Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

Whipped cream cheese frosting is a rich, tangy classic! Made with butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar, use it to top off many baked treats.

Listen, I know how cliche it sounds to say this is the best whipped cream cheese frosting ever. Lame right? But what about if I said it’s simply the best whipped cream cheese frosting I’ve ever had? It’s not too sweet. You can actually taste the cream cheese. It’s so fluffy and smooth and spreadable. I have a hard time not eating it by the spoonful and I bet you will too.

It’s literally the perfect icing for this cardamom-spiced carrot cake recipe. And for Christmas morning? You can bet your bottom dollar I’ll be slathering it on these luscious small-batch cinnamon rolls. In fact, it’s so good, I can’t think of many desserts it wouldn’t work with. Cookies! Cupcakes! Loaves! Cakes! Whipped cream cheese frosting works with almost any dessert you can think of (except maybe pie, but hot damn I’d probably throw a dollop on top of a slice of pumpkin pie too). I hope this recipe becomes your go-to, as it has long been mine.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Step-By-Step Instructions
• Notes & Tips
• Substitutions
• Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top of the post, or scroll to the bottom of the post, to see the full recipe card with ingredient measurements and instructions.

Ingredients

Step-By-Step Instructions

Add the butter and cream cheese to a large bowl. Beat the two together until they are well combined, and light and fluffy.

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Add the vanilla and salt then use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat everything once again until well combined.

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Sift the powdered sugar into the bowl. I like to use the back of a soup spoon to push, scrape, and press the sugar through a fine-mesh sieve.

Simply repeat the process, a few spoonfuls at a time, until all of the powdered sugar has been sifted through the sieve into the bowl.

With the mixer running on low, begin to mix the powdered sugar into the whipped butter and cream cheese. Once most of the sugar is incorporated, the frosting will look pretty lumpy. At this point, increase the speed of the mixer and beat the frosting until smooth.

Use the rubber spatula to once again scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

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Give the whipped cream cheese frosting a final mix on high speed until completely smooth and combined. Use the frosting to ice cakes, cupcakes, cookies or anything else you like.

Notes & Tips

Don’t use low fat cream cheese. Just don’t. It tastes gross and has a weird texture. Go full fat or choose a different recipe.

Depending on how much frosting you like on your cakes, this recipe should make enough to ice an 8-inch double layer cake. That being said, I like a more “naked” style cake with a thick top layer of frosting like this carrot cake. The good thing is, the recipe doubles, triples, or alternatively, halves, beautifully.

I usually ice my desserts then keep them in the fridge until I need them. This keeps the frosting set in place in case your house is too warm.

You can keep whipped cream cheese frosting in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.

Whipped cream cheese frosting freezes like a dream! Seriously, you can freeze it for up to three months, again in an airtight container, with no difference in flavour. To thaw, place it in the fridge the day before you need it and let it thaw overnight, or let it thaw at room temperature on the counter for a few hours.

Substitutions

There aren’t really any substitutions for this recipe. You could try using dairy-free butter and cream cheese for a dairy-free version, however, I have not and can’t be sure of the results.

Try Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting With These Desserts

One Bowl Lemon Buttermilk Cake Dense, moist, and can be made without a mixer!

Classic Gingerbread A soft, moist cake flavoured with molasses, brown sugar, and spices.

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread Canned pumpkin and dried cranberries make a perfect cool-weather loaf.

CHECK FOR STEP BY STEP PHOTOS ABOVE — Many of my recipes feature in-depth step-by-step images, plus useful tips to help you make the recipe perfectly the first time. If you make this recipe, please let me know how you made out in the comments below! I reply to all comments and will help troubleshoot if things don’t work out. I’d also grateful if you’d consider leaving a star rating while you’re here.