Light and fluffy cream cheese frosting is the perfect icing on any dessert!
Cream cheese and butter are sweetened with powdered sugar and vanilla for a rich frosting.
Spread it over cakes, muffins, and other baked goodies.
Our Favorite Frosting
This homemade cream cheese frosting recipe is delicious over carrot cake or cinnamon rolls.
- Easy peasy – it takes just a few minutes to make.
- Cream cheese frosting is made with basic ingredients you likely have on hand.
- Make it ahead. It will stay fresh for up to 5 days in the refrigerator, or 2 months in the freezer.
Ingredients for Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream Cheese – Use any brand of full-fat cream cheese in the block form, not spreadable cream cheese in tubs. Reduced-fat cream cheese is not recommended as it can produce a runny frosting.
Butter – For baking and sweet recipes, I prefer to use unsalted sticks of butter and add a pinch of salt. If you do have salted butter, it will still work – skip the salt in the recipe.
Vanilla – Although it’s a bit pricey, real vanilla extract gives the best flavor. Imitation vanilla extract does work if it’s what you have on hand.
Powdered sugar – Also known as confectioners sugar, powdered sugar contains a little cornstarch to prevent caking and makes for a smooth frosting.
Make Your Own Powdered Sugar
If you’re out of powdered sugar, you can make your own with granulated sugar. In a blender or food processor, blend a ratio of 1 cup of granulated sugar with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch on high until it is fluffy and powdered. Measure the sugar for your recipe after it is powdered.
Variations – Add or substitute lemon juice and zest for the vanilla to give your frosting more tang. For a runnier icing, add a few drops of water.
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
This is an easy recipe that comes together in minutes!
- Using a hand mixer, combine room-temperature cream cheese and butter, per the recipe below.
- Mix in the vanilla and salt.
- Add the sugar a little at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl as you mix until fluffy. Do not over-mix.
Use immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Holly’s Tips
- Use room temperature cream cheese and butter.
- Freeze for up to 3 months in a zippered bag with the air pressed out. Thaw to room temperature before using.
- To change the consistency for drizzling, add water, a few drops at a time, while mixing.
Our Favorite Frostings
These frosting recipes are perfect to top a cupcake, cookies or your favorite layered cake!
Did you make this Cream Cheese Frosting? Leave us a rating and a comment below!
Best Ever Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter softened
- 3 to 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or lemon juice
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Combine cream cheese and butter with a mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Mix in vanilla (or lemon juice and lemon zest if using).
- Add in salt and powdered sugar a bit at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Continue beating on medium speed until fluffy. Do not overmix.
- Store up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Video
Notes
- This frosting cannot be piped with a piping bag, it is a soft frosting.
- To avoid a runny frosting, do not overmix.
- Use a stand mixer with either a whisk attachment or a handheld mixer, scraping the sides as needed.
- To make a thicker frosting, add more powdered sugar. A thinner frosting can be made with a touch of milk or water (1 teaspoon at a time).
- Ensure baked goods are thoroughly cooled before spreading frosting to prevent it from melting.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dessert
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The name says it all! This has been my go-to for years- everyone loves it!
The fastest, the easiest, the BEST! I used 1+1/2 cups of confectioner’s sugar and it was perfection, not the least bit thin or runny. For those who don’t know 1/3 cup of butter is 5 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. I iced pumpkin cupcakes this time. The first round of this frosting and many to come. Thanks so much!
You’re welcome Diane, so glad you love the frosting!
I added small amounts of sour cream instead of milk or cream to loosen icing to consistency I desired. Not only did I get great smoothness and fluffy cream but delectable flavor from sour cream!!
Love this recipe. This is my go to recipe whenever I do carrot courgette cakes etc.
We love this on carrot cake too, Chrissie! So happy you are enjoying it.
Love this recipy,It’s the Best and the easiest I’ve ever made.
I’ve made this cake twice in a week. I,love it. The icing is so smooth and tasty. Freezes great.Thanks so much for this great cake recipy.
Try it cooks you’ll love it.❤️
You’re welcome Delores, so happy to hear that!
exceedingly sweet. Wow – it gave me a sugar rush and I spent the next two hours like an energizer bunny.
This is the easiest cream cheese frosting ever!!! It’s exactly what I was looking for to top my key lime cheese cake (replaced the lemons with limes). Thank you.
Now, I know how to make delicious frostings.
Excellent Frosting, super delicious!
Hi, what calorie calculator did you use? I entered 16 Tbs/8 oz. cream cheese, 5.3 Tbs/.33 cup butter and 3 cups powdered sugar into Spark Nutrition and came out with a way different calorie number per serving, more than double actually, and that was using the low end of the sugar amount. I want to make this because the reviews are so good but I count calories so wanted to verify first. Thanks.
You are definitely correct, thank you so much for bringing this to our attention! There was an error in the calculation (it wasn’t calculating the powdered sugar properly) and we have updated it. Sorry for any confusion.
Hi Holly, going to make your icing tomorrow on a red velvet cake for my grandson’s 12 birthday, is the butter unsalted or salter? Thank you Linda
I use unsalted butter in this recipe. Happy Birthday to your grandson!
Best frosting ever, did I say ever. I used this frosting on a coconut cake for a Church bake sale. It was sold in slices and the first to sale out within 5 minutes. Thank you so much for sharing I have another secret weapon thanks to you Holly.
So happy to hear that it was a hit Anita!
Can I use LESS powdered sugar !
You can try it with less powdered sugar but it may change the consistency to be a bit more runny.
The best I’ve ever made! I made both lemon, and vanilla.
I am so glad you enjoyed the frosting Krystal!
I never thought of using lemon juice! I made mine with lemon juice & it really smooths out the flavor. I don’t use powdered sugar, but honey instead for decades, you get a smooth sweetness without the bite from sugar.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Sounds like a wonderful recipe. Just a quick question – how many grams or mls is a cup?
240 ml. Enjoy!
Thanx holly I am going to try this recipe only using1/2 to a cup less sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract pure and1/2 tsp pure almond extract paired with spice cake hoping it turns out great
Let us know how it goes Chloe!
3 cups of sugar must be very sweet?
Very nice recipe. As advertised :) I skip the lemon and add cinnamon to mine for those beautiful, fragrant flecks in the frosting.
Thank you!
This icing is NO JOKE! It is the best cream cheese icing I have ever eaten (title is on point). It’s not sickening sweet and the lemon gives it a hint of, “What is that?!” I didn’t even add the zest and it was still delicious.
I made slightly more to heavily ice a 3 layer carrot cake.
I did put each layer in the refrigerator to set up a bit after icing.
The next time I make it I will add zest. Be aware….you will want to eat it straight out of the bowl (I did)!!
LOL! Thank you Cathy, I’m so glad you loved it!
So gooooooood! This is our new favorite cream cheese frosting!
I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe Becky!
Hi holly,can you please tell me what kind of butter I can use it in this recipe?
Any type of unsalted butter should work perfectly.