Cream Cheese Frosting Without Powdered Sugar
This delicious cream cheese frosting recipe is thick, fluffy, and pipeable. Easy cream cheese frosting is made with granulated sugar and whips together quickly! This is the best cream cheese frosting and it consists of 5 simple ingredients.
Servings: 6 cups
Calories: 666kcal
Equipment
- 1 Stand mixer with the paddle attachment Or a large bowl and electric hand mixer
Ingredients
- 2 cups cream cheese room temperature or slightly warm
- 1 cup unsalted butter same temperature as the cream cheese
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Make sure the butter and cream cheese are both at room temperature. If one is cold, you will end up with lumpy cream cheese frosting. If they feel cold to the touch, microwave them for ten seconds.
- In the bowl of the stand mixer with the paddle attachment, add the room-temperature block of cream cheese and mix it on low speed until smooth. You can also do this in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer.
- With the mixer on low speed to medium speed, begin adding chunks of butter to the whipped cream cheese and mix until incorporated.
- Slowly pour in the sugar while the mixer is mixing.
- Then add the salt and vanilla.
- Make sure you scrape the bowl to get all of the cream cheese from the sides and the bottom of the bowl, then mix on medium-high speed for another 30 seconds to one minute to make sure all the butter chunks are smoothed out and the sugar is dissolved.
- Use the frosting immediately to frost a cake or cupcakes.
- If you plan on storing it for later, keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Freeze it for up to 6 months, then allow it to come back to room temperature and mix it briefly with an electric mixer.
Video
Notes
- Use full-fat block cream cheese, not spreadable tub cream cheese. Tub cream cheese has too much water and will make the frosting too soft to pipe.
- The butter and cream cheese must be at the exact same temperature before mixing. If either is cold, microwave in 10-second increments until they match.
- Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl thoroughly before the final mix. Cream cheese hides under the paddle and will leave streaks if not scraped.
- Do not over-mix once the frosting looks smooth and fluffy. Thirty seconds to one minute on medium-high at the end is all you need.
- This frosting can be left at room temperature for up to 4 hours. Refrigerate for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
- Freeze for up to 6 months. Bring fully to room temperature and rewhip briefly before using.
- This is not a crusting frosting and is not recommended under fondant.
- Flavor variations: substitute vanilla with almond extract, lemon zest, or orange zest. Add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder for a chocolate version.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 666kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 57g | Saturated Fat: 35g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 158mg | Sodium: 436mg | Potassium: 111mg | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 1962IU | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 0.1mg
