Cream Cheese Frosting

24 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

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.

Cream Cheese Frosting

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.

More Frosting Recipes

Frequent Questions

Can I use low-fat cream cheese?

Yes, you can use low-fat cream cheese in this recipe. But regular cream cheese tastes better.

Why do I have runny frosting?

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.

How much frosting does this recipe make?

This recipe yields approximately 3 cups of frosting, enough to frost a two-layer cake or 24 cupcakes.

Does the frosting need to be refrigerated?

Yes, because there’s dairy it will need to be stored in the fridge.

Why is my frosting lumpy?

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.

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.
mixing paddle with frosting

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Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream Cheese Frosting made with just 5 ingredients is rich and creamy, PERFECT for cakes or cupcakes, and ready in under 10 minutes!
Yield 24 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder

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

Calories: 130kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 31mg | Potassium: 13mg | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 190IU | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 0.1mg
collage of frosting

Photos used in a previous version of this post.

Frosting collage
Cupcake with Frosting

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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!

  4. 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!!

  5. 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.

  6. To much sour cream flavor, I even put 1/2 the recommended amount and you could still taste it through and through.

  7. 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?

  8. cream cheese frosting is the best option for cakes! I wouldnt use any other kind. this is creamy and delicious!

    1. 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!

      1. 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.

      1. 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?