Frosting Fans, pay attention. This is the VERY Best Cream Cheese Frosting. Perfectly smooth, never stiff. Creamy and cream-cheesy, and excellent for piping and decorating. And it won’t melt and droop at room temperature! Hallelujah! This is our new go-to frosting recipe for all the goodies that need cream cheese frosting. You know…cupcakes, red velvet, carrot cake, brownies…puff pastries…my spoon. The usual.

The Very Best Cream Cheese Frosting

So, I can’t say that I have ever eaten “bad” cream cheese frosting. I mean, it is pretty much cream cheese, sugar, butter, etc. You can’t really go wrong.

However, I have often experienced cream cheese frosting that is goopy. That literally slides off of a cake after a little while at room temperature.

And forget decorating with it. Just too soft unless you keep it refrigerated. Not anymore!!!

After a little testing, we have come up with what we think is the Very Best Cream Cheese Frosting. It is smooth and holds its shape when piped. Never stiff, but it doesn’t melt either.

You can sift your powdered sugar if you like. We just beat ours on high for a few seconds to break up the lumps.

Make sure the butter, cream cheese and shortening are at room temperature. Like, almost warm. Don’t microwave them, but sit them on the counter a couple of hours before you need the cream cheese frosting.

This will make sure the cream cheese frosting is nice and smooth.

Beat on low and increase the speed until the frosting comes together. It will first resemble crumbs, but stay at it. Soon it will start to form a smooth frosting.

Here are more Sweet Treats to Try:

Lemon Chia Seed Muffins

Sweetheart Brownie Bliss

Biscuit Peach Cobbler

To keep the sugar from flying everywhere, we held a damp towel around the bowl.

Once the frosting gets thick, add the milk and vanilla. Beat until smooth and fluffy.

This Cream Cheese Frosting is great for normal frosting, and can also be used with a decorating bag for special occasions and piping.

So good!! Rich, buttery, smooth and that perfect amount of cream cheese flavor.

We have shown this frosting on Our Favorite Carrot Cake. Get the recipe here!  

Enjoy!!

3.75 from 8 votes

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The Very Best Cream Cheese Frosting

This is the VERY Best Cream Cheese Frosting. Perfectly smooth, never stiff. Creamy and cream-cheesy, and excellent for piping and decorating. And it won’t melt and droop at room temperature!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword cream cheese frosting

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 16 Based on enough to frost a cake to serve 16 people

Calories 323 kcal

Author Buy This Cook That

Buy This

• 1 1/2 lbs of powdered confectioners sugar about 6 cups
• 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
• 1/2 cup salted butter room temperature
• 1/2 cup shortening room temperature
• 1 TB of milk
• 1/2 TB vanilla

Cook That

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat powdered sugar on high speed for a few seconds to break up lumps.
2. Add the room temperature cream cheese, butter, and shortening. Beat on low, gradually increasing speed. Continue to beat, scraping the sides, on medium speed for 3 to 5 minutes until smooth and creamy.
3. Beat in the milk and vanilla and increase speed and beat for another 1 to 2 minutes until desired consistency.

Recipe Notes

This recipe makes enough to GENEROUSLY frost 12 - 16 cupcakes, or a layered 8 or 9 inch cake.

Nutrition Facts

The Very Best Cream Cheese Frosting

Amount Per Serving (1 Serving (See Recipe Notes))

Calories 323 Calories from Fat 153

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 17g 26%

Saturated Fat 7g 35%

Cholesterol 30mg 10%

Sodium 97mg 4%

Potassium 19mg 1%

Total Carbohydrates 43g 14%

Sugars 42g

Vitamin A 7.4%

Calcium 1.7%

Iron 0.4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.