Cream Cheese Frosting is so easy to make, just 5 ingredients! Sweet, creamy, with that slight tang that you love.
![Cream Cheese Frosting is so easy to make, just 5 ingredients! Sweet, creamy, with that slight tang that you love.](https://farm1.staticflickr.com/762/20469747513_5b00c5ea63_b.jpg)
I really love cream cheese frosting. Smooth and creamy, just like my favorite american buttercream (recipe coming soon!) but less buttery and it has that cream cheese tang that I just can't get enough of.
Making your own frosting is really so easy!
If you need a vegan or dairy free buttercream, my vegan frosting is fluffy and tastes great.
I even have a vegan chocolate buttercream recipe that uses melted chocolate and cocoa powder!
Just a few basic ingredients and a mixer and you are set.
How to make fluffy cream cheese frosting?
There are a few secrets to making a perfect easy cream cheese frosting.
The butter and the cream cheese need to be very soft, but not at all melted.
When I plan ahead I will just set the butter and the cream cheese out on the counter several hours before I plan on making my frosting.
If they are nice and soft they will whip easily which will give you a light and creamy frosting.
The more you whip your frosting, the fluffier it will be.
The second secret is to whip, whip, WHIP!
To make frosting you really need some sort of electric mixer.
I love my stand mixer, and that is definitely the easiest way to go.
You just turn it on, and then come back a few minutes later. You can also use a handheld mixer, I have many times. I'd just suggest using a heavy-duty model if you can.
Even when softened the frosting is quite thick and could burn out the motor on a mixer if you aren't careful.
The butter and cream cheese really need a full 5 minutes of whipping to incorporate lots of air and make the finished frosting nice and smooth.
Set a timer, a full 5 minutes!
Funny story. My sister got married this past May and I made her wedding cake and the cupcakes to serve at her reception.
She wanted gluten free red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting.
I am asked to make it for almost every special occasion now.
It is what I made my sister for her birthday just a few months before.
Anyways... I made and frosted more than 300 red velvet cupcakes with this cream cheese frosting.
(If you want to check out my cake making adventures on Instagram you can here, here, and here. And here and here are pics from her wedding.)
I made pounds and pounds of my easy cream cheese frosting.
I was letting my mixer really whip the cream cheese but when I went to lift up the beaters, the whisk attachment stayed in the frosting and the post that it was attached to was still in the head of my mixer.
The plastic whisk attachment melted off because of the friction! (you can see that on Instagram too, here.)
Pro-tip: use your paddle attachment or a solid metal whisk attachment.
How much powdered sugar do you need to make cream cheese frosting?
The final secret to the perfect easy cream cheese frosting is to measure the powdered sugar (and the butter and cream cheese) by weight.
Why? It is quite simple, the amount of air in powdered sugar can vary greatly.
Maybe you just shook the bag and it is nice and aerated?
Or maybe you really packed it in?
Either way of measuring could get you more or less sugar, which could really change your frosting.
So do it by weight!
Just one last note, this frosting is very soft when it is warm.
Not nearly as stiff as my american buttercream.
Any piping you do won't have as much definition, but that doesn't change how delicious it is.
I really think it is the perfect easy cream cheese frosting!
And while I'm thinking of cream cheese, you've got to try this gluten free cheesecake! My friend Erin's recipe used chopped nuts in the crust for great flavor and texture!
📖 Recipe
![Easy Cream Cheese Frosting](https://flippindelicious.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/20469747513_5b00c5ea63_b-480x480.jpg)
Easy Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream Cheese Frosting is so easy to make, just 5 ingredients! Sweet, creamy, with that slight tang that you love.
Ingredients
- (1) 8oz pkg Cream Cheese, softened
- (1) 4 oz stick butter, softened (½ cup)
- 1 ½ lbs (24 oz) powdered sugar
- 1-2 Tablespoons milk or cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Using a stand mixer or electric hand beaters beat the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy (5 minutes) add the milk or cream, powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until smooth (additional 3 minutes.)
Notes
I often double this recipe and use 3 lbs of powdered sugar. Instead of measuring it, I use 1, 2 lb bag of powdered sugar and half of a second 2lb bag of powdered sugar.
Nutrition Information
Yield 24 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 73Total Fat 8gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 21mgSodium 61mgCarbohydrates 1gFiber 0gSugar 1gProtein 1g
All nutrition info is a guestimate and will vary depending on the ingredients you use.
Maggie Unzueta
Holy moly! That looks delicious. Then again, anything cream cheese is delicious. 🙂
flippindelicious
Thanks Maggie! I agree, I love anything with cream cheese.
Lela
Yes!!!! This is exactly the recipe I've been looking for! So glad you joined the party at Inspiration Thursday. I always love to see the recipes you share. Have a great week!
kim
this sounds so delicious! I'm saving this recipe.
Mary Gilbert (My Life In Progress)
Thanks for sharing with us at #JoyHopeLive!
Stephanie
Ive tried this recipe a few times and it always comes out runny.. Im not sure what im doing wrong. Any tips?
flippindelicious
I have had it come out runny for me when the cream cheese and butter are too warm. Would that be the case for you?
I think the tips to success are:
1) to have the cream cheese and butter at room temperature, not melty or hot.
2) measuring the powdered sugar by weight.
3) being careful when adding the cream or milk. You might not need it all. Just add it a little at a time until the frosting comes together and is smooth.
If your frosting is runny you can also "fix" it by adding some more powdered sugar.
I hope that helps! Let me know how it turns out next time you make it. 🙂
Angie
Hello,
Just made this frosting, but it won't hold its shape when I pipette! Any tips? I added extra powdered sugar to thicken it.
flippindelicious
Hi Angie, How soft was your cream cheese and butter? In my experience, when they've been very warm my frosting has been softer. I make the frosting, add all the powdered sugar, and then I add the liquid a little at a time, just until I get the consistency I want.
Also, cream cheese frosting is just a bit softer than my american buttercream in general. If I want a firm frosting, I use that recipe and add cream cheese flavoring (like when I made my gluten free red velvet layer cake for my sister's wedding in May. I didn't want to risk the softer cream cheese frosting not staying in place in the warm weather.)
Hope that helps! -Brianna
Kimberlee Kenyon
I love the texture from whipping it for 5 minutes, so I will definitely use that tip in the future. In my opinion, this recipe is way too sweet. I didn't even put the full 24oz. I got to 20oz, and it was already super sweet. It was a perfect spreadable consistency for my carrot cake, so I didn't add anymore powdered sugar.
flippindelicious
Hi Kimberlee,
This frosting can be very sweet! Most American buttercreams, including my cream cheese frosting, use powdered sugar to thicken them and give them stability. If you use shortening instead of butter, you may not need to add as much powdered sugar. It also depends on what kind of cake you are frosting, a layer cake needs a thicker frosting so the frosting doesn't slide down the sides. You can get away with a softer frosting for a single layer sheet cake.
I'm so glad that using a little bit less sugar worked well for you! In many cases, 20 oz is enough. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment, I really appreciate your feedback and it has reminded me of some additional information I could add to make this recipe even more helpful to others.
Happy Baking! -Brianna
Karen
The carrot cupcakes are delicious! However, I think the carbs are way off in the cream cheese frosting recipe. For 24 oz. of powdered sugar divided by 15 cupcakes, pretty sure each serving will be a lot more. Keep baking!
flippindelicious
Hi Karen,
The nutrition facts on all my recipes are definitely guesstimates, a program calculates them but they are just a guideline as the nutrition info really depends on the exact ingredients you use. The carbs may very well be off! If you are watching your carbs carefully, I recommend calculating them yourself. The Frosting may also be calculated separately in this recipe. Hope that helps!
Brianna