Best Cream Cheese Frosting (Stable)

4.81 from 26 ratings

Quick, easy cream cheese frosting recipe, homemade with simple ingredients. Fluffy, stable, creamy. Perfect for piping and cake decorating.

Prep Time10

Total Time10

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings: cups

Calories: 300kcal

8 oz Cream cheese Full fat, Cold, Please use Philadelphia brand and avoid generic brands
½ cup Butter Unsalted, Room temperature. For additional stability, you can use ¼ cup butter and ¼ cup shortening.
4 cups Powdered sugar Preferably sifted
¼ cup Cornstarch For stability
1 tablespoon Meringue powder For stability
1 tablespoon Vanilla extract Use clear vanilla extract if you want a pure white color. Regular extract will result in a slightly off white in color.

In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter.
Add vanilla extract and mix again.
Add cornstarch, meringue powder and half the powdered sugar. Mix until it's partially combined.
Add remaining powdered sugar, while continuing to mix until all the sugar is fully incorporated. You will end up with a smooth and creamy mixture.
If icing is too thick, mix in some milk as necessary. Start with 1 tablespoon or even 1 teaspoon and add more as necessary. Enjoy.

Use unsalted butter to prevent this icing from becoming too salty.
Use full fat cream cheese for maximum richness and creaminess.
Please note that you must use cold cream cheese and not room temperature.
Use gel food coloring to tint this icing any color you like.
This should be enough to fill and frost a round 8x3 cake.
This should also be enough to ice 24 cupcakes in a simple swirl and not a super high swirl.
For pure white colored icing, use clear extract. If you use regular extract, you will have a slightly off white color.
Sift powdered sugar to remove any lumps and this will ensure the smoothest consistency.
If icing is too thick, mix in some milk as necessary. Start with 1 tablespoon or even 1 teaspoon and add more as necessary.
Read additional tips and variations above.
Leftover icing can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.