The Best Cream Cheese Frosting
This Cream Cheese Frosting is not overly sweet and has a great cream cheese flavor thanks to a key ingredient. It is never lumpy and never, ever runny!
I perfected this recipe for my cake decorating business. You can imagine a wedding cake with a runny filling would not be a great idea.
Why this is the best tasting Cream Cheese Frosting
- This recipe uses just 1 1/2 times sugar to cream cheese/butter. Most recipes for cream cheese frosting use twice as much sugar as cream cheese/butter. This allows the cream cheese flavor to be front and center in this frosting.
- A splash of fresh lemon juice emphasizes the cream cheese flavor. This ensures that even with equal parts cream cheese and butter the frosting has a distinct cream cheese flavor.
Why this Cream Cheese Frosting is never runny
- Butter is about 20% water and cream cheese is about 50% water. The extra moisture in the cheese can make the frosting runny. The extra butter in this recipe makes a slightly firmer frosting, especially when it’s chilled.
- I start my Cream Cheese Frosting by softening the butter with the beater, then adding the sugar and finally the cream cheese. Because cream cheese has more water than butter, mixing the butter with the sugar first prevents the sugar from absorbing too much water from the cream cheese. This is why cream cheese frosting made in the usual way often becomes soupy.
- This process allows the butter to become similar in texture to the cream cheese before the two are combined, even if the butter is still a little cool. So, no lumps!
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Confectioner’s Sugar – Compared to most recipes, this one has less sugar but still plenty of sweet flavor.
- Cream Cheese/Butter – Used in equal proportion for the perfect frosting texture that is never runny.
- Vanilla/Lemon Juice/Salt – The combination of these ingredients emphasizes the flavor of the cream cheese and balances the sweetness.
How to make Cream Cheese Frosting that is not runny
See the recipe card for detailed instructions and measurements.
- First, soften the butter with the beater attachment.
- The butter should be room temperature. Pliable, but not soft and melty.
- Add the powdered sugar to the butter and mix until well combined and there are no lumps of butter.
- Mixing the butter with the sugar coats the sugar with fat so it absorbs less water from the cream cheese. This prevents the icing from becoming runny.
- Once the sugar and butter are combined toss the cream cheese in while the mixer is running.
- Mix until the frosting is smooth and well combined.
- Switch to the whisk and whip until the frosting is light and aerated.
- It’s best to use this frosting right away.
This recipe has a pronounced cream cheese flavor and it’s plenty sweet but not cloying. It’s a versatile recipe that I use for carrot and red velvet cake, as a topping for breakfast buns and to decorate cheesecakes.
Here are some of my other favorite frosting recipes:
- Ermine Frosting Recipe
- Old Fashioned Chocolate Frosting
- American Buttercream Frosting
- Seven Minute Frosting
If you love this recipe as much as I do, I’d really appreciate a 5-star review.
Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
There is a better way to make cream cheese frosting. This recipe is lump-free and doesn't become runny. It has great cream cheese flavor.
servings
Prevent your screen from going dark
Ingredients
- 8 oz unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 12 oz confectioner’s sugar (3 cups)
- 8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
- ⅛ teaspoon table salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Cream 8 oz unsalted butter in a mixing bowl until softened. Add 12 oz confectioner’s sugar (3 cups) and mix until combined with no lumps. Scrape the bowl and beater attachment.
- With the mixer running, toss in 8 oz cream cheese. Scrape the bowl and beater completely, add ⅛ teaspoon table salt, 1 teaspoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract. Switch to the whisk attachment.
- Whip the mixture on medium high until light and fluffy
- Best used immediately after it’s made.
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Notes
Makes enough to fill and frost an 8″ cake.
Best if used immediately, but can be refrigerated or frozen. Return to room temperature and re-whip before using.
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @eileen.bakingsense or tag #bakingsense!
Simply fabulous! Spreads perfectly and tastes as good if not better than it looks. My adult godson ate 1/2 of a red velvet cake because he loved the frosting! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I agree with your godson. I personally think Red Velvet and Carrot Cake are basically Cream Cheese frosting delivery systems!
Hi Eileen! This is just what I’ve been looking for to make my daughter’s wedding cake. Have you tried freezing this frosting? If so, do you have any tips to reconstitute it to its original texture when taken out of the freezer?
Thank you!
Patti
Yes, you can definitely freeze this frosting. Let it come back to room temperature then rewhip it to lighten the texture again. User it right after it’s whipped.
This is best cream cheese frosting recipe. This is my second time making it. FYI
I froze the leftover frosting before and at a later date thawed it out and used it on another cake. Make sure to use a sealed tight container.
Looking forward to trying this recipe!! I see that it’s been called ‘stable’ – is it stable enough for piping onto cupcakes? Nothing fancy – just swirls? I typically hate the taste of Buttercream, so looking for an alternative. Thank you!
Yes, you can pipe this buttercream. But it should be refrigerated.
What temperature should the cream cheese be?
Room temp.