Best Butter Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
September 30, 2026
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Need a simple frosting for your next bake? Butter Cream Cheese Frosting comes together with just four ingredients: butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. It’s easy to whip up and works beautifully for topping all kinds of homemade desserts.
Why You’ll Love This Butter Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
I loooooove Cream Cheese Frosting. It’s the perfect match for carrot cake, red velvet cupcakes, and especially cinnamon rolls. A lot of cream cheese frostings turn out too thin, so I wanted one that was thick, creamy, and smooth enough to spread easily while still holding its shape for piping. After a little trial and error, this one became my go-to cream cheese frosting!
Ingredient Notes
You only need four simple ingredients to make this easy, homemade cream cheese frosting. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Salted Butter – Use softened, room-temperature butter so it blends easily and gives the frosting a smooth, creamy texture. Unsalted butter works too, just add a pinch of salt.
- Plain Cream Cheese – Softened, full-fat cream cheese gives this frosting its signature tangy flavor and creamy texture. I like using Philadelphia because it blends really well and has a great consistency.
- Powdered Sugar – This sweetens the frosting while giving it enough structure to become thick, fluffy, and easy to spread.
- Vanilla Extract – To loosen it up a bit and give it tons of flavor.
How to Make Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
This recipe makes enough to frost 24 cupcakes, two 8 or 9-inch round layer cake or one 9×13 cake. For full recipe details, including ingredient measurements, see the recipe card down below in this post.
Step 1: Combine Ingredients in a Bowl
Start your frosting by putting very soft butter and a very soft block of cream cheese into the bottom of a large bowl. On top of that, pour powdered sugar and vanilla extract.
Step 2: Mix, Mix, Mix!
Now comes the fun part! Use an electric mixer or stand mixer with the whisk attachment and mix, mix, mix it all together on low speed until completely smooth and thick.
At first, it might seem like the powdered sugar won’t all mix in, but as you stir and work it together with the hand mixer, it will surely come together.
Scrape the sides of the bowl, increase to medium speed if desired and mix again briefly to make sure it’s fully smooth and use as you’d like! Easy as that.
Make-Ahead Tip: Need to make the frosting ahead of time? Keep it covered in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. Let it come to room temperature, then give it a good stir before frosting.
Tips for Success
- Make sure the butter and cream cheese are really soft. Let both sit at room temperature for several hours so they’re soft enough to blend together easily. This makes a big difference in getting that smooth, creamy frosting.
- Skip the milk. You won’t need any here! The cream cheese and butter give the frosting plenty of moisture, while the powdered sugar helps it stay thick enough for spreading and piping. If it seems like everything isn’t coming together at first, just keep mixing.
- Use full-fat brick cream cheese. For the best texture, stick with full-fat cream cheese that comes in a brick, rather than low-fat or spreadable cream cheese from a tub. The extra fat helps give the frosting that rich, creamy consistency.
Uses for Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
From cakes and cupcakes to bars and cinnamon rolls, this creamy frosting goes with so many desserts. Here are some favorite recipes to try it with:
With this easy-to-follow recipe and handy tips, you’ll be whipping up this classic Cream Cheese Frosting in no time. Printable recipe card is below. Have a great day, friends!
Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Perfectly creamy and sweet, this Butter Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe will become your go-to frosting! Smooth enough to spread and thick enough to pipe. This is a perfect recipe.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup salted butter at room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 pound powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
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Place very soft butter and a very soft cream cheese into the bottom of a large bowl.
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On top of that, pour powdered sugar and vanilla extract.
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Use an electric mixer or stand mixer with the whisk attachment and mix it all together on low speed until completely smooth and thick. At first, it might seem like the powdered sugar won’t all mix in, but as you stir and work it together with the hand mixer, it will surely come together.
-
Scrape the sides of the bowl, increase to medium speed if desired and mix again briefly to make sure it’s fully smooth.
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Use as desired.
Notes
*This recipe can frost 24 cupcakes, two 8 or 9-inch round cakes or one 9×13 cake.
Nutrition
Calories: 240kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 1gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 110mgPotassium: 22mgSugar: 32gVitamin A: 420IUCalcium: 18mgIron: 0.1mg
Variations
The classic version is delicious on its own, but it’s easy to switch up the flavor depending on what you’re making. Here are a few simple ideas:
- Chocolate: Add cocoa powder for a rich chocolate cream cheese frosting.
- Lemon: Mix in a little lemon juice for a bright, tangy flavor.
- Different extracts: Try almond, coconut, or another favorite extract. You can also use vanilla bean paste or real vanilla beans for those pretty little flecks throughout the frosting.
More Frosting Recipes
How to Store Cream Cheese Frosting
Store leftover frosting in an airtight container or cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
For longer storage, freeze it in a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen frosting in the fridge overnight, then let it sit at room temperature until softened. Give it a good stir before using.
If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tag me @laurens_latest.
