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!
More Cream Cheese Frosting Recipes:
- Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
- Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
- Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
The BEST Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 8 ounces brick 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
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 107Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 63mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 0gSugar: 10gProtein: 1g
This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix, and is an estimation only.
Recipe from Cookie Baker Lynn via TLC Parentables
Extra pictures and video added 4/1/17.
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Welcome!
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!
350 Comments on “The BEST Cream Cheese Frosting + Video”
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.
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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.
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!