This homemade Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe is worlds better than canned frosting. This tangy, smooth, and sweet topping adds the finishing touch to cupcakes, cinnamon rolls and carrot cakes!
Top Tip: Spread this frosting on your favorite red velvet dessert for a sweet and tangy finish.
This recipe was originally published in January 2021 and I updated the recipe notes in April 2025. I added a how-to video in July 2025.
Aimee’s Recipe Notes
Taste & Texture: Smooth, creamy, and tangy, providing the perfect balance of sweetness and richness.
Ease of Making: Quick and straightforward; requires only five ingredients.
Serving Suggestions: Ideal for topping cupcakes, cakes, cinnamon rolls, and cookies.
Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Top Tip: Ensure butter and cream cheese are softened to room temperature for a smooth, lump-free frosting.
Ingredient Swaps: Use full-fat cream cheese for best results; avoid using cream cheese spread from a tub.
Some desserts just scream for Cream Cheese Frosting!
- A carrot cake without a thick layer of cream cheese icing on top is incomplete.
- A pan of fresh hot cinnamon rolls looks empty if there’s no cream cheese frosting drizzled on top.
- And without this frosting, your homemade gingerbread bars won’t ever live up to its full delicious potential.
- Red velvet cupcakes are only complete with a swirl of cream cheese frosting on top!
Great recipe – I use it all the time!
– Melissa
Ingredient Notes
You only need FIVE ingredients to make homemade cream cheese frosting.
- Unsalted butter – Let it soften at room temperature for a few minutes first.
- Powdered sugar
- Cream Cheese – Use regular full fat cream cheese for best results.
- Vanilla – Make your own vanilla extract for a richer vanilla flavor.
- Heavy whipping cream – Adds even more creaminess to the frosting for the perfect consistency!
Easy Instructions
Once you learn how to make Cream Cheese Frosting at home, you can leave the cans of store bought icing behind in the dust. (Except for the most dire cream cheese emergencies of course!)
Start by beating the butter and cream cheese together until it’s light and fluffy.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the remaining ingredients until everything is combined, smooth and free of lumps.
That’s it! The homemade frosting is now ready to pipe onto any dessert or pastry you like.
Serving suggestions
Wondering what goes with cream cheese frosting? Here are a few ideas to get you started.
- Banana Cake and Banana Breads
- Pumpkin Bread and muffins
- Carrot Cupcakes or Yellow Cupcakes
- Gingerdoodle Cookies and all kinds of Gingerbread treats!
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake
- Chocolate Banana Cake
More Frosting Recipes
- This zesty Lemon Buttercream Frosting goes perfect on your next batch of these light and moist, homemade Lemon Coconut Cupcakes!
- Nothing beats a classic! Try this Vanilla Buttercream Frosting for your next birthday cake!
- You won’t find a better Chocolate Frosting recipe out there! Creamy, rich, and decadent frosting can make or break the dessert!
- Use this Sugar Cookie Frosting for your next sweet treat day! Also perfect for Christmas cookie decorating!
- If you LOVE making frosting, be sure to try this classic Chocolate Buttercream Frosting recipe. It’s truly decadent and perfect. Or give this Salted Caramel Swiss Meringue Frosting a try for a unique twist!
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Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 package cream cheese, softened 8 ounce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Beat butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl with electric (or hand held) mixer for 3-4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mixture should be light and fluffy.
- Add in vanilla, powdered sugar, and heavy cream. Beat an additiona 3-5 minutes until frosting has doubled in size and is fully blended and fluffy. Add more cream if you want the frosting thinner.
- Use on cakes and cupcakes as directed.
Notes
- Can I make cream cheese frosting without electric beaters? Yes, you can make Cream Cheese Frosting without electric beaters or a stand mixer but it’s very difficult. You’ll need lots of arm strength to whisk the ingredients fast enough and vigorously enough to combine everything. I STRONGLY recommend using an electric mixer for this!
- How do you store cream cheese frosting? You should store this cream cheese frosting in the fridge in an airtight container. It will stay good for 3 -4 days.
- Can I substitute milk for the heavy cream? No, I don’t recommend substituting milk for the heavy cream here. The higher fat content of the cream helps make the cream cheese frosting spreadable without getting runny.
Video
Nutrition
Nothing adds a sweet finishing touch to a dessert quite like Cream Cheese Frosting. Easy to make and downright irresistible, this is a frosting recipe you’ll make over and over again!
Why did my cream cheese frosting come out yellow??
yeah I don’t know?
Use clear vanilla extract
How do you turn this into a lemon cream cheese icing? I’m making my husband a birthday cake using your lemon cake recipe and he loves cream cheese icing. Please help!
Just add some fresh lemon zest, and swap out some of the liquid for lemon juice!
I made the recipe but turned it Keto. I 7sed Boca Sweet substitute for sugar, Lupin Flour substitute for white flour the same proportions. For the cream cheese frosting Swerve powered sugar substitute same proportions. Chopped 1 cup walnits. Turned out really wonderful. Super moist
Made these as cupcakes – baked for 20 minutes and they came out just right. Also used only 2 mashed bananas (as it was all I had!) and topped them with mini chocolate chips instead of walnuts. Absolutely delicious! I love that they’re not too sweet. They look like chocolate cake but have an unexpected banana note that is really unique. Will be making again. I might add chocolate chips to the batter and skip the frosting for muffins!
How many cups does this recipe yield?
What to use if I don’t have cream?
Would I be able to use this frosting to pipe, say ‘grass’? Would it hold its shape?
Cream cheese frosting is a much thinner frosting., so probably not.
My frosting came out thin! How can I make it fluffy?
You can refrigerate it, then re-whip it after it’s chilled. Cream cheese frosting tends to be a looser frosting.
My name is Shirley and I live in Brazil. Congratulations on so many fantastic recipes, one better than the other. I’ve been trying to make this cream cheese frosting for a while now but it’s not as creamy and smooth as yours. Where am I going wrong, I’ve tried several times and it’s not the same as yours. Could you tell me how long I should beat the ingredients each time they are added? Thank you. Anxious for the answer.
First, are you using block cream cheese (not the spreadable kind in a tub)? Also make sure it’s real butter (not a margarine or shortening). In the directions I say beat 3-4 minutes, then add sugar and beat an additional 3-5 minutes until creamy. good luck!
I can’t find a search que. ……So I am asking is there some one that has a recipe for a Red Velvet Cheese Cake? I don’t want a cake involved just the cheese
Like the New York cheese cake recipe.
I seem to always make more than I am going to use. Can this frosting be made ahead of time and put in the freezer? And if so, are there any special instructions that I should be aware of, like how long it will be good for in the fridge and/or in the freezer (if done so?)
Just made this and the measurements are dead on. I always seem to put too much liquid then need to add more powdered sugar, then it doesn’t taste right; more like powdered sugar. I did alter by using almond extract because I wanted it to stay white, and I only had dark vanilla. Yummy frosting recipe!
I love adding almond extract to nearly everything, haha. Glad you enjoyed the frosting!
Great recipe – I use it all the time!
Yummy! This looks so delicious! Perfect for cupcakes I just made! Can’t wait to make this!