Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe – Love and Lemons

Learn how to make cream cheese frosting with just 4 ingredients! Sweet, creamy, rich, and tangy, it’s delicious on cakes, cupcakes, and more.

Who doesn’t love cream cheese frosting?! This sweet, tangy topping is the perfect complement to just about any cake or cupcake, not to mention cookies, bars, and quick breads. I have it on repeat around here in the spring, when we have carrot cake cupcakes for Easter, an actual carrot cake for Jack’s birthday, and then carrot cake cookies, well, just because I like them. 🙂

My cream cheese frosting recipe calls for 4 basic ingredients, and it comes together in less than 10 minutes. The next time you want to make a homemade baked good taste extra-decadent and special, all you have to do is whip it up!

Recipe Ingredients

You only need 4 ingredients to make this recipe:

• Cream cheese, of course! Skip the whipped or low-fat stuff and seek out block-style, full-fat cream cheese. It gives this frosting the best rich texture and tangy flavor. Let it come to room temperature or soften it slightly in the microwave before making the frosting.
• Unsalted butter – It gives the frosting buttery flavor and a texture that’s thick enough for piping. Allow the butter to soften to room temperature before mixing up the frosting. If it’s too firm, the frosting will be lumpy.
• Powdered sugar – Aka confectioner’s sugar. It thickens and sweetens the frosting. Make homemade powdered sugar, or use store-bought.
• And vanilla extract – For warm depth of flavor.

Optional: season to taste with a dash of salt!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting

My method for how to make cream cheese frosting couldn’t be simpler! Here’s how it goes:

First, combine the cream cheese and butter. Place them in a large bowl and use an electric mixer to beat until smooth. I like to use an electric hand mixer to make this recipe, because as written, it’s a bit small for my stand mixer. If you prefer to use a stand mixer, you may need to double the recipe.

If you don’t have a mixer, you can make this recipe by hand with a whisk. It’ll just take some elbow grease!

Then, add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix until the frosting is smooth and creamy (check out that texture above!!). Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. Tip: if your powdered sugar is lumpy, sift it before adding it to the cream cheese mixture.

Taste and adjust, adding a pinch of salt if needed. That’s it!

How to Use Cream Cheese Frosting

This recipe yields about 1 1/2 cups of frosting. That’s enough for an 8- or 9-inch cake, a loaf cake, or a batch of 12 cupcakes. I love to use it on these treats:

Double the recipe for a 9×13-inch sheet cake, or triple it for a layer cake.

More Frostings, Glazes, and Whips

If you love this recipe, try one of these sweet toppings next:

Craving more treats? Check out these 25 Super Fun Baking Recipes!

Cream Cheese Frosting

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 10 minutes mins

Serves 8

Our favorite cream cheese frosting recipe! It’s SO easy to make, and it’s the perfect sweet and tangy topping for desserts like cakes, cupcakes, cookies, bars, and more.

• 4 ounces cream cheese, full-fat, block-style, softened slightly
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar, more for a stiffer frosting, sifted if lumpy
• ⅛ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Sea salt, to taste

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

• In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until smooth.

• Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and mix until smooth, stopping and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. For a stiffer frosting, beat in additional powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency. Taste and adjust, adding a pinch of salt if needed.

• Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.