsalted butter (1 cup) softened and slightly warm
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or orange or lemon extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 36 ounces (1021 g) powdered sugar (8 cups) sifted
Equipment
- 1 electric hand mixer
Instructions
Warming the Ingredients
- Cold does not like to mix with warm. So if you've got room temperature butter and cold cream cheese, you'll end up with a lumpy and separated mess.
- Soften the cream cheese by cutting it into four cubes and microwaving it for about 15 seconds.
- Soften the butter by leaving it out for a few hours or cutting it into cubes and microwaving it for 10 seconds. Softened butter should be soft enough that you can leave an imprint on the surface of the butter with your finger.
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
- *THE SECRET TO MAKING SMOOTH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING* – Use an electric hand mixer or the whip attachment on your stand mixer, and mix on LOW speed.
- Sift the powdered sugar into a large bowl and set it aside.
- Add the softened butter to a large bowl and mix on low with an electric mixer until smooth and lump-free.
- Next, add the softened cream cheese in small cubes and combine on low until smooth and completely homogenous.
- Add in your powdered sugar one cup at a time. If you want to make your frosting thicker, add in an extra cup of powdered sugar.
- Lastly, add in your extract and salt. A traditional vanilla flavor from vanilla extract goes well with cream cheese, but I love using orange extract or lemon extract for a unique taste.
- This is enough frosting to frost and fill three 8″x2″ layers or 24 cupcakes. I used a piping bag with a 1M piping tip for these cupcakes.
- Cakes with homemade cream cheese frosting must be refrigerated but can be left at room temperature for up to 4 hours without any risk.Leftover frosting can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days or frozen for a month or more.
Notes
- Use high-quality cream cheese (full-fat) and the best butter. The better the cream cheese and the butter you use, the better tasting the cream cheese frosting will taste!
- Cream cheese frosting cannot be used under fondant, because it will melt the sugar in the fondant.
- This recipe will not crust, but if you’re looking for a more stable frosting suitable for piping flowers or for use in stacked cakes, try my crusting cream cheese frosting recipe.
- You can add 1/2 cup of cocoa powder to make this recipe chocolate.
- You can tint cream cheese frosting using food color gels. Too many added liquids can break your frosting and make it too soft to use.
Can you add color to cream cheese frosting as well? I want to make the banana cake but with different color frosting. Thank you
Yes you can, any gel food coloring will do
Could I use this recipe and stick chocolate bark onto it? (Like a tree stump cake) Will the chocolate stay put or slide off?
As long as it wasn’t too thick I think it would work
You mentioned above making cream cheese frosting with swiss meringue buttercream, is there any reason you couldn’t use the easy buttercream for the same effect?
You can definitely use easy buttercream 🙂
In my country (Greece), we have no cream cheese in blocks, but only the spread version, which is lower in fat. Can I put more butter or sugar to strengthen it?
Can I do something between the buttercream alternative and this recipe (to put sugar, but not that much)? Maybe a cup of sugar to a mix of 16oz cream cheese – 4 cups buttercream?!
I really don’t know, I’m not familiar with those ingredients. Best option is to just give it a try and see if it works with the ingredients that are available to you
Is the salt used to cut the sweetness? Also, can cupcakes iced with this be frozen?
The salt is for flavor 🙂 Yes you can freeze them but the liners might pull away when you defrost them
I feel like a dummy. Why not under fondant?
The cream cheese frosting is just really soft and causes the fondant to sweat and melt when it’s in direct contact
This was so tangy and delicious! It went perfect with my spice cake!
Can this recipe be used for a 3-tier wedding cake or would you recommend the crusting cream cheese?
Cream cheese frosting is not great for using under fondant and it’s very soft. The stable cream cheese would be much safer as a filling and then regular buttercream on the outside
Could you please convert this recipe to metric? thanks!
All recipes have a metric option right under the ingredients, just check the metric box 🙂
Hey quick question…its about the cream cheese frosting…in the video you specify to use the paddle attachment but int the written recipe it says whisk. Do this make a big difference? Which is preferred? Thanks for your time! Love your site!!!
I think the whisk makes the frosting creamier and less chances of it breaking or getting curdled.
How can you make this a chocolate cream cheese frosting?
You could add sifted cocoa powder
This cake is amazing! I made it and it was love at first bite. I copied it by hand into my blue recipe ledger.
I plan to make it again and again.
Thank you for this delicious recipe.
Every time I make cream cheese frosting it is really thin and not stiff enough. How do I stop it from being runny
Cream cheese frosting is a very soft frosting. You can use more powdered sugar but then it becomes very sweet. https://sugargeekshow.com/recipe/cream-cheese-frosting/
Can I put ganache on top of this cream cheese frosting? I want to make a chocolate cake, frost it with cream cheese frosting and cover the top with chocolate ganache and a drip. I love your videos and recipes! Thanks in advance!
Absolutely, cream cheese frosting makes a great filling for cakes. Make sure you chill the cake well before covering in ganache
you’re amazing! thank you!
Hi Liz!! I tried your red velvet cake recipe and it is out of this world!😍😋😋
I want to make the cream cheese buttercream too. Could you please help me out ? In your recipe you have mentioned the serving is 30oz. Would that be enough to fill, frost and do a little piping for 3 layers of a 9 inch cake ? Thank you ☺️
Thank you! Yes if you follow my cream cheese frosting recipe, it should be plenty to frost a cake that size
I’m making “slice of cake” cake jars. Which cream cheese recipe should I use? This one or the crusting one?
This one in my opinion
I made this cake for a family birthday dessert – hands down, the best lemon cake I’ve ever made. I baked the cake earlier in the week and froze it – to make things easier on the day of the get together – it was the perfect texture and delicious. I made the cream cheese frosting but added 1 TBSP of lemon juice – also delicious!
I made it for the first time and it was great on my Banana Bread. Cant wait to make it again, everyone loved it, loved it !!!!!
This is my go to recipe, love the taste and consistency. Just before I add the frosting to the piping bag, I like to give it a gentle stir to get any last minute air bubbles out. Easy to pipe onto cupcakes. Thanks for sharing!