NO Butter Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
This no butter cream cheese frosting is light, fluffy and melts in the mouth just like whipped cream. A simple, easy and effortless recipe that gets done in less than 10 minutes. Perfect for cupcakes or your favorite carrot cake recipe.
No Butter Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe, How to make cream cheese icing, cream cheese frostings
Have you ever wanted to make a cream cheese frosting with just cream cheese? NO butter?
The best part it’s rich, delicious, creamy and melts in the mouth. Despite the fact that I should not favor one recipe over my other I will say that this is my favorite cream cheese frosting. Don’t get me wrong both my recipes are good and I love them both but this one? I cannot resist eating it with a spoon. The truth is I love cheese and I can eat cheese by the block.
Despite both the recipes being the BEST, there are advantages and disadvantages to both.
This no butter cream cheese frosting is really light and has a whipped cream kinda consistency because there is no butter. You can pipe swirls and also use it to frost a cake but it’s a soft icing so there are limitations to what you can do with this. If I make cream cheese frosting for the family – this is it? Light and fluffy just like whipped cream.
On the other hand, my classic cream cheese frosting has butter which adds stability. butter also can be whipped to make a more light and fluffy buttercream kinda frosting, so you can use it in a cake covered with fondant too. It does make some nice firm cream cheese swirls on cupcakes, you can pipe borders around a cake. For my business, the classic is usually my go-to recipe. Customers love it and I love working with it.
NO Butter Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe, Cream Cheese Frostings, Cream Cheese Icing
Let’s talk ingredients and substitutes for this recipe (Save/Pin)
- Cream Cheese – No low fat – please use full-fat cream cheese such as Philadelphia or Mascarpone. There is no butter in this recipe so a cream cheese fat is all the stability you get in this recipe. Always use cream cheese at room temperature.
- Lemon – Just a tiny amount to cut the sugar and it does make a huge difference. It does not affect the taste. So if you want the lemon flavor you will need to add more.
- Salt – Sounds like a lot but it does help cut the sugar a lot!!
- Powder sugar – Use good powder sugar made from cane sugar, not beet sugar and you will never have a grainy buttercream or frosting recipe.
No Butter Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe, Cream Cheese Frosting, Cream Cheese Icing
Recipe – NO Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
Tools
Ingredients – for 12 cupcakes or fill and frost a 6-inch round cake
- Cream cheese – 450 grams (16 oz or 12 cup)
- Powdered sugar – 500 grams (4 cups)
- Whipping cream – 2 tbsp
- Corn starch – 2 tbsp
- Lemon juice – 1/2 tsp
- Vanilla – 2 tbsp
Method
- Add room temperature cream cheese, lemon juice, corn starch and whipping cream in a mixer bowl.
- Whip on medium speed for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Add powder sugar one cup at a time until you’ve used 2 cups of the powder sugar.
- Lastly, add the vanilla.
- Continue to mix on medium high for more 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Check consistency – if too soft add a little more powder sugar. If necessary add a tbsp or more of whipping cream to lighten it up.
- The more you whip, the lighter this frosting becomes. Just like whipped cream frosting.
Flavors
- Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting – replace 2 tbsp powder sugar with cocoa powder – mix together before you add into the mixer.
- Lemon Juice – Replace the fresh cream with 1 tbsp of lemon juice – more if you like a tart buttercream.
- Peppermint – replace 1 tsp of vanilla in the recipe with 1 tsp peppermint extract to the above frosting.
- Maple – Replace the cream in this recipe with Maple syrup – the syrup will lighten the frosting so you may not be able to pipe firm swirls but it will still be absolutely delicious.
- Caramel – Omit the fresh cream in the recipe – Add 1/4 cup thick caramel sauce (see my homemade caramel sauce recipe here) – and add the caramel sauce at the last stage and you have whipped the cream cheese frosting.
The consistency will be softer so you won’t be able to pipe firm swirls.
Since caramel is added sugar the resulting frosting is rather sweet. You can add salt flakes to cut some of that and get a salted caramel effect.
Personally, I prefer to make the classic cream cheese frosting recipe and then drizzle the caramel over the finished cupcake or cake as an added effect which is usually more appreciated than adding caramel into the frosting.
Don’t forget to save this recipe on Pinterest for later.
You can find a collection of my tutorials and recipes here on Pinterest.
NO Butter Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe, Cream cheese icing, Easy cream cheese frosting
No Butter Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
This no butter cream cheese frosting is light, fluffy and melts in the mouth just like whipped cream. A simple, easy and effortless recipe that gets done in less than 10 minutes. Perfect for cupcakes or your favorite carrot cake recipe.
Ingredients - Choose (Metric or US Customary) below
- 450 grams Cream cheese
- 500 grams Powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp Whipping cream
- 2 tbsp Cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp Lemon juice
- 2 tbsp Vanilla
Instructions
-
Add room temperature cream cheese, lemon juice, cornstarch and whipping cream in a mixer bowl
-
Whip on medium speed for about 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
-
Add powder sugar one cup at a time until you've used 2 cups of the powder sugar.
-
Lastly, add the vanilla
-
Continue to mix on medium high for more 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
-
Check consistency - if too soft add a little more powder sugar. If necessary add a tbsp or more of whipping cream to lighten it up.
-
The more you whip, the lighter this frosting becomes. Just like whipped cream frosting
Recipe Notes
Flavors
- Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting - replace 2tbsp powder sugar with cocoa powder - mix together before you add into the mixer.
- Lemon Juice - Replace the fresh cream with 1 tbsp of lemon juice - more if you like a tart buttercream
- Peppermint - replace 1 tsp of vanilla in the recipe with 1 tsp peppermint extract to the above frosting
- Maple - Replace the cream in this recipe with Maple syrup - the syrup will lighten the frosting so you may not be able to pipe firm swirls but it will still be absolutely delicious
- Caramel - Omit the fresh cream in the recipe - Add 1/4 cup thick caramel sauce (see my homemade caramel sauce recipe here) - and add the caramel sauce at the last stage and you have whipped the cream cheese frosting. The consistency will be softer so you won't be able to pipe firm swirls. Since caramel is added sugar the resulting frosting is rather sweet. You can add salt flakes to cut some of that and get a salted caramel effect. Personally I prefer to make the classic cream cheese frosting recipe and then drizzle the caramel over the finished cupcake or cake as an added effect which is usually more appreciated than adding caramel into the frosting.
Are you looking for the perfect buttercream recipe for your cake? You may want to check for my other buttercream recipes like
- Velvet American Buttercream (ABC)
- Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMBC)
- Italian Meringue Buttercream (SMBC)
- Meringue Buttercream with Meringue Powder
Buttercream Frosting Recipes by Veena Azmanov
Or perhaps you looking for a different flavor? Check out how to flavor your existing buttercream recipe or make a new one here.
- Perfect Pink Champagne Buttercream Recipe
- Whipped Cream Buttercream Recipe
- Chocolate Buttercream
- Mocha Buttercream
- Caramel Buttercream
- Salted Caramel Buttercream and more..
Hii,
I was wondering if i can halve the ingredients to make 2 cups of frosting instead of the 4 that the recipe yields.
If not can you please advise ingredients for a smaller batch of frosting thank you so much
Yes, Leah. You can definitely half the frosting to make a smaller batch. Thanks
So I just made the full recipe and it taste amazing but it only came out to 2 cups. Also it Came out a little like icing instead of frosting. What should I do to thicken it ?
How many cups will I need to frost and cover a two tier cake … two 8” and two 6” both 3 inch deep.
Hey Leah. Yeah, I just looked at the recipe. It’s already a small batch. Good for a dozen cupcakes.
If you need it for two cakes you will need a lot more to fill and frost. There is no butter in this recipe so it’s not going to be as fluffy as buttercream frosting obviously. Buttercream gets whipped up so it becomes more fluffy. Also, the cream cheese you use will determine the consistency of the icing. I usually use this as a filling and for cupcakes. For frosting a cake on the outside I use my recipe Cream Cheese Frosting
Hello Veena, thank you ever so much for this recipe. It is just what I had been looking for. I do have a few questions. How long ahead of time would you frost the cake? Does the frosted cake keep at room temp? Or do you have to cover it and put it in the fridge? Thank you again so very much for your advice.
Hey El, Since this is cream cheese it is considered a perishable frosting. Which means it has to be kept in the fridge. Thaw an hour or two before serving. I usually decorate cakes with cream cheese a day before so it has a better shelf life even after it’s cut.
Thanks a lot. So kind of you to take the time to answer questions!!
You are welcome El.
Hi I just finished making my no butter cream cheese frosting. But it came out too liquidy ? I don’t know what to do to thicken it up! I’m making cupcakes for today please help!!!!
Hey Stephanie.. Sounds like your cream cheese has too much liquid in it? The only way to thicken it would add powder sugar which unfortunately will make it too sweet. Is it possible that you can fold in some whipped cream? I mean, whip the cream to stiff peaks then fold it into the cream cheese frosting. (you can also stabilize whipped cream if that helps with the weather). I don’t’ know what the consistency of your cream cheese frosting is so I can only suggest – not sure how it will work at your end.
That is one delicious recipe. Tried it with your Carrot cupcakes and they were to die for. Thank you so much for always sharing recipes that definitely work. Your recipes are so detailed they definitely make me want to bake. Thanks
Thank you Mary. Happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for coming back to write this feedback. Appreciate it very much. Always love to hear back from people who tried this recipe.
This recipes was so delicious and creamy – the no butter does bring out the rich flavor of the cream cheese. I used Philadelphia and it sure was rich.. sweet and best!! Definitely making it again. Thanks for the recipe
Thank you Lisa. Happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for coming back to write this feedback. Appreciate it very much. Always love to hear back from people who tried this recipe.
Thank you so much for this recipe. It was perfect. I really was looking for a no butter buttercream. So this was perfect for my red velvet cake.
Thank you Zywiec. Happy to here you enjoyed my recipe. Thank you for coming back to write this feedback. Appreciate it very much.
I don’t know how you stay so slim with all the goodies you make. This past year all I wanna do is eat icing and frosting. This looks to be like another great recipe from you. Can’t wait to try it
Thanks Denise. Not so thin !! I wish I could day it’s easy. I know what you mean I love frosting but I barely every nibble on those anymore.
I would love this type of frosting!! But I have to ask you something personal — I hope you don’t think I’m prying. But do you ever lick your fingers when that delicious frosting gets on your hand/fingers? I would think it an impossibility! I’m definitely saving this recipe.
Thanks Marisa. It’s always very tempting to lick my fingers but one of the easiest ways to add those extra pounds is when you lick those fingers one too many times. So I make a conscious effort to do an official taste test with the spoon at the end. In between the kids and Ziv are always around so I use their palettes.
What a great frosting for so many desserts. Cupcakes, stuffed cookies, cakes….and cinnamon rolls too. I love cream cheese frosting….and this sounds like the perfect recipe to make it.
Absolutely Gloria – definitely a great topping for so many many desserts
Cream cheese frosting is great on so many things, thanks for the great recipe!
Thank you Rebecca. That is so true.
This looks lovely! It looks like it will hold up nice and stiff so there’s no sagging cupcakes.
Yes, it does hold good and taste absolutely delicious. Thansk Jen
I would never thought about making frosting without butter. Great recipe
This does really well without butter and is more light and similar to whipped cream.
Your frosting looks so fluffy and perfect! What a delicious frosting recipe!
Thanks Catherine
This frosting sounds absolutely amazing! Thanks for adding all the different flavors I can add to this.
You are very welcome Jacque. Thanks
All i can say is Wow, Wow, Wow Fantastic!!!!!!! A beautifully unique and fantastic pirate cake! I am was blown away by how amazing it is- it couldn’t have been more perfect.Best of luck for video..:) Thank you so much!