This cream cheese frosting is thick and fluffy and is pipeable. This easy cream cheese frosting recipe is made with just 4 simple ingredients!
I’m not a frosting person. I don’t love the way that so many frostings are just crazy sweet.
That’s why I’ve always liked cream cheese frosting. It has a nice tang to it that cuts some of the sweetness.
I’ve made a lot of versions of cream cheese icing over the years, but this recipe is my favorite easy, pipeable frosting.
It’s a little different than traditional cream cheese frosting because it uses granulated sugar (check out my super popular whipped buttercream frosting recipe that also uses granulated sugar) and doesn’t use butter.
This frosting is so thick and fluffy and creamy that you’d never guess that it has granulated sugar in it.
It’s perfect for topping cakes, cupcakes, or cinnamon rolls!
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
This frosting is so simple to make! You just beat the whipped cream, beat the cream cheese and sugar together, and then fold the cream cheese mixture and whipped cream together.
Can This Cream Cheese frosting be piped?
Yes, this frosting is pipeable.
Does This Frosting Crust?
No, this frosting doesn’t crust.
Can Cream Cheese Icing Be Made Ahead of Time?
Yes, you can mix up the frosting and then cover and store it until you’re ready to use it.
How to Store This Frosting
I recommend storing this frosting, covered, in the fridge.
Cakes That Go Well With Cream Cheese Frosting
Cakes That Go Well With Cream Cheese FrostingMore cream cheese frosting recipes!
If you’ve tried this cream cheese frosting recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below. I love to hear from people who’ve made my recipes!
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Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 ounces cream cheese (softened1)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a chilled bowl, beat cream on high until stiff peaks begin to form.
- Cover and chill while you continue.
- In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla together until well-combined, about 2-3 minutes on high. It's important that the cream cheese and sugar be well-combined, so don't cut this step short.
- Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until combined.
- Chill leftovers.
Video
Notes
- The cream cheese should be soft and at room temperature. If it's too cold, it can clump up when mixed with the whipped cream.
- Nutritional values are estimates.
Claire Middleton🎂 says
Hi! again.I tried this recipe and it turned ou great! Eeexcept for 1 thing.It wasn’t very thick.And at the time I didn’t have corn starch:(UGH!!! But it tasted GREAT!!!😄
Kate says
Hi! You shouldn’t need any cornstarch to thicken it. You can chill the mixer beaters and bowl to get a thicker whipped cream. Also, making sure that the whipped cream is whipped to stiff peaks should give you a good, thick whipped cream. You can also chill the frosting for 10-15 minutes before piping because it sets up quite a bit in the fridge. Hope that helps! =)
Claire Middleton🎂 says
I forgot to add: THIS icing looks deeeviiiine!!!!!!😸I am a baking ,christian and only 11 years old.I am going to create a dessert blog VERY soon👧🏼I am going to try this
Kate says
Thank you! Good luck with your blog!! =)
Claire Middleton🎂 says
can i food color this?Thanks a bunch!
Kate says
Hi! I haven’t tried adding food coloring to it to say for certain how it will work out.
Holly Emanuelli says
This was an amazing recipe. So easy. Very tasty.
I made a double batch to decorate a 5 layer 6″round. I had some frosting left over. Make a bigger batch if you want to do more intricate decorations.
I paired this with homemade spicey carrot cake. Paired very well.
Kate says
Thank you so much!! Your spicy carrot cake sounds delicious! =)
janet says
Sorry, forgot to ask – for a 13 x 9 cake, what would the baking time be? Thank you!
janet says
Will this frost a 13″ x 9 ” cake?
Laura says
Can this be made with 2% milk instead of heavy cream?
Kate says
Hi! The heavy cream is whipped into whipped cream and then mixed with the cream cheese mixture. 2% milk won’t whip up, and you’ll end up with runny frosting.
Sharon says
This icing was so good that my granddaughter asked if I had anymore icing to eat by itself. It wasn’t too sweet to take away from the cake taste. Delicious!!
Kate says
Thank you! I’m happy to hear that it was a hit. =) Thanks for commenting!
Lori Ellis says
This icing is AMAZING! I’ve been baking and decorating for years and years and this is BY FAR the BEST cream cheese icing EVER! I’ve never loved cream cheese icing until today!!!!!
Kate says
Thank you! This is my fave cream cheese frosting, and I’m so glad that you enjoyed it, too! Thanks for commenting. =)
Stephanie says
This and the buttercream recipe come out perfectly every time! I don’t think I’m going back to confectioners sugar for these frostings. Delicious!
Kate says
Yay!! I’m so glad that you like the frosting recipes. =) Out of all of the cream cheese frostings that I’ve tried over the years, this one is by far my fave.
Annie says
This frosting was so delicious! I will never use another cream cheese frosting again! I love how fluffy and light it is! It is not too thick and not too sweet! Absolutely amazing! Thank you!
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad that you liked the frosting. =) Thanks for commenting!
Tina Edwards says
Can you use Cool whip instead of heavy cream
Kate says
I haven’t tried using Cool Whip in this recipe, so I’m not sure how it will work out.
Leah says
This frosting was so good! It tasted just like classic cream cheese frosting but the texture was so light and fuffy! It also piped and held its shape really well. I will definitely be making this again..
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad that you liked the frosting! =) Thank you for coming back to comment.
Stephanie says
This is by far the lightest, fluffiest, yummy, most pipeable cream cheese frosting I’ve ever made! I couldn’t believe it would work with granulated sugar but it’s way better than using powdered sugar! Love it! And it does color up very well.
Stephanie says
This is by far the lightest, fluffiest, yummy, most pipeable cream cheese frosting I’ve ever made! I couldn’t believe it would work with granulated sugar but it’s way better than using powdered sugar! Love it!
Kate says
Thank you so much! I’m so glad that you liked it! It’s kind of amazing the way that the granulated sugar blends in. =) Thanks for commenting!
Kelsey says
Best cream cheese frosting EVER!!! This blows my old recipe away. Thanks for the recipe!
Kate says
Thank you! I’m glad you liked it. Thank you for commenting! =)
sim says
does it color well? also does it harden in refrigerator and have to put cake outside at room temp for sometime to soften icing b4 cake cutting.
Kate says
I don’t use food coloring very often, so I’m afraid that I can’t answer that. It does firm up in the fridge, but it doesn’t get hard. I think 10-20 minutes would probably be sufficient. Hope that helps!
Cheryl says
This was the best cream cheese frosting ever! It was fluffy and easy to work with. This recipe is a keeper!
Kate says
Thank you! I’m so glad you liked it. Thanks for coming back to comment! =)
Courtney says
Does it travel well? How is it in the heat with being whip cream based?
Kate says
It’s going to get soft in the heat. If you’re going to travel with it, I’d recommend chilling the cake or cupcakes first. It sets up some in the fridge, and that should help. Hope that helps! =)
Mary says
This was absolutely delicious!! I made this to frost a pumpkin cake, and it was a hit with my coworkers. I’ll definitely make it again. Thanks so much for sharing!
Kate says
Thank you! I’m glad that you liked the frosting! It’s a favorite at my house. =) Thanks for coming back to comment!