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:
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
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
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!
339 Comments on “The BEST Cream Cheese Frosting (+ Video)”
Yumm. Thank you! I added a bit of lemon and almond extract to the vanilla. 1 capfull of each. Over the top taste! Thank you fir your awesome recipe. I am not a sugary frosting person at all. This one is the best recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe Val! Thanks for sharing!
I did it today for red velvet cupcakes and everybody loved it. They mentioned specifically how tasty it was. Thank you!
So glad it was a hit! Thanks for your comment Martina!
hi amber! am living in a hot country (~32 degree celsius) all year round and am wondering this recipe is pipeable on cupcakes and will hold its shape? been wanting to find a frosting recipe that doesnt have as much sugar and i cant wait to try this out! its just the runny thing that always makes me a little worried. hope to get your advice asap as i’ll be working on a batch of cupcakes tomorrow. thanks!
Hi Carrie,
I have had many say it does pretty well in heat and humidity. You can keep it refrigerated as much as possible if needed, but I think you will be okay.
I love this recipe. I recommend it to everyone I know!
Thank you so much recommending my recipe to your friends Anna!
Nice, thick cream cheese frosting and not too much sugar. Love this recipe!
What is the nutritional information ?
I just added nutritional information to the recipe card. It is merely an estimate and will depend on the ingredients you use.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I too have been looking for a cream cheese frosting that did not get soupy. I tried this recipe and not only is it stiff enough to pipe but is spreadable and tastes delicious. One more thing about this wonderful frosting – I left the cake out for more than a couple days and the frosting did not start to run. It still held up strong!! BRAVO!!!
I’m so glad to hear that! Thanks for taking the time to share your experience with the recipe Beth!
Can you freeze cream cheese icing?
You can, but will need to thaw it in the refrigerator, and keep it chilled with whatever cake you put it on.
hola!!!! me encantaria muchísimo probar tu receta, pero con las medidas en onzas y tazas, me pierdo; vivo en España y aquí las medidas, son en gramos (g)…
por favor, podrias indicar la cantidad de todos los ingredientes, adaptadas a nuestro sistema decimal métrico???
gracias anticipadas y felicidades por todos tus éxitos.
Hi Celia,
I don’t typically provide metric measurements because I use the American Standard, but I googled the information and this is what it gave me. Good luck!
225 g cream cheese
113.4 g butter
125 g powdered (confectioners) sugar
4.2 g vanilla extract
Hi! Mine tastes really good, but it’s not as smooth as icing normally is. This is my first time ever making my own icing, so is it normal… or did I do something wrong? Lol..
You can whip the cream cheese and butter as long as you need to before you add the powdered sugar and vanilla. If you decide to let your cream cheese soften first, you may need to throw the icing in the refrigerator to firm it up a little before using for decorating. Hope this helps!
I’ve tried this recipe so many times and it always comes out too runny because I’m trying to get the cream cheese choose or too lumpy because I’m trying not to overmix
What kind of mixer and attachment are you using?
I used regular cream cheese. Go with a name brand, as they are different. I just threw the butter and cream cheese in, whipped for a little bit, then added tge the extract and dumped in the sugar. Bingo. Mixed it for a bit and it was just right.
How long can this be stored in the refrigerator? Your recipe b far is the best I have tried. My husband kept sticking his fingers in it before I got it to the cake. I made a zucchini carrot cake with pecans and it was amazing. I made the cake about a month ago and had some me frosting left over. It has been in the refrigerator since then and now I am wanted my to make cinnamon rolls.
Hey Brenda! So glad you are enjoying this recipe! I would store this frosting for 7-10 days in the fridge. About 1 month in the freezer.
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.
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.
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.
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.