Name: Cream Cheese Frosting Without Butter
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature; 1 cup powdered sugar; ¾ cup heavy whipping cream; 1 tsp vanilla extract; ½ tsp salt

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It’s happened to us all! There is almost nothing worse than going to make something and you realize the last stick of butter you thought you had in your fridge is gone.

Well, worry no longer! Enter this cream cheese frosting recipe WITHOUT butter!

This is not a vegan recipe, just a frosting recipe sans butter. But I promise you, it is just as delicious! It’s smooth, creamy, and has the perfect tangy bite of cream cheese.

I love adding these to cinnamon rolls, cupcakes, and even cookies! I used this recipe to frost some carrot cake cupcakes I had made the other day and they were incredible.

Another thing I love about this recipe is that it is so much healthier than the store-bought tubs of frosting.

I’m not necessarily saying that this recipe is healthy by any means; it’s still full of sugar and fat, but it doesn’t have the filler vegetable oils that the others ones have, which is a plus for me.

This recipe is super simple to make, the only prep work you have to do is set out the cream cheese until it is about room temperature.

For this recipe, you will need a stand mixer or a hand mixer and a large bowl.

What Cream Cheese Should I Use?

Almost any cream cheese will do. Just make sure it is full-fat cream cheese if you want the best flavor.

I went with good old Philadelphia cream cheese; you can’t go wrong with the classic! If you are trying to cut calories, you can substitute it for low-fat cream cheese.

Is This A Vegan Recipe?

This recipe is not a vegan recipe, just one without butter. You could substitute the whipping cream for full-fat canned coconut milk, and there are multiple vegan cream cheese options available on the market.

Can I Add Other Flavors To This Recipe?

Yes, absolutely! I might try adding coconut or lemon extract to this recipe next time; I am sure it would be delicious. This would be an easy recipe to add chocolate to as well.

What Should I Make With This Frosting?

The delicious baked goods you could frost with this recipe are endless, but my favorite things I have made with this recipe so far are cinnamon rolls, carrot cake cupcakes, and sugar cookies!

I think for my next endeavor I will try adding this frosting to a lemon loaf or bundt cake. Yum!

How Long Will It Keep In The Fridge?

This frosting will keep in the fridge for 3-5 days in an airtight container. This recipe also freezes surprisingly well. All you have to do after it is thawed is whip it up again for a minute or two and it is ready to go.

How To Make Cream Cheese Frosting Without Butter

Step 1

Assemble your ingredients.

Add the heavy whipping cream to a bowl.

Step 2

Using a stand or hand mixer, whisk the heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Add to a bowl and place in the refrigerator immediately.

This will keep it from melting or going soft.

Step 3

Add your softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt to the mixer and blend until smooth.

If you are using a stand mixer, switch to the paddle attachment. You will get a smoother consistency.

Using a spatula, fold in the whipped cream until you have a smooth frosting. It should only take 1-2 minutes.

Step 4

Add to any baked item that needs frosting.

Enjoy!