This cream cheese frosting without butter is light, fluffy and decadent. The perfect frosting for your red velvet cupcakes, chocolate cupcakes or frosting cookies and cakes!
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I have always been a huge fan of cream cheese frosting. I love it on red velvet cupcakes, chocolate cupcakes and it is my go-to for many different desserts. I absolutely adore this cream cheese frosting on my Chocolate Orange Cake.
If you are using this frosting on a boxed cake, check out my Boxed Cake Mix Hacks to make your cake or cupcakes taste like a bakery version.
It is a great cake frosting with no butter. It is also delicious spread on my Snickerdoodle Cookies without cream of tartar and on my super Soft Gingerbread Cookies!
I always found that recipes using butter ended up tasting too heavy of butter flavor. I wanted to make a cream cheese frosting that is still rich and decadent but doesn’t just taste like a bunch of whipped butter like so many other cream cheese frosting recipes. This is the perfect easy frosting recipe without butter!
Why this recipe works
- This cream cheese frosting is super easy to make and only requires 4 ingredients! You can also easily modify it to make other frosting flavor variations.
- This no butter cream cheese frosting is delicious on cakes, cupcakes, dessert bars and even cookies! If you are really feeling decadent, try a dollop of this frosting on your morning pancakes, like these Almond Milk Pancakes. Yup, I said it!
- No butter frosting is easy to make and is super delicious. This cream cheese recipe is the perfect vanilla frosting without butter. Great on cinnamon rolls, carrot cake and layer cake.
Ingredients
- Cream Cheese: You can use Philadelphia classic cream cheese or any store brand cream cheese. Both options will have good cream cheese flavor.
- Powdered Sugar
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Vanilla Extract: You can experiment with different flavors and extracts. For example, lemon, orange or almond.
- Salt
How to make frosting without butter
- In a small bowl, using hand mixer or stand mixer, beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside in refrigerator.
- In a large bowl combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Beat until whipped cream cheese is smooth.
- On lowest setting, quickly beat in (or hand fold in) whipped cream until thoroughly combined.
- Note: If cream cheese frosting is thicker than desired, you can add heavy cream (not more than 1 tablespoon at a time) and beat until desired thickness is achieved. You can also wait until cream cheese is softened to room temperature but this is not required.
Frosting notes and flavor ideas
Quantity Notes: This recipe creates enough cream cheese frosting for about 12 regular sized cupcakes (piped thick). If just spread more thinly on top the cream cheese icing will cover more cupcakes.
Gingerbread Cream Cheese Frosting No Butter: Substitute gingerbread syrup and 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice for vanilla extract.
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting No Butter: Substitute lemon extract and 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest for vanilla extract.
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting No Butter: Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
FAQ and expert tips
Philadelphia cream cheese frosting is a great option. However, any store brand cream cheese will work well to make this frosting recipe.
The trick to making cream cheese frosting stiffer is not to use too much heavy cream. You also need to have a good ratio of powdered sugar to cream cheese.
You can also make cream cheese frosting with granulated sugar but it will generally be sweeter than when powdered sugar is used.
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Cream Cheese Frosting Without Butter
Equipment
- Hand beaters or stand mixer, small bowls
Ingredients
- 8 oz package cream cheese
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (or other flavoring of choice)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside in refrigerator.
- In a large bowl combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth.
- On lowest setting, quickly beat in (or hand fold in) whipped cream until thoroughly combined.
- Note: If cream cheese frosting is thicker than desired, you can add heavy cream (not more than 1 tablespoon at a time) and beat until desired thickness is achieved.
Notes
Gingerbread Cream Cheese Frosting No Butter: Substitute gingerbread syrup and 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice for vanilla extract. Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting No Butter: Substitute lemon extract and 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest for vanilla extract. Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting No Butter: Add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
Eboni W
I made this today and whipped in a homemade strawberry puree so good !
Aubrey
Thanks Eboni! So happy to hear! Adding strawberry sounds delish!!!
Janice
Best cream cheese recipe I have ever made! Way easier to make without butter which I always have trouble with.
Ali
I am not a huge fan of butter based frosting. This cream cheese frosting without butter is DELICIOUS. I added some cinnamon and nutmeg based on the suggestions and it was perfect! Thank you thank you!
Ellen
I needed a recipe for cream cheese frosting without butter because I forgot to get butter at the store! This recipe ended up being better than the regular cream cheese frosting recipe that I make. Bravo! New favorite!