The BEST Soft Cream Cheese Icing for Cinnamon Rolls and More!

Name: Cream Cheese Icing
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 4 oz. cream cheese (softened); 2 cups powdered sugar; 1 pinch kosher salt; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 1 tablespoon milk

Do yourself a favor and this make decadent Cream Cheese Icing ASAP to add to your favorite dessert or breakfast! Calling for a handful of ingredients, this smooth and creamy cream cheese frosting recipe is perfect to add to most anything.

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Creamy cream cheese icing in a bowl next to pumpkin cookies on a sheet pan

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Last weekend, we made Joy the Baker’s Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls for my friends Elizabeth, Eric and their baby, Hannah.

They were absolutely incredible, and I made this Cream Cheese Frosting for Cinnamon Rolls to go on top of them.

I recommend checking Joy’s recipe out, and I wanted to share the Cream Cheese Icing recipe I whipped up for the rolls because it was perfection.

Why I love this recipe:

Honestly, Cream Cheese Icing for Cinnamon Rolls is something special, totally decadent and incredibly simple to make at home, too. It tastes delightfully tangy with just a little balance of sweetness.

All you need are four ingredients and a pinch of salt…

In about 5 minutes, you’ll have the creamiest, dreamiest frosting imaginable.

Serve on warm cinnamon rolls to really get gooey and perfect!

Please note that this homemade cream cheese frosting has a runnier texture than the type you’d find on a layered cake, like a red velvet cake, spice cake or a carrot cake or even cupcakes.

This recipe was originally developed to drizzle on cinnamon rolls and it is too thin to use in a piping bag, but I am biased and will tell you it is the BEST cream cheese frosting recipe to add to cookies, red velvet waffles, pancakes, etc.

However, you can find my thicker, pipable Cream Cheese Frosting for Cakes and Cupcakes here.

Recipes to use this thinner Cream Cheese Icing with: Guinness Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting Drizzle | Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes | Spiced Pumpkin Sugar Cookies | Funfetti Sugar Cookie Bars | Chocolate Chip Brownies with Bourbon and Pecans

Looking for more frosting recipes? Check out my Icing Recipe Index.

Ingredients to make cream cheese icing in bowls on a pink surface

What you need to make this recipe:

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Large mixing bowl
Hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment
Fine mesh strainer (to remove any lumps from the powdered sugar)
Kitchen scale and/or measuring cups and spoons

Let’s talk ingredients!

In addition to the tools above, you’re going to need some ingredients to make this recipe, too! Chances are, you might already have some of them in your fridge or pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full measurements and instructions.

Here’s what you need to grab from the grocery store:

Cream cheese — I recommend using the full-fat cream cheese to get as much flavor as possible out of this recipe. I have not tried this with low-fat cream cheese or nonfat cream cheese. The texture will potentially change and be less luscious if you use one of these.
Powdered sugar — also known as confectioner’s sugar, this is the sweetener for our frosting. It’s light and fluffy.
Pure vanilla extract — the real deal stuff really makes a difference in the flavor!
Milk — you can use whatever type of milk you’ve got on hand. I’ve made this with skim milk, as well as whole milk.

When I make icings like this, I like to add a pinch of salt to balance out the sweetness. I won’t count it as a fifth ingredient, but please note that this will help the frosting not taste too sweet.

Cream cheese and butter in a bowl in a glass bowl on a pink surface next to other icing ingredients — Whip the cream cheese before adding other ingredients

How to make Cream Cheese Icing

Measure the softened cream cheese into a large bowl. It needs to be at room temperature to blend more easily.

Use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese, starting slowly so it doesn’t splatter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Powdered sugar on top of a cream cheese mixture before blending for an icing — Add the powdered sugar

Spoon the powdered sugar into the cream cheese. Beat until combined with the cream cheese. Be sure to start the blender on a low speed so the powdered sugar doesn’t fly everywhere.

Pour in the vanilla, and mix at a medium speed to combine. It should smell amazing.

Drizzle the milk slowly into the mixture. Do this very slowly as you blend the ingredients together, keeping an eye on it so it doesn’t become too runny.

Creamy cream cheese icing in a bowl after blending

Enjoy with cinnamon rolls, cookies, cakes, pancakes and more!

You can spread this onto warm rolls, and it will become gooey and delicious.

Make it your own!

Depending on how you like your frosting, you can add more or less milk than the recipe specifies. Add enough milk to get the icing to YOUR desired consistency.

Just baked Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls, in a pan

how to store:

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

Let the icing come closer to room temperature to drizzle upon cinnamon rolls or cookies.

Cream Cheese icing drips off the top of a cinnamon roll

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you make cream cheese frosting for cinnamon rolls without butter?

Absolutely! This recipe does not involve unsalted butter. All you need are cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar, vanilla, a splash of milk and a pinch of salt.

What is the difference between cream cheese icing and frosting?

Icing is traditionally runnier and thinner than frosting. This cream cheese icing is a softer consistency, so it is more easily drizzled or spooned over a dish than a stiffer frosting.

A stack of Cinnamon Roll Pancakes with glaze on a white plate

Quick tips and tricks to the best Cinnamon Roll Cream Cheese Frosting

Double the recipe and make a double batch if you’re serving a crowd or like a lot of frosting!
Let the cream cheese soften. This is the piece of the recipe that takes the longest, but it will be so much easier to whip this together if the cream cheese is not rock solid from the fridge.
Change up the flavors! You can add a little strawberry to make Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting. Or you can swap the vanilla extract with another extract (like maple, lemon, etc.) to give this a different flavor.

More cinnamon roll recipes to try:

If you’re making this cinnamon roll frosting, pair it with the following recipes…

Try a classic, like Walnut Sticky Buns with Cream Cheese Icing.

Add some fruit and make Cranberry Cinnamon Rolls or Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls.

Make a cinnamon roll-inspired dish, like Cinnamon Roll Pancakes or Cinnamon Roll Waffles.

Piece of walnut sticky bun served on white plate with fork

Want to learn how to make this goodness?

Check it out below…

Cream Cheese Icing

Servings: servings

Erin Parker

4.85 from 20 votes

Do yourself a favor and make decadent Cream Cheese Icing ASAP to add to your favorite dessert or breakfast! Calling for a handful of ingredients, this smooth, creamy and thin cream cheese frosting recipe is perfect for cookies, cinnamon rolls and more!

Prep Time 5

Total Time 5

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