Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Perfect mixture of sweet and tangy, with tons of vanilla flavor. Not as sickeningly sweet as some bakeries and grocery stores!
Texture: Ultra smooth, creamy, and luscious.
Ease: Super duper easy, and can be made ahead of time!
Pros: Instantly amplifies pretty much any cake, cupcake, or other dessert.
Cons: None!!
Would I make this again? This is a component of many of my favorite recipes on the site 🙂
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This easy Cream Cheese Frosting recipe is the stuff dreams are made of. Luscious, creamy, and such a delightful indulgence all on its own.
Seriously my favorite frosting with the perfect spreadable consistency.
But then when you add this frosting to a cake, cupcake, or just about any other baked treat? Now it’s on a whole new level of deliciousness.
Free Buttercream Guide!
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I can see why my post on How to Make the Best Buttercream has been so popular. Everyone loves frosting, but it’s surprisingly easy to get wrong. That’s why I’m sharing with you everything I can think of to help you achieve the BEST cream cheese frosting.
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
If you’re curious as to why I believe this is the BEST cream cheese frosting recipe, or if you want extra help ensuring yours comes out perfectly, then read through my tips and explanations below. If you have any questions, they’re probably answered!
This is a simple recipe, but I find sometimes it’s easiest to overlook things that are simple and then be disappointed with lackluster results.
What Type of Cream Cheese is Best for Frosting?
- Use a regular full-fat cream cheese brick at a cool room temperature.
- Do NOT use whipped or spreadable cream cheese made for bagels.
- I’ve found that some off-brand cream cheese bricks have an unappealing, almost watery texture. Go with a quality brand when possible, such as Philadelphia cream cheese.
The Best Butter for Frosting
Unsalted butter at a cool room temperature (about 67°F) helps to make the frosting light, fluffy, and sturdy enough to pipe. Unsalted really does work best so you don’t end up with a buttercream that tastes like salt. Check out my article on Unsalted vs. Salted Butter for more on this.
The Secret Ingredient for the BEST Cream Cheese Frosting!
It may not be so secret once you take a closer look at these photos. The secret ingredient that elevates this frosting to a gourmet level…. it’s vanilla PASTE! Yes, it’s a little pricier and harder to find than regular vanilla extract, but it’s totally worth it.
When adding vanilla extract to anything that won’t be baked, like frosting, you can often taste and smell the alcohol of the extract. That’s why vanilla paste works so much better here. It adds a deeper vanilla flavor and a pretty appearance to your frosting. Since we also eat with our eyes, this is more important than you might think! It’s also much easier than seeding a vanilla pod.
You can purchase vanilla paste at gourmet food and kitchen stores like Williams Sonoma and Sur la Table, or make it easy on yourself and just add a bottle to your next Amazon order.
Lastly, if you find cream cheese frosting to be too sweet or rich for your taste, add a splash of lemon juice. It won’t add much pronounced lemon flavor, but the acidity will cut through and balance the richness.
What Type of Sugar for Cream Cheese Frosting?
- Powdered sugar is a must for frosting! No other sugar will produce a smooth texture.
- It’s also completely necessary to sift the powdered sugar after measuring it, and before adding it into the mixing bowl. This will ensure no pesky lumps and clumps ruin the smoothness of your frosting.
- If you don’t have any on hand, check out my quick hack for making your own powdered sugar in 5 minutes.
- For the absolute smoothest frosting, I recommend investing in organic powdered sugar that contains tapioca starch instead of cornstarch because it dissolves much more readily. No grittiness!
Which Mixer to Use for Frosting?
An electric mixer, either a stand mixer or hand-held, makes quick and easy work of creating a light and fluffy frosting. Because this recipe doesn’t make a huge amount of frosting, a hand mixer in a deep medium bowl does the trick perfectly.
How to Avoid Runny Cream Cheese Frosting?
- As I mentioned above, make sure you’re using bricks of cream cheese instead of the spreadable cream cheese that comes in a tub to avoid ending up with runny cream cheese frosting.
- Also, make sure your cream cheese and butter are at room temperature and are not overly warm.
- If you prefer a thicker frosting, you can experiment with adding an additional 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Just note that adding more sugar will result in a sweeter frosting.
How Much Frosting do I Need?
This recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups of frosting which is enough for 12 cupcakes. It can be easily doubled to frost a layered cake.
Does Cream Cheese Frosting Need to be Refrigerated?
Cream cheese frosting, alone or on cake or cupcakes, can sit at a cool room temperature for up to 8 hours before it should be refrigerated.
How to Store Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream Cheese Frosting can be made ahead of time, transferred to an airtight container, and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature and re-whip with an electric mixer before using.
Can you Freeze Cream Cheese Frosting?
Store cream cheese frosting in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month. Bring to room temperature and re-whip with an electric mixer before using.
More Buttercream Recipes & Tips:
- Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- How to Make the Best Buttercream
- Peanut Butter Frosting
- 6 Secrets for Perfect Buttercream
Ways to Use Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Red Velvet Cake
- Brown Butter Carrot Cake
- Banana Walnut Cake
- Perfect Carrot Cupcakes
- Sugar Cookies
- Banana Bread
The BEST Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (227 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature (brick-style, not spreadable)
- 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature
- 2 teaspoons
vanilla paste (or extract) - 2 cups (250 grams) powdered sugar, sifted (don't skip sifting!)
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla on medium-high speed until very light, creamy, and smooth. On low speed, gradually add in the sugar and beat until fluffy. If you need a stiffer consistency for decorative piping, add more powdered sugar.
Serving, Storing, and Make Ahead:
- Cream cheese frosting, alone or on cake or cupcakes, can sit at a cool room temperature for up to 8 hours before it should be refrigerated.
- The frosting can be made and transferred to an airtight container and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Bring to room temperature and re-whip with an electric mixer before using.
Recipe Notes
This post was originally published in 2017 and updated in 2022 with recipe improvements and new photos. Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
I use this recipe every time I need cream cheese frosting. It is super simple, quick and always gets compliments. I live in Europe and don’t have brick frosting but the phillys cream cheese in the tub works just as well for me! Thank you Tessa and team!
I found vanilla paste at TRADER JOES cheap price. I bought two!
It makes such a difference. The pulverized beans in there look wonderful in a white icing or blond cookie.
Love this recipe! Thank you so much! Frosted a gluten-free carrot cake and my family loved it! Where can I find a cake stand like the one in the photo, white top with the rustic gold pedastal? It is gorgeous!
Thanks!
Terry
No pic I made it too eat on french Toast for dinner. Added a little cinnamon, or could be real maple syrup. Could thin a little but I just pour on and eat
Hello!
I loved the fact that this recipe only used 2 cups of sugar, however it was very runny. I ended up adding a whole other cup of sugar, which ruined the taste. I wonder why this happened. I certainly used full fat brick Philadelphia cream cheese. Perhaps it needed to be beaten longer? If so, I would have appreciated if the recipe included how many minutes the beating process should take.
Hi Anna! What was your butter temperature at? It sounds to me like it may have been too warm! Your butter should be at a cool room temperature, which is about 67°F. Any warmer, and the frosting would be runny.
Hello Emily, thanks for the reply! I live in Puerto Rico and room temperature on the coolest possible day is about 80 degrees. I do realize it’s warmer than the butter needs, but I thought that placing the frosting in the fridge would make it firmer. It didn’t. Even after sitting in the fridge overnight, it still wouldn’t hold its shape. Can you help?
That’s helpful, thank you! What brand and type of cream cheese did you use? Was it a whipped or spreadable variety (like the kind made for bagels) instead of a full-fat block of cream cheese? Our go-to brand is Philadelphia, and we’ve found that off-brand cream cheeses often contain more water, which can make the frosting too runny. Whipped or spreadable cream cheese tend to have the same issue.
I used full fat brick original Philadelphia
Thank you, I missed that you mentioned that originally! The cream cheese frosting should have solidified more after being placed in the fridge, especially since you added more powdered sugar. I think this is one situation where it’s tough to know for sure what went wrong without having been in the kitchen with you! I’d love for you to give our recipe another try and see if the issue persists. Maybe something will stick out this time to you that fixes the issue. Please let me know how it goes if you do!
Made half a recipe as directed and it turned out great. I especially liked the explanations for how and why it’s done. Only issue I had was sifting powdered sugar in my flour sifter; next time will use a mesh strainer. Also appreciated recommendation for vanilla paste.
Hi! I tried this recipe but my consistency ends up being too runny so when I add more powdered sugar it ends up being too sweet. I also tried other recipes and same thing is happening 🙁 could it be that I am using Philadelphia tub? I can’t find the brick version in the UK
Hi Daniela! Yes, spreadable cream cheese has a lower fat content than block cream cheese, which makes the frosting runnier. We don’t recommend it for this recipe. Our team hasn’t experimented enough with adjusting ratios of ingredients for the tub cream cheese to work, so I’d suggest finding a recipe specifically for spreadable cream cheese.
Made a Oreo icing
Sounds interesting. Did adding cookie crumbs affect the texture?
Added peanut butter yum
Absolutely delicious & so easy to make – thank you thank you thank you!!!!!
Hi, I tried this recipe and taste wise it’s not too sweet, however the consistency isn’t firm enough to stand up to transporting on a warm day. It doesn’t get firm enough even when left in the fridge for a few hours. Hence the 2 star rating.
I really liked it!