This decadent, fluffy cream cheese frosting recipe is the ultimate indulgence. Get the secret to whipping your cream cheese to create the fluffiest frosting imaginable!
When you want the frosting that tops all frostings, this is the one. It’s an unforgettable recipe that I know you’re going to love.
Every dessert deserves a different topping! You’ve seen (and likely tested) my amazing Cream Cheese Icing for Cinnamon Rolls and Cream Cheese Glaze, but sometimes you need (or crave) something light and fluffy.
This fluffy recipe is perfect for topping Pumpkin Cake, Chocolate Brownies, Carrot Cake, and Sugar Cookie Cake.
Use it as a dip for Apple Cider Donut Holes. It even makes a decadent cream cheese fruit dip!
You can add it anywhere you want a luxurious frosting that goes on smoothly. Let’s learn how to make it!
Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting
It’s light and fluffy, with the texture of a whipped cream frosting but the slightly tangy flavor of cream cheese frosting!
Why You’ll Love It
Ingredients and Substitutions
See printable recipe card for complete ingredients and instructions.
- Butter – I always have salted butter on hand, and that’s what I use here. (We always enjoy the balance of a touch of salt with all the sweet!) You can use salted or unsalted, it’s up to you! Your butter should be room temperature – learn how to soften butter quickly here.
- Cream Cheese – Full fat will produce the best flavor and airy whipped result. Again, it should be room temperature. Learn how to soften cream cheese – so easy!
- Vanilla Extract – A hint of vanilla will offer traditional cream cheese frosting flavor.
- Powdered Sugar – Also known as confectioner’s sugar this ingredient sweetens and balances the cream cheese. If you don’t have any on hand, learn how to make powdered sugar here.
Variations
- Change your extract! Instead of vanilla extract, consider lemon, almond, or even peppermint for the holidays.
- Add a spice mix! Try adding a teaspoon of allspice, chai, or pumpkin pie spice to this recipe.
- Cinnamon is also an amazing addition!
How to Make a Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting
The secret it is in whipping it not once, but twice!
- Beat the butter and cream cheese five minutes, until light in color and fluffy in texture.
- Then after you add the vanilla and gradually add powdered sugar, you beat the mixture again! Yes, for an additional three minutes. It’s worth the wait!
The first step of this process adds air into butter, adding to the volume. The second step dissolves the powdered sugar completely making it smooth and luxuriously creamy.
Tips
- This frosting is so fluffy and creamy that it’s almost effortless to spread. Keep in mind though- this is not a frosting that lends itself to perfection. It’s never going to be smoothed perfectly! That’s what I love about this fluffy cream cheese frosting recipe! It’s meant to look like a decadent layer of fluffy whipped goodness, so enjoy those imperfect waves.
- I like to frost my cakes with an offset spatula. However, this fluffy frosting smooths on easily with any spatula or spreader. It’s difficult to pipe, so stick with a more traditional spreading technique.
- I love this frosting when it’s perfectly creamy and fluffy and not hardened in the slightest- it’s truly best at room temperature, so keep that in mind!
Serving Suggestions
- Try it on top of this Sugar Cookie Crust– what an incredible base for fruits, candies and more!
- These Apple Butter Sugar Cookies are delicious when topped with any fluffy frosting, but cream cheese would be amazing!
- Add your fluffy frosting to these Chocolate Sugar Cookies.
- My Shortcut Cinnamon Rolls can be topped with this frosting too for an added layer of decadence!
How to Store
- Room Temperature – If you do a quick online search on this subject, you’ll find a variety of opinions about how long cream cheese frosting can sit out on your kitchen counter. The FDA always suggests refrigerating dairy after two hours at room temperature. Beyond that, I’d suggest refrigerating your cakes and desserts topped with cream cheese frosting just to ensure safety.
- Refrigerator – This fluffy frosting recipe will last in the fridge for up to a week- but good luck getting it to stick around for that long!
- Freezer – The texture of this cream cheese frosting won’t be the same after freezing, though you can freeze it safely for up to three months. Curious about freezing your cream cheese recipes? Read more in Can you Freeze Cream Cheese to learn all about what works and what doesn’t!
More Frosting Recipes
Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 2 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a mixer or large mixing bowl, beat butter and cream cheese on high until light in color (about 5 minutes).
- Beat in vanilla. Gradually beat in powdered sugar on low.
- Beat mixture on high until light and fluffy in texture (about 3 minutes).
Julie’s Tips
Frosting Variations
While this frosting is incredible as it is, there are lots of fun ways to mix it up!- Change your extract! Instead of vanilla extract, consider lemon, almond, or even peppermint for the holidays.
- Add a spice mix! Try adding a teaspoon of allspice, chai, or pumpkin pie spice to this recipe.
- Cinnamon is also an amazing addition!
Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
Love the fluffy texture of this frosting. It is amazing. But the sugar level is way too low. I made my amazing carrot cake – loved by all – and used this frosting because I was looking for an alternative to the normal heavy and sweet cream cheese frosting. Well the frosting was not close to sweet enough – and that was agreed upon by all that tasted it. I felt it kinda ruined the cake that I had spent so much time on, and really wished I had used 3 cups of confectioner’s sugar instead of two. Two cups is just not enough to sweeten this amount of cream cheese and butter. I am hopeful that it will be perfect with the modification.
Will this frosting hold up on a pound cake lamb cake?
I could eat this frosting by the spoonful, and I love how versatile it is! It’s great with cookies or cake.
This is the perfect frosting recipe- the cream cheese/butter to powdered sugar ratio is exactly right. Thanks so much for sharing!
This is the most delicious icing! It’s so light and fluffy! I put it on top of pumpkin muffins and delivered to a friend that just raved about them and asked for the recipe!