My Cream Cheese Frosting recipe is smooth, creamy, and not overly sweet. This frosting recipe is easy to make and perfect on so many different desserts!
If you have been following me for any length of time, you know that my weakness is frosting. I can’t be left alone with it, I can’t be trusted with it. It is my Achilles’ heal. This is true of my Vanilla Buttercream Frosting and my Chocolate Frosting and it is most definitely true of this cream cheese frosting. If you just look at the reviews on this recipe you’ll be able to see how loved it is.
OMG, this is definitely a keeper!! DELICIOUS is an understatement…thank you for posting!!! Always love your recipes. I’m sure it will live on forever!
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
This is a brief overview of the best cream cheese frosting recipe. For the full recipe with all of the measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Cream together the butter and cream cheese. Both should be at room temperature and blended together.
- Add in powdered sugar. I like to add it to the cream cheese mixture one cup at a time.
- Add the vanilla extract. If you are looking to keep your frosting perfectly white, there is clear artificial vanilla flavor that you can use. I stick with pure vanilla extract.
Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
If you love this recipe but would like it chocolate flavored, that is so easy to do! It involves taking out a little powdered sugar and adding in some cocoa powder. I share the recipe including all ingredients and measurements in the link in the box below.
Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
Tips and Tricks
- Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature. This means letting it sit out for at least two hours. You can speed up the process a little by cutting it up into pieces on a plate, but you really want it to be nice and soft, otherwise you will get chunks of cream cheese in the frosting.
- Make sure that the butter is also at room temperature. You can speed it up by cutting it into one inch pieces and setting it out on a plate on the counter. Do not soften it in the microwave.
- Resist the urge to soften the cream cheese and butter in the microwave. This often leads to the outside melting and the inside still being too cold. This greatly impacts the texture of the frosting.
- Measure the powdered sugar correctly. Scoop it with a spoon into a dry measuring cup. This will prevent it from packing, which will avoid adding too much powdered sugar to the recipe.
Storing
Leftovers of cream cheese frosting should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Because of the cream cheese base of this frosting, you should also store anything you frost with cream cheese frosting in the refrigerator. I do not recommend freezing this recipe. As with all recipes, I suggest using your best discretion.
FAQ
This frosting recipe can absolutely be piped. You will want to keep in mind that if you want really detailed piping that holds, my vanilla frosting is better suited.
Yes! It would be easy to add coloring to this recipe. Just beat it in after you beat in the vanilla extract.
It won’t set up the same way my vanilla frosting does. If you put it in the refrigerator after making it, it will become thicker and harder, but still not thick enough to frost and stack cookies.
This recipe makes two cups of frosting. That is enough to frost two dozen cupcakes if you use one and a half tablespoon of frosting per cupcake. That is less than what you see piped onto the cupcakes in the photos. If you would like to pipe the frosting, I suggest doubling the recipe. If you would like to make a layered cake, double the frosting recipe.
How to Use Cream Cheese Frosting
There are so many great ways to use this frosting. Here are a few you can find here on Simple Joy.
If you try this cream cheese frosting recipe or any of my other recipes, leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature (227 grams)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature (56.5 grams)
- 2 cups powdered sugar (227 grams)
- 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Cream together the cream cheese and the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer).8 ounces cream cheese, 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Then add in the vanilla extract.2 cups powdered sugar, 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract
- This recipe is enough to spread on two dozen cupcakes or cookies. If you would like to pipe it as seen in the pictures, I suggest you double it.
Merrie says
I only have salted butter, store an hour away and I’m making frosting now, is it just the salt factor.
.
It is. The recipe was made with unsalted butter, so salted butter might just make it taste not as good and more salty.
Scarlett Hedden says
OMG–this is definitely a keeper!! DELICIOUS is an understatement…thank you for posting!!! Always love your recipes. I’m sure it will live on forever!
So happy you guys liked it Scarlett!
laura says
Hi Lisa,
My cup measurement is 240 gms, is it the same weight as you use? Please advise
thanks
Lauren says
Yum, yum, yum! My first homemade cream cheese icing ever! I only had light cream cheese and salted butter. Still tastes delicious! Thank you!
I’m glad you liked it Lauren!
Sheena says
Could I add cocoa powder to this to make chocolate cream cheese frosting? I want to use it to decorate a red velvet football cake!
Ooooo, good question Sheena! I would try cutting down a little of the powdered sugar when you add the cocoa powder and then you can just add in more as necessary.
Chris Garrett says
Will this firm up on cookies enough that the cookies can be stacked and shipped?
This frosting wouldn’t, but this vanilla buttercream frosting would!
Diana says
I’m making a red velvet cake. I got one of those edible icing sheets for the top. Will this frosting work ok for those? The instructions say to put the image on before the frosting gardens but I’m not sure if it will run or bleed. Thoughts?
Diana, I’m really sorry, I don’t have any experience with those. I can say that this frosting doesn’t really harden, so this might not be your best bet. This vanilla frosting is delicious and does harden, but quickly so you will want to work a little fast.
Gramma Di says
I didn’t have unsalted butter……still delicious
I misread the vanilla amount and saw tablespoon so I put in one and…….still delicious.
Thanks so much for sharing.
I always think more vanilla is better ???? I’m so glad you liked this!
Sandy says
I am making a 3 layer cake one of them is 22cm cake and one is a 30cm cake both cakes need to fill each layer and then crumb coat I am covering with fondant how much do I need .
Hi Sandy! It’s hard for me to know since I haven’t made that size cake with a crumb coat using this recipe. I would start by doubling it. Or double and a half.
Paula says
I’ve never made my own icing, but this is so tempting!!!! I always use salted butter. What would the difference be or taste like if using the salted compare to unsalted? Thanks!
I like using unsalted butter because then you are in control of how much salt is added. That said, I think you could use salted butter in this and it would still taste good. Plenty of great bakers add salt to their frostings.
Chris says
I used salted butter.and couldn’t taste the salt…Turned out Yummy…
HB Groover says
This is a perfect cream cheese frosting. The butter gives it a buttery taste and stability so I could pipe it onto a cake! I had plenty left over and decided to experiment.
I took 1 cup of leftover frosting and mixed it with softened Cool Whip, about 4 ozs (roughly half of the container). I happened to have one vanilla bean and scrapped that in as well. I blended the frosting and Cool Whip on low with a hand held mixer. I had on hand from ALDI, the Pizzelle cookies (thin vanilla or anise flavored wafers shaped like a stained-glass window). I spread spread the frosting/Cool Whip mixture onto one wafer and topped it with another – like an ice cream sandwich. I made 10 (a couple cracked, but who cares?) and wrapped them in the wax paper and bagged them in a freezer ziplock bag. Well, what a hit. Cold, vanilla icing frozen between those yummy crunchy wafers. Friends beg me to make them all the time. Think of the variations – you could add almond flavor or a little anise or orange zest,