The BEST Cream Cheese Frosting (+ Video)
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The BEST Cream Cheese Frosting – thick, sturdy, and pipeable, plus not overly sweet!
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, and they work out okay, but I’ve always struggled with soft, stringy frosting. This cream cheese frosting is stiff, sturdy, pipe-able, spreadable, you name it! It’s not overly sweet like the other recipes either.
See the ripples in that frosting? Yep, that’s proof right there that it’s stiff enough to 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.
This variation of 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 lighten and fluff up the frosting.
This is seriously my go-to cream cheese frosting recipe now. I will not use any other cream cheese frosting recipe in the future, so I am sharing this recipe, separately, in it’s own post, so you can refer to this post as often as I make this frosting in my culinary creations! Have you tried it this way yet? Make this ASAP!
Try my Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting too!
The BEST Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese, cold (I typically use Neufchatel cream cheese)
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup 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.
Notes
*You can store this frosting either at room temperature (which is 70 degrees Fahrenheit) or in the refrigerator. Do not go back and forth storing from one to the other, for food safety reasons. Use your own judgement.
YIELD: 1 1/2 cups frosting, which will frost about 12-14 cupcakes
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Hi, I’m Amber! I am a culinary graduate and dessert lover! This is where I share my favorite sweet and savory recipes alongside my knowledge and skills as a culinary graduate. I hope you find something you like!
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314 Comments on “The BEST Cream Cheese Frosting (+ Video)”
I have a question🤔which color do I add to make the cream pure white, drop of blue or purple? I did this once but it was years ago and google is not finding it. Thanks
Hi Mila, I’m sorry, but I’ve never heard of that. You can try using clear vanilla to help it be more white, but the butter will still make it slightly ivory in color. You could also try doing half of the butter and substituting the other half with shortening or coconut oil. Good luck!
I LOVE THIS CREAM CHEESE FROSTING RECIPE!!! Arrrrgh! So good. I don’t typically even attempt to try anything with cream cheese frosting anymore because my mind automatically assumes it will be too sweet. I needed to make a batch of red velvet cupcakes over the weekend and I used your frosting recipe. I tried one cupcake (for the first time in forever) and I ended up having two more after :)) I love that it’s not overly sweet. It totally put the “velvet” in red velvet haha! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe <3
Great news! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe Sabrina!
Can I use half butter and half margarine?
I’ve never used margarine, but you could try it.
hello, i tried this recipe many times and i always get somehow a runny frosting, it doesnt really hold its shape after piping and it is very shiny unlike the matte finish in your picture. please help
I’m sorry you are having a hard time. I would maybe try high quality products. Name brands for both butter and cream cheese. See if that helps. You can try refrigerating it before piping too, but you really shouldn’t need to.
since i live in singapore, i use french butter and royal victoria cream cheese. i left both at room temperature before using it.
Ok. I have it stated in the ingredients list to use cold cream cheese. That should help.
yep, i tried both batches, one with cold cream cheese and another with room temperature. it still doesnt work out for me and its still shiny and glossy and unable to hold its shape well.
I don’t know what else to recommend. Apparently our products are made differently in the U.S. I’ve never had a problem with this recipe. I’m sorry I can’t help you more.
Amber, you’re very kind to share your recipes and respond to everyone who comments. I’d like to use your cream cheese frosting on a very large hummingbird cake for my mother-in-law’s 100th birthday. It would have two round layers in each of three tiers, 12″, 9″, and 6″. What I wonder is whether you think that I can bake and frost the tiers individually with this frosting, then freeze them for a week or two before the birthday party, and then take them out of the freezer and assemble them for decorating the day before the party. Also, I wonder whether the layers should be filled with something other than the frosting, and whether any flavoring other than vanilla would be good for hummingbird cake. I’ll appreciate whatever hints you can give me.
BTW, I’m a 67-year-old grandfather, I babysit for twin 16-month old grandsons twice a week, and my mom taught me to bake cakes when I was about nine. Her lessons stuck–I still love baking.
Hi Gene,
Thanks for sharing a little bit about you. I love to hear about my readers! Cream Cheese Frosting is very classic with hummingbird cake, so I think vanilla would be a great flavoring. Unfortunately, I think if you frosted the cakes and froze them with the frosting, the cake would effect the frosting as it thaws to an undesirable texture. You can definitely freeze the cakes and frosting separately. Or you can freeze the cakes and make the frosting fresh the day of or a day or two before. (I would recommend refrigerating the frosting if you make it early, so it lasts longer.) Hope this helps! Good luck with your mother-in-laws cake!
Thank you, Amber. I’ll give you a report on my results.
I’ve used this recipe a few times but I really don’t understand how you can make the frosting stiff with such less powdered sugar. I don’t overbeat it either. Also most recipes usually cream the butter first to avoid the lumpy bits at the end. This is exactly what happens when the cream cheese is beaten first. Yes it does taste good but very sloppy.
I have made this recipe at least 30 times and it’s never “sloppy” for me. In previous recipes I’ve made, the more powdered sugar I would add to cream cheese frosting, the more stringy and soft it would be, but feel free to adapt it to your needs, especially if you aren’t in the U.S. Try different methods and amounts to get something that works for you. This has just always worked for me, so I’m happy with this recipe the way it is.
I’m wondering why you use cold cream cheese vs room temperature, so it would be easier to blend? And can you use room temp and have it still work? Thanks for a great post.
I find the frosting stays stiffer if I use cold cream cheese. If you use a hand mixer, it beats smooth really well.
Hi Dear…
I just did the cream cheese frosting…its so perfect as I wanted.💜 Tq for the recipe.
Awesome! Thanks for your comment Jayn!
WOW! I have had many cream cheese frostings and My families number ne complaint is that they are never Cream cheesy enough and too sweet! This is a simple basic recipe! SOOOO perfect! I m thrilled to find it. Thank you for sharing!!!
Wonderful! I’m happy you are enjoying this recipe Niki!
Hi Amber, I had to write to let you know that your recipe is truly the best cream cheese frosting I have ever made or eaten! Everyone loves it! Your instructions were easy enough for me to understand and follow. So a big thank you for this!! I am going to bake my soon-to-be 4 year old granddaughter’s BD cake. She wants strawberry frosting for her chocolate cake so naturally I thought of your recipe. What do you think about me adding some fresh strawberries? I’m thinking about 1/4 cup pureed strawberries, straight up, and adding it to your recipe for color. I thought perhaps of chopping up more strawberries and adding it just before frosting, and setting it in the fridge to stiffen up. Think it would work? Thanks, Amber!
Hi Dawn! Glad to hear it! If you can find freeze dried strawberries, that would be best so it doesn’t add any extra moisture to the frosting and make it runny. Just throw a handful of freeze dried strawberries into the food processor and make a powder with them. You can alternately use strawberry gelatin powder (jello), about 1-2 tsp. I have only ever added orange zest/juice to this recipe, and it did make it softer, so I’m nervous about fresh strawberries. You could try fresh strawberries if you want, but try to make it and then serve it right away so it doesn’t get the chance to macerate and release the juices. Let me know how it goes!
Dear Amber, Thank you for your quick and helpful response. I was afraid the fresh strawberries would make the frosting too wet so I will try the freeze-dried suggestion for sure! I can always put fresh strawberries as a decoration, right? To make the frosting red, powdered strawberries should do it, right? But if not enough color, I could try the gelatin suggestion. I’ll experiment. I will certainly let you know! Thanks, again, so much!
I’ll be making this tomorrow for a co-worker’s bday, & I’ve never done cream cheese frosting before. I’m curious that the recipe calls for “cold” cream cheese. Usually, if I don’t leave cream cheese to get to room temp for other desserts, it will be lumpy. Help? 🙂
If you use a hand mixer like mine (in the video), it will be just fine. If you are still worried, you can let it get to room temperature, but it may not be as pipe-able. If you aren’t piping anything, then you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.
Ok I think I do have the right attachment. Definitely want to pipe! If too soft, I’ll fridge / freeze for a bit. THANK YOU!
Have you ever added peanut butter?
I haven’t. You could probably substitute some of the butter with peanut butter. You may need to add extra powdered sugar. Good luck!
So I’ve had this recipe pinned for a while and finally made it tonight. Oh man it is fabulous! Just the right amounts of everything. A friend at work made carrot cake for some of us tomorrow but she doesn’t use frosting so I made a batch for a couple of us that need it. 😋 After I put it into individual baggies for us I literally licked the bowl clean cuz it tastes so perfect! Thank you! At this point I don’t even need the cake. 👍🏼👍🏼
I’m so glad you got around to making it, and that you loved it so much!
Hi! This looks absolutely delicious. Would it be possible to add white chocolate to the recipe?
Thanks
I haven’t tried it, but you may need extra powdered sugar. Good luck!
I mixed this recipe with 1 regular sized tub of whipped cream and it is stunning. so light and fluffy I would highly recommend trying it
I’ve done that for my Rainbow Cupcakes and it is good!
I have found that adding a bit of cornstarch to the powdered sugar before adding to cream cheese allows me to pipe the icing. I start with 1 teaspoon of cornstarch to the 1 cup of confectioners sugar. After blending, allow the mixture to sit for 15-20 mins. Living in Alabama, we are very humid and frequently must add cornstarch to icings. ( I sift together the confectioners sugar and cornstarch for even mixing.) Hope this helps.
Great tip!
Agar agar also helps to stabilize whipped cream and frostings. I add it to all my buttercreams so they stand up to high heat.
Good to know! Thanks for sharing!
Hi,
I made this icing today and people really enjoyed it! My issue is that I made way too much and I don’t want to waste it. Is there a way to successfully freeze it?
I personally haven’t frozen it, but from what I am reading online, it should be okay to freeze.
I haven’t tried yet BUT picked your recipe for the rv cupcakes because it’s exactly the same as mine minus the butter which I’ve been wanting but hesitating to use. Why? Because BUTTer 😁 I will def lyk the verdict later. Meanwhile, thanks for the recipe!
I love cream cheese frosting but I want to be able to pipe some really tall, pretty cupcakes using a 1M Wilton piping tip for an upcoming special event. When you say this recipe is pipable, is it as light and pipable as regular frostings or is it heavier (and possibly better for lower profile piping)? Thanks for sharing your expertise with us!
I am using a Wilton 2D tip in the photos and video. The texture is somewhere in the middle. Not super light, but not dense. It’s definitely pipeable. I piled it on pretty high at the beginning of the video. You’ll have to use your judgement. You could always do a small batch to test it out.
I’ve used this recipe twice and it’s been a huge hit. However, my daughter requested chocolate cream cheese on her birthday cake this year. Would adding cocoa powder be enough? If so, how much?
Yes, anywhere from 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of cocoa powder can be added. Just keep in mind that cocoa powder is bitter and with the small amount of powdered sugar used in this recipe, you may want to use less over more.
Thank you for the recipe Amber, this really is the best cream cheese frosting of all time. Not too sweet, not too cheesy, perfectly smooth and delicious. I have used the recipe dozens of times over the past couple of years and in a world of infinite choice, this will be my forever cream cheese frosting recipe. Many many thanks.
I’m so glad you feel the same way I do about this recipe! Thanks for letting me know your experience with it!
I have a question on this too, (now that’s I’m typing it, it seems silly and obvious) does the butter have to be room temp still? It’s just the cream cheese you use cold?
Yes, I like to have the butter soft, and the cream cheese cold.
Is this recipe enough to frost a cake in a 13 x 9 x 2 pan? Thanks in advance.
If it’s in the pan and it’s just the top, yes. This recipe yields about 1 1/2 cups of frosting.
Thanks so much for your reply! So looking forward to making this for my flag cake on the 4th!
Can regular bar of cream cheese be used as well?
Yes, this recipe uses the bars of cream cheese, not the kind in the plastic tub.
I just made this and it tastes so good but a bit lumpy even tho I’ve mixed a lot! How could I fix this?
It’s best to mix it well before the sugar is added. You can continue to mix it to remove any lumps, but it will get softer, so you might need to refrigerate it to firm it back up; especially if you plan on using it for piping.
Can’t wait to try this! I’ll be frosting 2-3 layer, 9 inch cakes. How much frosting will I need (multiplayer for your cream cheese recipe)?
Thanks!
Ellen
Each batch makes about 1 1/2 cups of frosting. Doubling it would be enough for a thin coating of frosting. Tripling it would provide thicker layers of frosting.