Cream Cheese Frosting made with just 5 ingredients is rich and creamy, PERFECT for cakes or cupcakes, and ready in under 10 minutes!
Everyone loves putting together sweet Desserts, and nothing tops them better than this recipe or Chocolate Ganache.
Sabrina’s Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Cream Cheese Frosting is the crowning glory of many a dessert. It’s milder and lighter than American buttercream frosting. This frosting adds the perfect finishing touch and balances the flavors of the dessert without overpowering it. The ingredients are super simple and there are only 5 of them: cream cheese, butter, sour cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract.
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
- Step One: In a stand electric mixer or electric hand mixer on medium speed, combine the cream cheese, butter, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Beat these ingredients together in the mixing bowl until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Step Two: Next you’ll gradually add in the powdered sugar, one cup at a time, into the bowl. Let it mix until the powdered sugar is just fully incorporated and the frosting is nice and smooth. Be careful as overmixing the frosting can make it too stiff.
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Frequent Questions
Yes, you can use low-fat cream cheese in this recipe. But regular cream cheese tastes better.
If your cream cheese frosting turns out runny, it may be over-mixed or too warm. To get a thicker frosting, try folding in more powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time, until the frosting thickens up. You can also add a tablespoon of cornstarch to the frosting to stiffen it.
This recipe yields approximately 3 cups of frosting, enough to frost a two-layer cake or 24 cupcakes.
Yes, because there’s dairy it will need to be stored in the fridge.
It is absolutely essential to beat the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and sour cream together before adding the sugar, and to make sure they’re at room temperature before you start. If it’s too cold, or the sugar is added too early, the frosting will be lumpy.
You can also start by just creaming the butter by itself, then adding the cream cheese, then the sour cream, and vanilla, to ensure everything is as smooth as possible. You need to have a really good mixture to smooth out the cream cheese to keep the powdered sugar from forming lumps.
If your frosting is lumpy, you can try pushing it through a strainer to remove the lumps. Or microwaving and stirring it at 30-second increments to melt them, then refrigerating to help the frosting harden again, and beating it one more time. This is not ideal and the texture will be off, but it is a last resort.
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Key Ingredients
- Cream Cheese: Make sure your cream cheese is softened to room temperature to ensure a smooth and lump-free frosting.
- Unsalted Butter: I’m using unsalted butter which allows me to control the amount of salt in the frosting.
- Sour Cream: This is the secret ingredient to the frosting!
- Vanilla Extract: Be sure to use real vanilla extract. Imitation vanilla flavor doesn’t taste as good.
- Powdered Sugar: This is what gives the frosting its sweetness and contributes to the fluffy texture. Be sure to sift your powdered sugar to avoid any lumps.
Can This Be Made Ahead of Time?
Absolutely! This classic Cream Cheese Frosting can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it. If the frosting becomes too firm in the refrigerator, you can let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before spreading or piping it onto your dessert. If you notice any separation or liquid forming, give the frosting a good stir before using it.
Variations on Cream Cheese Frosting
- Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting: Add a tablespoon of cocoa powder to your frosting while mixing for a chocolatey twist.
- Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting: Add a tablespoon of fresh lemon zest and a little teaspoon of lemon juice for a zesty frosting that goes great with vanilla cupcakes!
- Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting: Sprinkle two teaspoons of ground cinnamon into your frosting for a spiced flavor.
How to Serve Cream Cheese Frosting
Top it on a Classic Vanilla Cake or a Rich Chocolate Cake to balance out the sweetness of the cake. This frosting also pairs beautifully with spiced desserts such as a Zesty Carrot Cake or Pumpkin Cake.
More Yummy Desserts with Frosting
How to Store Frosting
- Serve: Once your dessert is frosted with cream cheese frosting, it should not be left out for more than two hours due to the dairy ingredients in the frosting.
- Store: To store leftover frosting, place it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep well for up to a week. Before using refrigerated frosting, allow it to sit at room temperature for a bit to soften. This makes it easier to spread or pipe onto your dessert.
- Freeze: Cream cheese frosting can be frozen for up to three months. To freeze, place the frosting in a freezer-safe container or bag. When you’re ready to use it, let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then whip it briefly to restore its creamy texture before using.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese , softened
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter , softened
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Add the cream cheese, butter, sour cream and vanilla to a stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add in the powdered sugar one cup at a time until smooth and incorporated.
Nutrition
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Photos used in a previous version of this post.
Best cream cheese frosting recipe I have ever found. Thank you.
You’re welcome Lynn and thanks for the five star review!
I enjoy all of Sabrina’s recipes. They are all delicious, have easy to follow directions and usually all ingredients that I have on hand. I have made many of these recipes and always enjoy them. Where can I find her cookbook? Thank you!
Linda K.
Thank you Linda! Our cookbook is on Amazon (https://amzn.to/3ljtgRW) and a number of other places as well.
Glad I found this recipe. Was good! Will make again and again!
Hi Sabrina,
If I use one spring pan instead of two 9” pans
How long should I bake it?
I know sometimes the times can vary.
I plan to cut the cake and make a layer cake after it’s cooled.
The addition of sour cream to this frosting is so good!!
The cake was delicious, but will decrease sugar next time
I’ve never been able to get creamed cheese frosting right. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Thank you for enjoying it!
Not sure what the sour cream adds to it but I used it and I could not detect it in the frosting. I also took it one step further and added about 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. You can adjust that to suit your taste or add more if you want a nice full lemon flavored frosting.
It was awesome!
Great tip, Lori!
My family loved this cake. We love all things lemon!! This cake is so moist and lemony. This recipe is a keeper! Thanks so much for the recipe!!
You’re welcome, Ginger.
Beat the butter within an inch of its life, add cream cheese in pieces , beat that to death then add the sour cream and vanilla, continue the beating but taste the mix after sifting each cup of powdered sugar. I only ended up needing two cups of that instead of the suggested four. Yum! This recipe is a keeper.
I love it!! Thanks for the 5 stars, Leisa.
To much sour cream flavor, I even put 1/2 the recommended amount and you could still taste it through and through.
How much does this recipe make? I am making your strawberry cake pops, but doubling it, and wondering if I also need to double the cream cheese frosting recipe in order to have 3 cups for the cake pops?
No need to double it. One batch should give you enough.
do you put something else and not the sour cream
I would just leave it out and add more cream cheese to make up for it. Hope this helps!
cream cheese frosting is the best option for cakes! I wouldnt use any other kind. this is creamy and delicious!
So glad you enjoy it!
Must this recipe be refrigerated? I’m looking for scream cheese frosting that will holdup at room temp (air conditioned) and not get “droopy”.
Thanks!
Yes, you should always refrigerate any cake or cupcake that has cream cheese frosting. I’d suggest taking it out of the refrigerator an hour or two before you’d like to serve it so the frosting has time to come to room temperature and the cake layers lose their chill.
The texture of this frosting is absolutely perfect! I could eat it with a spoon!
Sounds like a yummy idea!
yum! you can’t beat a tried and true go to cream cheese frosting recipe!!
It’s great to have one you can trust, for sure!
Cream cheese frosting is the best!! It’s so creamy & perfect on so many desserts!
You’re speaking my love language! This was amazing!
Thank you, Jessica!
Hi Sabrina,
I got this recipe and it is similar to yours:
680g cream cheese
170g butter
150g 10x sugar
226g sour cream
this looks like it is 3 batches, is this correct?
Yes, that seems about triple the amount of my recipe.