Quick and easy pumpkin frosting recipe, homemade with simple ingredients like cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, lots of pumpkin pie spice and pumpkin puree. This buttercream is smooth and creamy and perfect for piping on cupcakes, spreading on cookies, brownies and bars, and even cake decorating.
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With Fall is fully upon us, pumpkin flavored everything seems to be everywhere. I love the aroma wafting through my house when I bake, so making a frosting to compliment it all was a no brainer. This tastes great on festive desserts like Easy Pumpkin Cupcakes or even Gingerbread Cake. If you enjoy that spiced pumpkin flavor, you will also enjoy this Pumpkin Dip (Cheesecake) on various desserts. I also think it can be used to pipe along the edges of this No Bake Pumpkin Pie (Cheesecake) and taste wonderful.
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Key ingredients for pumpkin spice buttercream icing
- Butter- Make sure to use unsalted for best results.
- Cream cheese- Full fat is the way to go for the creamiest frosting.
- Pumpkin pie spice- You can buy it at the store or make your own.
- Pumpkin puree- Be sure not to confuse this with pumpkin pie filling.
- Powdered sugar- Acts as both a sweetener and thickener.
Variations
- Use cinnamon cream cheese- For a deeper flavor and more spice.
- Add some chocolate- Like mini chocolate chips, chocolate shavings, or crushed chocolate bars.
- Bring in texture and flavor- With some shredded coconut or various Fall/Halloween sprinkles.
- Make it a drizzle- To pour over Easy Homemade Cinnamon Rolls (1 hour) and other desserts by adding milk or cream until it reaches a thinner consistency.
- Adjust pumpkin pie spice- To comply with your personal preference.
How to make easy pumpkin frosting recipe with pumpkin puree?
1. Add butter, cream cheese, pumpkin pie spice- In large mixing bowl.
2. Mix- Until smooth and all ingredients are well blended.
3. Mix in powdered sugar- A little at a time, about ½ cup.
4. Continue mixing- Until frosting is smooth with no lumps.
5. Add gel food coloring- To deepen the color, if desired.
6. Once everything is smoothly blended- Pipe on cupcakes or spread on cakes and enjoy.
Tips and techniques
- Use this for cupcake decorating- If you are intimidated by piping, then don't worry and follow along my detailed instructions and video tutorial in this post on How to Decorate Cupcakes (Pipe or Frost Cupcakes).
- Don't use pumpkin pie filling- Because this is a different taste and texture than pumpkin puree.
- Use full fat cream cheese- For the creamiest, tastiest frosting.
- Make homemade pie spice- With a combination of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, Allspice, and nutmeg.
- Add a bit of orange food coloring- To deepen and liven up the overall color. Be sure it is the gel kind so it doesn't affect the consistency.
- Unsalted butter should be used- In order to avoid a frosting that is too salty.
- Be sure all ingredients are room temperature- To ensure proper blending and full incorporation.
- Use it as a filling in cupcakes- Check out my detailed post on How to Make Filled Cupcakes (Stuffed Cupcakes) if this is new to you.
- Sift powdered sugar- This removes any lumps and creates a smoother consistency.
- Pair it with cupcakes- Like these Gingerbread Cupcakes (With Cake Mix).
Recipe FAQs
A few possible factors could be over-mixing, using cold butter, not beating long enough, or not sifting the powdered sugar beforehand.
It's possible there was too much liquid or pumpkin puree added. However, it is an easy fix. Simply add in more powdered sugar. If it ends up being too sweet with this addition, you can add ½ teaspoon salt to balance it out.
There was likely not enough liquid used or possibly too much powdered sugar. But no worries, because all you need to do is add some milk or water a little at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.
This truly depends on how big or small your dessert is in size and how much icing you like to use. The rule of thumb is that for a 9×13 inch cake, you will need 3-4 cups of icing. For 12 cupcakes, you will need about 3 cups depending on how much icing you are piping per cupcake. For an 8 inch cake with 2 layers, you will need about 5-6 cups.
Storage
- Refrigerate- Store in a sealed container for up to 1 week.
- Freeze- Place in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge and whip again.
- Room temperature- Don't leave out for more than a few hours since this recipe uses cream cheese that can go bad when left out.
- Make ahead- This can easily be made a head of time and kept in the fridge or freezer until needed (see above).
More pumpkin desserts
- Easy Pumpkin Pie (5 Ingredients)
- Easy Pumpkin Cake (With Cake Mix)
- Easy Pumpkin Fudge (Microwave)
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies (With Cake Mix)
- Easy Pumpkin Bars (Cream Cheese Frosting)
Recipe
Easy Pumpkin Frosting (Cream Cheese)
Video
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Ingredients
- ½ cup Butter Unsalted, Room temperature
- ¾ cup Cream cheese Full fat, Room temperature
- ⅓ cup Pumpkin puree Not pumpkin pie filling
- 1.5 teaspoon Pumpkin pie spice You can increase or decrease quantities based on your preference
- 4-5 cups Powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add butter, cream cheese, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice and mix until smooth.
- Mix in powdered sugar gradually (½ cup at a time) until frosting is smooth and creamy without any lumps.
- If frosting is too thick, mix in water (1 teaspoon at a time) until you have the desired consistency. If frosting is too thin, mix in more powdered sugar.
- This is an optional step but you can mix in orange food coloring to enhance the color.
- Pipe on top of your cupcakes or spread on your cakes and cookies and enjoy.
Notes
- Adjust amount of pumpkin pie spice based on your preference. Some people like a strong spiced flavor profile while others prefer a more subtle flavor.
- Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature because this ensures they blend together smoothly and evenly.
- Use full fat cream cheese for maximum richness and creaminess.
- Do not replace butter with margarine because the result is not the same.
- Please remember to use unsalted butter to prevent this icing from becoming too salty.
- To cut the sweetness, you can mix in ½ teaspoon salt.
- If you are planning on tinting this frosting, I recommend using gel food coloring since it's thicker and doesn't affect the consistency.
- Read additional tips and variations above.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
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