Made with only a few simple ingredients, this 3 Ingredient Cream Cheese Frosting is fluffy, sweet, and perfect for your favorite dessert! No butter? No worries! You don't need it in this easy recipe!
Slather your sourdough pumpkin cake or vanilla cupcake recipe with this delicious frosting!
Carrot cake and red velvet cake must have a cream cheese frosting on them! It adds a sweetness but also a tang that you can't get from standard buttercream frosting. You can't make sourdough discard carrot cake or sourdough chocolate cake without this frosting!
Don't save this frosting just for cakes though! You can add this homemade cream cheese frosting to red velvet cupcakes or your favorite sourdough discard cinnamon rolls.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting
- Ingredients Needed for Cream Cheese Frosting
- How To Make 3 Ingredient Cream Cheese Frosting
- Tips and Tricks for the Best Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe Variations
- How to Use Cream Cheese Frosting
- How to Store Cream Cheese Frosting
- Easy Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe FAQs
- More 3 Ingredient Recipes
- 📖 Recipe
Why You'll Love This Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting
- It only have 3 ingredients! I can't tell you how many times I've decided I wanted to make cream cheese icing and then realize I don't have any unsalted butter. For this recipe, you don't need it!
- It's so delicious! This might be the best cream cheese frosting recipe for the outside of your cakes. It's great on all cakes, not just red velvet and carrot cake! Try it on chocolate cake, pumpkin loaf cake, quick breads, any type of cupcakes, and even added to cookies!
- You can make it ahead of time! This is a great recipe to make ahead of time so you can save time on the day that you need it.
Ingredients Needed for Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cream cheese. You'll need two bricks of full fat cream cheese. They should be at room temperature to reduce any lumps in the frosting.
- Powdered sugar. Also known as confectioners' sugar. For a thicker frosting, add more powdered sugar to the bowl.
- Vanilla Extract. This adds a little bit of flavor and balances out the tanginess of the cream cheese.
Be sure to check out the printable recipe card for full recipe information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Make 3 Ingredient Cream Cheese Frosting
- Place the room temperature cream cheese in the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or the paddle attachment. Turn the stand mixer on medium speed and mix until light and fluffy.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the powdered sugar and vanilla. On low speed, mix until the desired consistency is reached. This should take about 2 minutes. Continue to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Lynn's Tip!
For a thinner icing, one that you might use for red velvet cinnamon rolls, add a splash of heavy cream to thin out the icing.
Tips and Tricks for the Best Cream Cheese Frosting
- Make sure to scrape down the sides of the stand mixer after the cream cheese is whipped. You'll also want to scrape down the sides of the bowl again once the cream cheese mixture comes together.
- If you don't have a stand mixer, use an electric mixer and a large bowl. This easy cream cheese frosting recipe will come together perfectly with a hand mixer and a large mixing bowl.
- Smear this easy frosting with an offset spatula or you can put it in a piping bag and pipe it onto your cakes. Either way is great!
Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe Variations
- This is not a very sweet frosting since it has less sugar than a regular buttercream frosting would have. If you prefer a sweeter frosting, feel free to add 1 cup of powdered sugar instead of ½ cup.
- Flavor the icing too! Add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder for a chocolate cream cheese frosting, or cinnamon for a cinnamon flavored icing. You can also make white chocolate cream cheese frosting too!
How to Use Cream Cheese Frosting
Once you have a batch of this cream cheese frosting ready, the possibilities are endless! Here are some of our favorite ways to use it:
- Classic layer cakes. This frosting is absolutely dreamy on a classic sourdough carrot cake or sourdough pumpkin cake. It spreads beautifully and tastes incredible with both.
- Cupcakes. Pile it high on top of your favorite cupcake recipe.
- Cinnamon rolls. Spread a generous layer over warm sourdough discard cinnamon rolls or red velvet cinnamon rolls straight out of the oven for the most indulgent breakfast ever.
- Pancakes and waffles. Dollop a spoonful on top instead of butter for a fun and indulgent weekend breakfast.
How to Store Cream Cheese Frosting
You can make this frosting in advance. Put it together entirely and then place it in an airtight container. Keep it refrigerated for up to 48 hours before you need it.
When you are ready to frost your layer cake, take the frosting out of the refrigerator and place it on the counter to take the chill off. To whip it again, place it in the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment as whip it on medium speed until it is light and fluffy.
You can freeze this butter free cream cheese frosting too! Place it in a freezer safe container and freeze it for up to 3 months. When you are ready to use it, defrost it in the refrigerator and then use it to frost your favorite cakes.
Easy Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe FAQs
No, you need full fat. This is a dessert after all, splurge a little!
Sure! Add the food coloring at the end of mixing all the ingredients together. It should be the last thing that you add to the bowl of the stand mixer.
Simple! They are cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract.
Yes, cream cheese frosting can absolutely be used for piping! The key is making sure your frosting is thick enough to hold its shape. If it feels too soft, pop it in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes before adding it to your piping bag. It pipes best with larger tips like a classic star or round tip. Keep in mind that cream cheese frosting is a little softer than a traditional buttercream, so it works great for simple swirls and rosettes but may not hold up as well for very intricate, detailed decorations.
If your cream cheese frosting is coming out too thin, there are a few easy fixes. First, make sure your cream cheese and butter were both fully softened before mixing, since overly soft or slightly melted butter can make the frosting runny. If it is still too thin, add powdered sugar a few tablespoons at a time until you reach your desired consistency. You can also pop the frosting in the fridge for 20 to 30 minutes to firm it up before using. Another trick is to add a small amount of cornstarch, which helps thicken the frosting without affecting the flavor.
The biggest difference comes down to flavor and texture. Buttercream is made with butter and powdered sugar, giving it a rich, sweet flavor and a firm consistency that holds up really well for detailed piping and decorating. Cream cheese frosting has that same buttery base but with the addition of cream cheese, which gives it a slightly tangy flavor and a softer, creamier texture. Buttercream tends to be sweeter and stiffer, while cream cheese frosting is a little more relaxed and pairs beautifully with spiced, fruity, or chocolate based cakes.
Yes! Because cream cheese frosting contains dairy, any cake frosted with it should be stored in the refrigerator. Cover it loosely with plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container and it will keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days. When you are ready to serve, let the cake sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes so the frosting softens back up and the cake loses that cold, dense texture.
More 3 Ingredient Recipes
📖 Recipe
Best Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 2 Bricks Full Fat Cream Cheese 8 ounces each
- ¾ cup Powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Place the room temperature cream cheese in the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or the paddle attachment. Turn the stand mixer on medium speed and mix until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the powdered sugar and vanilla. On low speed, mix until the desired consistency is reached. This should take about 2 minutes. Continue to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Notes
- This makes enough for one 9x13 inch cake, or 12 cups. Feel free to double this recipe for more icing or for a bigger cake.
- Make sure to scrape down the sides of the stand mixer after the cream cheese is whipped. You'll also want to scrape down the sides of the bowl again once the cream cheese mixture comes together.
- This is not a very sweet frosting since it has less sugar than a regular buttercream frosting would have. If you prefer a sweeter frosting, feel free to add 1 cup of powdered sugar instead of ½ cup.
- If you don't have a stand mixer, use an electric mixer and a large bowl. This easy cream cheese frosting recipe will come together perfectly with a hand mixer and a large mixing bowl.
- Smear this easy frosting with an offset spatula or you can put it in a piping bag and pipe it onto your cakes. Either way is great!
- Flavor the icing too! Add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder for a chocolate cream cheese frosting, or cinnamon for a cinnamon flavored icing.
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