Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: The frosting is sweet, tangy, and packed with vanilla flavor without any cloying sweetness.
Texture: It’s ultra-smooth, creamy, and downright luscious while remaining pipeable.
Ease: It doesn’t get much easier than just 4 ingredients with make-ahead potential.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: This 7-minute recipe instantly elevates your cakes, cupcakes, and favorite desserts!
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Some frostings are just a finishing touch, but my recipe for cream cheese frosting is the main event!
Since I first shared this recipe back in 2017, it’s become one of the most popular recipes on my site. Honestly, I get why. It’s my go-to for anything red velvet, my ultra-moist banana cake, and topping carrot cake cupcakes.
Over the years, though, I kept getting feedback that the original recipe was too runny for many HTH bakers. So I went back to the kitchen and experimented, tweaking the mixing method to make it sturdier without adding more sugar.
The new and improved recipe pipes perfectly, holds its shape, and still delivers that silky texture and tangy flavor, giving your favorite treats an instant upgrade.
Reader Love
This frosting was awesome! First time I’ve tried it, but won’t be the last. Directions were easy to follow, hints helpful, and only 4 ingredients. The result was a silky smooth, delicious but not sickly sweet, frosting that everyone loved.
Sprinkle of Science
Tips for Best Results
I’ve tweaked this cream cheese buttercream frosting recipe since the original to help it hold its shape. The current version is better for piping, a must for the perfect cupcakes! All I did was change the order of the ingredients.
Instead of adding the 1 ½ cups of powdered sugar last, I beat the butter and sugar first, much like a buttercream recipe. Then I added the cream cheese. That one little change makes a HUGE difference! See the difference in sturdiness above.
On the left, the frosting is smooth but a bit too soft. It starts to slide off the cupcake when flipped upside down! My new method on the right pipes beautifully and stays put. This makes it sturdier for hot days, BBQs, picnics, and transporting.
Here’s the science: When you cream butter and sugar together, air becomes trapped, resulting in a fluffier texture and more stable structure. The powdered sugar also acts as a slight barrier, coating the fat in the butter to prevent the extra moisture in the cream cheese from absorbing.
Here are a few more tips for the best melt-in-your-mouth texture:
- Butter temperature matters. Butter even a few degrees too warm can lead to runny frosting. Adding more powdered sugar can help, but it makes the frosting sweeter. Instead, chill the frosting for 30 minutes to firm it up, then whip it again before using.
- Cream cheese temperature matters. Your cream cheese should be at room temperature. (This is true for your cheesecakes, too.) If it’s too warm, it can make your frosting turn runny. Cold cream cheese doesn’t blend smoothly, which could mean a grainy texture.
- Your mixer matters less. A stand mixer or a hand-held electric mixer with a large bowl works perfectly here.
- Sift your powdered sugar. To keep your frosting lump-free, sift the powdered sugar after measuring. This is a good piping tip, as lumps can clog your piping tips and bag.
- Balance texture and sweetness. Feel free to add an additional 2 tablespoons of sifted powdered sugar at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Just note that this will result in a sweeter frosting.
- Try it on cinnamon rolls. Swap the icing in my cinnamon rolls recipe for this frosting using my original method! Beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla at medium to high speed first. Then, gradually mix in the powdered sugar on low speed and beat until fluffy.
Delicious Ways to Use This Frosting
- Banana Cupcakes With Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
- Brown Butter Carrot Cake
- Carrot Walnut Loaf
- Easy Funfetti Cupcakes
- Gingerbread Sheet Cake
Storage Instructions
Since the sugar acts as a preservative, this frosting can sit at a cool room temperature for up to 8 hours before it needs to be refrigerated. That includes on its own or frosted onto your favorite baked goods, like these gingerbread cookie bars or a chocolate cake.
You can also make your homemade cream cheese frosting ahead of time. Once it’s prepped, place it inside an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to a month. Bring it to room temperature and re-whip with an electric hand mixer before using.
More Frosting Recipes You’ll Love
- The Best Buttercream Frosting
- Best Ever Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Dark Chocolate Buttercream
- Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting
- Swiss Meringue Buttercream
FAQs
What’s the difference between cream cheese frosting and icing?
People often use “frosting” and “icing” interchangeably, but there are some key differences. Cream cheese frosting is thick and holds its shape. It’s the kind of thing you frost cakes with and pipe onto cupcakes. I like to spread it generously on red velvet cakes or red velvet cookies!
Making homemade icing is even simpler. It’s just powdered sugar and a splash of liquid and meant to be thin enough to drizzle or pour. It sets into a shiny glaze on cookies or cinnamon rolls, but it’s not something you’d pile high on a cake. (Cream cheese icing is technically the wrong term for both!)
What is the texture of cream cheese frosting, and does it set hard?
Cream cheese frosting is smooth, thick, and creamy. It’s soft and spreadable, perfect for layer cake recipes, indulgent banana breads, sugar cookies, and cupcakes. It’s especially ideal for red velvet cupcakes! Unlike an icing or glaze, it doesn’t set hard. It stays fluffy, even after chilling, but gets softer at room temperature.
Can I add food coloring to cream cheese frosting?
You can add food coloring to cream cheese frosting. Gel or powder colors work best over liquid food dyes because they won’t thin out the frosting. Mix in a little at a time until you reach your desired shade.
Cream Cheese Frosting
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Ingredients
- ¾ stick (85 grams) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature (67°F)*
- 1 ½ cups (188 grams) powdered sugar, sifted (Don't skip sifting!)
- 6 ounces (170 grams) cream cheese, completely softened to room temperature (brick-style, not spreadable)
- 1 ½ teaspoons
vanilla paste or vanilla extract
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and sifted powdered sugar on low. Gradually increase to medium-high to prevent a sugar cloud.
- Beat for 3 minutes until smooth. (It may look dry at first, but it will come together like magic!)
- Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl and paddle, then add the cream cheese and beat on medium-high for 1 minute until fluffy.
- Add the vanilla and beat for 30 seconds until fully incorporated. Scrape down the bowl again as needed.
Recipe Notes
The Ultimate Cookie Handbook
Learn the sweet SCIENCE of cookie baking in a fun, visual way to customize your own recipes frustration-free. Plus, my best 50+ homemade cookies!
This post was originally published in 2017 and updated in 2025 with recipe improvements and new photos. Photos by Joanie Simon.
I’m ggoing to make this in morning going to to a dinner lm putting it on a spice cake
The frosting was good, but two cups of sugar would be way too sweet for myself. I put one cup of sugar and tasted it and it was actually pretty perfect but I decided to sweeten it a little more so I put in a little less than half a cup and that made it too sweet. Otherwise it was really good and I’ll make it again just with less sugar.
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!!!!!