Cream Cheese Frosting Without Butter

Light and fluffy cream cheese frosting recipe and no butter needed! This delicious frosting is perfect for frosting cakes, cupcakes, cookies, brownies and just about any of your favorite desserts.

This is one of my favorite frosting recipes to use for carrot cake, but it’s delicious on any of your favorite desserts.

The texture is light and fluffy while providing just the right amount of sweetness. Unlike some overly sweet frosting recipes, this one won’t overpower the rest of your dessert’s flavors.

Make sure to bookmark or pin this recipe because you’ll want to use it again and again!

On top of having a wonderful flavor and texture, this recipe is super simple and quick to make. It’s definitely one of my favorites.

Related Recipe: Whipped cream cheese frosting

How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting without using Butter

While most cream cheese recipe call for butter, this recipe allows you to get a great flavor and texture without it.

Total time to prepare your cream cheese frosting is under ten minutes, and the only equipment you need is two mixing bowls and either a hand mixer or a stand mixer.

This recipe yields enough frosting for the following applications.

• 24 cupcakes (try these carrot cake cupcakes)
• 24+ cookies
• 13″x9″ sheet cake
• 2 layer 8″ or 9″ cake
• 3 layer 6″ cake

Related Recipe: Cream cheese frosting from Cool Whip

Ingredients

With just a handful of common ingredients you are able to make a wonderful cream cheese frosting perfect for any dessert.

For this recipe we will be calling for vanilla extract, but the base recipe is perfect for just about any other flavoring.

Below I’ll cover some other flavoring options you can use, making this an incredibly versatile recipe.

No Butter Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients

• Cream Cheese
• Powdered Sugar
• Heavy Cream
• Vanilla Extract
• Lemon Juice
• Salt

Related Recipe: Cream cheese frosting without powdered sugar

Flavor Alternatives

While the majority of frosting I make is vanilla flavored, there are plenty of other great flavors you can use in this recipe.

By simply replacing your vanilla extract with one of the following ingredients, you have an entire new flavor of cream cheese frosting you can make.

• Unsweetened cocoa
• Maple syrup or maple extract
• Almond extract
• Lemon juice
• Caramel sauce
• Peppermint

Related: Cream cheese frosting vs buttercream

Instructions

Once you have all your ingredients gathered, it’s time to make your frosting! There are a few things to keep in mind while making your frosting for the best results.

Keep your heavy cream chilled in the refrigerator right up until it’s time to use it. You can also chill your mixing bowl in the freezer for about a half an hour before starting.

While not required, it helps ensure you get a light and fluffy texture.

If using a stand mixer, use a paddle attachment. For a hand mixer, I use my standard attachments.

Step 1: In your mixing bowl, add your cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon juice, and salt.

Step 2: Mix on medium speed until well combined and creamy. Set aside.

Step 3: In second mixing bowl, add your heavy cream and mix on high until stiff peaks are formed.

Step 4: By hand, fold your whipped cream into your cream cheese mixture until evenly incorporated.

Step 5: Use immediately and enjoy!

Related: How to thicken cream cheese frosting

Recipe Notes

• For a thicker frosting, use 1/4 cup more powdered sugar. For a thinner frosting use 1/4 cup less powdered sugar.
• Don’t over mix your cream cheese or heavy cream.
• You can store unused frosting in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to two days.