Easy Cream Cheese Frosting

In this post I’m going to share my recipe for the greatest Classic Cream Cheese Frosting you’ll ever eat! It’s luscious, creamy, and melts on the tongue. Best of all, it’s really simple to make and only takes five ingredients.

Is Cream Cheese Icing the Same Thing as Buttercream?

Cream cheese has a distinctive tart flavor you won’t find in a traditional buttercream. And even though I use cream cheese in my Creamy Dreamy Buttercream, it’s got other ingredients (and is firmer to the touch).

Cream cheese frosting is thick, gloopy, and luscious. (Is gloopy a word?) It’s a favorite recipe in the south, for sure! It’s loaded with confectioners’ sugar, just like buttercream, but not as much. In fact, I use about half of the amount in this recipe as I do in my Dreamy Buttercream. Less sugar is better, because the sweetness doesn’t drown out the tart creaminess.

Cream cheese frosting isn’t meant to be firm. You won’t be able to do intricate piping with it, though I did manage to get mine to stand up to a Wilton 1M tip for these cupcakes. I used a piping bag with no problem at all.

(Full disclosure: I used cream cheese frosting on bottom and buttercream for the pink and purple rosettes.)

When to Use Cream Cheese Frosting in Place of Buttercream

There are some desserts that absolutely call for a thicker frosting like cream cheese icing. If you’re from the south, you already know this. I love cream cheese frosting on top of my cinnamon rolls, for instance. And it’s amazing on cakes.

Speaking of which, here are my top five cakes that are best with cream cheese frosting:

Italian Cream Cake

Loaded with nuts and coconut, this cake is delicious with cream cheese frosting.

Classic Red Velvet Cake

This is the perfect layer cake to incorporate this tangy cream cheese frosti

Hummingbird Cake

This one is a true southern favorite and even better with cream cheese frosting on top!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Carrot cake just wouldn’t be carrot cake without cream cheese frosting!

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients

You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here’s a quick peek at what you’ll need for this luscious cream cheese frosting. These are simple ingredients you might already have in your pantry or fridge:

• room temperature butter (salted or unsalted butter, your choice)
• room temperature full-fat cream cheese
• heavy whipping cream
• powdered sugar
• vanilla extract

How to Make this Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting

This comes together so quickly, you won’t believe it! You can make it in your stand mixer with paddle attachment or use your electric mixer.

I opted to use my new Thermomix. You’ll find the Thermomix instructions below the traditional instructions.

Make sure your butter and cream cheese are room temperature. This is important so you won’t have clumps. Cube butter and cream cheese.

Place cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl (or bowl of stand mixer) and beat until light and fluffy.

Add vanilla and two tablespoons of heavy whipping cream and mix until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Slowly add powdered sugar, mixing slowly. You want this cream cheese frosting to be thick and rich, not light and fluffy like a buttercream frosting. You can switch to your whisk attachment at this point if you like. (It’s great for making frosting light and fluffy.)

You can always add more cream or powdered sugar to adjust the consistency. Just make sure the sugar is fully incorporated before using.

You can spread the cream cheese frosting straight from the bowl onto your cake or cupcakes. In my case I was making strawberry cupcakes for my daughter’s birthday. I frosted the with a bottom layer of cream cheese (her request, and perfect with strawberry).

I happened to have buttercream left over from my Valentine’s Cupcake Bouquet. I just colored my leftover white buttercream in purple for this project. (I love vibrant colors. Can you tell?)

Thermomix Instructions for Cream Cheese Frosting

If you’re using the Thermomix this is the easiest frosting ever! Just remember to start with cold ingredients, not room temperature.

• Cube butter and cream cheese. Place into Thermomix
• Mix for 20 seconds at speed five
• Scrape down the edges and add two tablespoons heavy cream.
• Mix for an additional 20 seconds at speed five
• Add whisk.
• Add 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar.
• Mix for 15 seconds at 3.5 speed.
• Scrape down sides.
• Mix for an additional 15 seconds at 3.5 speed.

What to Expect from this Easy Cream Cheese Frosting

This frosting is sheer perfection. It’s so creamy and smooth and has that luscious tart flavor you expect from cream cheese. But it’s also got the sweetness of buttercream.

I’m supposed to be dieting right now, but I had to sneak a bite. (Hey, some temptations are just too much!)

The texture of this frosting is different from my buttercream. You can really see it when you place them side by side. (Cream cheese is on the top.) Cream cheese is slightly darker in color and has that lovely creaminess we’ve already talked about.

This frosting immediately brings up images of the south. I can’t help but think about that armadillo cake in Steel Magnolias. You know it had to be loaded with cream cheese frosting.

Hints and Tips

If you’re using cream cheese frosting between the layers of your red velvet, hummingbird, Italian Cream, or Carrot cake, just make sure it’s firm enough to withstand the pressure of the cake above it.

Some cakes, like my Italian Cream, call for pecans and coconut between the layers on top of the cream cheese frosting. In that case, you should pipe a dam of the frosting around the edge before putting the fillings inside.

This is also the case when you’re using a filling like strawberry preserves on top of the cream cheese frosting between cake layers.

You should store cream cheese frosting in the refrigerator in an airtight container. One of my favorite tricks with frosting is to freeze it. It stays good in a freezer bag up to two months.

How to Use up Leftover Cream Cheese Frosting

This recipe made enough for 24 cupcakes and I only needed to frost 12, which means I’ve got a ton of Cream Cheese frosting left in a piping bag in my fridge. Here are some ideas for how I could use it up:

Graham Crackers: Make a graham cracker cream cheese sandwich! (Yum!)

Check out this post called 25 Cream Cheese Desserts from Taste of Home!

Questions People are Asking about Cream Cheese Frosting

How do you make cream cheese frosting better? 

The key is to balance the ingredients. If you want a lighter frosting try adding a third stick of butter and a bit more heavy whipping cream. If you like the heaviness of traditional cream cheese, stick with 1 – 2 sticks of butter and a full cup of cream cheese.

Is cream cheese frosting better with butter or cream?

I’ve never made cream cheese frosting without butter, so I can’t imagine just using cream cheese and cream. I honestly think the magic is in the combination of butter, cream cheese, and heavy whipping cream.

Why is my cream cheese frosting not fluffy?

Maybe you’ve been making it without heavy whipping cream. Try adding a bit more heavy cream to the mix.

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That’s it for this post, friends! I hope you enjoyed this easy recipe for homemade cream cheese frosting. I hope you don’t mind if a brag a little but this is the best cream cheese frosting recipe out there!

See this recipe at

Full Plate Thursday 

Weekend Potluck

Busy Monday

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About the Author

Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 150 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.