Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting

easy cream cheese frosting on a beater on a table

5 from 10 votes

Everyone needs a perfect recipe for Cream Cheese Frosting! This classic recipe is essential for so many different kinds of cupcakes, cakes, and cookies. It is sweet and tangy, creamy and swirly. I will show you just how to make it so that you get the perfect texture every time. A touch of lemon and vanilla in the frosting really brings on the flavor!

Prep Time10

Total Time10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: cups

Calories: 664kcal

Author: The Food Charlatan

Ingredients

8 ounce package full fat cream cheese softened
1/2 cup butter softened (1 stick)
2 & 1/2 cups powdered sugar or up to 4 cups
1 teaspoon good quality vanilla
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice optional
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

Soften your cream cheese and butter. You can either do this by leaving it out on the counter for an hour or two, or you can speed up the process by putting it in the microwave at a low power level. I like to put the butter and cream cheese I need on a plate or in a bowl, and then microwave on power level 2 in 30-second increments. Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't start to melt. When you can easily push your finger into it, it is soft enough.
Add the cream cheese and butter to a large bowl or stand mixer.*
Beat for about 1-2 minutes, taking the time to scrape the bottom and edges of the bowl, to make sure it is all getting smooth. If you have any lumps in your mixture right now, there will be lumps in your frosting. Make sure you beat until the entire mixture is smooth and creamy.
Add 1 cup powdered sugar and beat together. If it is very clumpy, I recommend sifting it to make sure that you don't end up with powdered sugar lumps in your frosting. Make sure you scrape the bottom and edges.
Add another cup of powdered sugar and beat well.
Add 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, and 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. You don't have to use the lemon juice, but I love how it really brings out the tang in the cream cheese. It doesn't make the frosting taste like lemon.
Add another 1/2 cup powdered sugar and beat well.
Taste your frosting and see what you think. If you are frosting a sheet cake and like the flavor and texture where it's at, leave it as is. If you are piping the frosting onto cupcakes, or using the frosting in a layer cake, you might consider adding more powdered sugar (up to 4 cups total) so that the frosting is more sturdy and will hold up. Remember that the more powdered sugar you add, the less tangy and cream-cheesy your frosting will taste.
Adjust salt, lemon juice, and vanilla to taste as desired.

Notes

Full recipe makes enough for 18 cupcakes

*If you like an ultra-whipped, light texture for your frosting, beat together the softened butter and 1 to 2 cups of powdered sugar first (to taste), making sure to beat out all the lumps. THEN add in the cream cheese gradually, in chunks, beating thoroughly each time. (This only works if it is totally softened!) Add in more powdered sugar as desired.

This method ensures that the fat from the butter bonds with the powdered sugar first, making your frosting super light and airy. The flavor is the same, and in my opinion it pipes and spreads the same, but the texture is lighter and fluffier, and the appearance is more white than the traditional method, which is more off-white.

Nutrition

Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting - https://finalstockalert.com/cream-cheese-frosting/%3C/em%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cscript%3Ewindow.wprm_recipes = {"recipe-30905":{"type":"food","name":"Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting","slug":"wprm-homemade-cream-cheese-frosting","image_url":"https:\/\/thefoodcharlatan.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Cream-Cheese-Frosting-6.jpg","rating":{"count":10,"total":50,"average":5,"type":{"comment":3,"no_comment":0,"user":7},"user":0},"ingredients":[{"uid":0,"amount":"8","unit":"ounce","name":"package full fat cream cheese","notes":"softened","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"unit_id":4742,"id":5214,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"8","unit":"ounce","unitParsed":"ounce"}}},{"uid":2,"amount":"1\/2","unit":"cup","name":"butter","notes":"softened (1 stick)","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"unit_id":4728,"id":755,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1\/2","unit":"cup","unitParsed":"cup"}}},{"uid":4,"amount":"2 & 1\/2","unit":"cups","name":"powdered sugar","notes":"or up to 4 cups","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"unit_id":4726,"id":836,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"2 & 1\/2","unit":"cups","unitParsed":"cups"}}},{"uid":6,"amount":"1","unit":"teaspoon","name":"good quality vanilla","notes":"","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"unit_id":4724,"id":1814,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1","unit":"teaspoon","unitParsed":"teaspoon"}}},{"uid":8,"amount":"1","unit":"teaspoon","name":"fresh lemon juice","notes":"optional","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"unit_id":4724,"id":1100,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1","unit":"teaspoon","unitParsed":"teaspoon"}}},{"uid":10,"amount":"1\/4 to 1\/2","unit":"teaspoon","name":"kosher salt","notes":"","link":{"url":"","nofollow":"default"},"unit_id":4724,"id":805,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1\/4 to 1\/2","unit":"teaspoon","unitParsed":"teaspoon"}}}],"originalServings":"3","originalServingsParsed":3,"currentServings":"3","currentServingsParsed":3,"currentServingsFormatted":"3","currentServingsMultiplier":1,"originalSystem":1,"currentSystem":1,"unitSystems":[1],"originalAdvancedServings":{"shape":"round","unit":"inch","diameter":0,"width":0,"length":0,"height":0},"currentAdvancedServings":{"shape":"round","unit":"inch","diameter":0,"width":0,"length":0,"height":0}}}