This easy homemade lemon cream cheese frosting uses only 5 ingredients and can made in less than 15 minutes!
Just as easy as traditional lemon buttercream, this lemon cream cheese frosting recipe has a slightly tangy flavor from the cream cheese that pairs so well with tartness of the lemons.
It's a simple frosting perfect for frosting your favorite cakes and desserts.
Why you'll love it:
- Easy: With only 5 ingredients it's super quick and easy. You can whip up a batch in less than 15 minutes!
- Versatile: From piping onto a batch of cupcakes to filling macarons this is a super super versatile dessert topping.
- Delicious: The tartness of the lemons and the sweetness of cream cheese frosting makes for a delicious and classic flavor combination!
Ingredients
- Full-Fat Brick Cream Cheese: Using full fat block cream cheese helps ensure the frosting stays thick and pipeable.
- Unsalted Butter: If substituting salted butter, omit added salt.
- Powdered/Confectioner Sugar: You can add more or less powered sugar to adjust the sweetness.
- Vanilla Extract: this is optional, but it is a great compliment to the lemon and cream cheese flavor
- Lemon: You'll be using both fresh lemon juice and zest. You can also add lemon extract for extra lemon flavor.
How to Make
Similar to chocolate cream cheese frosting or peanut butter cream cheese frosting, this recipe is super simple to make!
Step 1: Cream butter and cream cheese
Using a standing mixer with a whisk attachment (not a beater attachment) cream the butter and cream cheese. I prefer to cream the butter first until pale yellow before mixing in the cream cheese, but this is optional.
Step 2: Slowly mix in powdered sugar
Add the powdered sugar slowly can help ensure the cream cheese doesn't break down and get watery. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything properly combined.
Step 3: Add lemon juice, zest, and salt
At the very end gently mix in the salt, lemon juice, and zest. Try not to over mix at this point.
If piping the frosting, you can pop it the refrigerator for 20 minutes for better piping consistency, otherwise it's ready to add your to favorite dessert.
Tips for perfect frosting
- When zesting lemons, try to get only the yellow part of the lemon. The white part can be bitter and add a slightly bitter taste to the frosting if you get too much.
- Make sure both the butter and cream cheese are room temperature so they combine when mixing.
- Use full-fat block cream cheese. Low fat cream cheese or cream cheese in a plastic container can turn the cream cheese frosting runny due to the increased water content.
- If using a standing mixer, be sure to use a whisk attachment and not the beater attachment. The beater attachment can lead to runny frosting.
- This recipe can easily be halved for a small batch or doubled for a large batch of frosting.
Flavor Variations
- Lemon Honey: Mix in two tablespoons of honey along with the lemon zest and juice.
- Lemon Lavender: Mix in ½ – 1 tsp lavender extract with the frosting.
- Citrus: You can easily replace or combine other types of citrus like limes, lemons, and even grapefruit!
- Lemon Curd: try mixing in ¼ cup of lemon curd to the frosting for an even stronger and richer lemon flavor.
FAQ
The main reason cream cheese frostings are lumpy is that the cream cheese and/butter were not properly softened and at room temperature. This means there can be little bits of unmixed, cold butter or cream cheese in the frosting.
If this is the case for your frosting, let sit out until it fully reaches room temperature and remix.
Unlike traditional buttercream frosting, adding more sugar will not fix running cream cheese frosting.
Because cream cheese has less fat that butter, it can not hold as much sugar as regular frosting. Therefore, too much sugar can actually make the frosting more runny. You're better off adding more butter and cream cheese to offset the sugar.
If you're looking to pipe the frosting, try putting it in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes before piping to help firm up.
Still have issues with runny frosting? Check out our cream cheese frosting post on why this happens and how to prevent it.
Yes! The frosting has a very slight yellow color, but you can add a few drops of yellow food coloring to make it darker yellow. Or, add what whatever food colors you want! It's light enough it will hold food coloring well, although I do recommend gel food coloring rather that water based so it doesn't alter the consistency.
Yes, if you're making this frosting in advance keep it in the fridge until you're ready to use and then remix.
Frosted cakes and cupcakes can sit out for 2-3 hours as long as it's not too warm out. Otherwise, store the frosted cakes and cupcakes in the refrigerator and let come to room temperature before serving.
Yes! Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting is very freezer friendly!
When to Use
This recipe is delicious in place of traditional cream cheese frosting in recipes like cinnamon rolls, carrot cake, or red velvet cake!
But it is also so delicious on top of layer cakes, sheet cakes, cupcakes, or zucchini bread, as a filling for jar cakes, cakesicles, macarons or spreading on sugar cookies.
You can use it as a base for dessert pizzas like sugar cookie pizza or watermelon pizza.
Storing and Making Ahead
This frosting will last 3-5 days in the fridge is an airtight container, or 2-3 months in the freezer. When ready to use let thaw in the fridge, then remix until creamy.
Looking for more Frosting recipes? Check these out!
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Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- Hand Held or Standing Mixer
INGREDIENTS
- ½ cup salted or unsalted butter room temperature
- 8 oz full-fat brick cream cheese room temperature
- Zest of 1 small lemon about 2 tsp
- Juice of 1 small lemon about 2-3 tbsp
- 3-4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla optional
- pinch salt omit if using salted butter
Instructions
- In the bowl of a standing mixer with a whisk attachment, or a hand held mixer and a large bowl, mix the butter for 2-3 minutes until pale and creamy.
- Add cream cheese and mix another 2-3 minutes until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary to ensure it's probably mixed. It's important that both the cream cheese and butter have been softened or else they won't mix together properly.
- Mix in then powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, again scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Add in lemon zest, juice, and salt. Mix until combined.
- If piping, chill for 20 minutes for better piping consistency. Otherwise, serve with your favorite dessert and enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure both the butter and cream cheese are room temperature so they combine when mixing.
- Use full-fat block cream cheese. Low fat cream cheese or cream cheese in a plastic container can turn the cream cheese frosting runny.
- If using a standing mixer, be sure to use a whisk attachment and not the beater attachment. The beater attachment can lead to runny frosting.
- Still have issues with runny or lumpy frosting? Check out our cream cheese frosting post on why this happens and how to prevent it.
- This makes 2 to 3 cups frosting and can easily be halved or doubled.
- This frosting will last 3-5 days in the fridge is an airtight container, or 2-3 months in the freezer. When ready to use let thaw in the fridge, then remix until creamy.
Linda says
Instruction #4 says add lemon zest, juice & salt, but I don’t see salt on the ingredients list. Might be covered by an ad…
Sophia says
Hi, it’s a pinch of salt which you can omit if using salted butter!
Julia Lawson says
Lovely lemony aroma and flavour. Not too sweet and very light. This was a big hit with our family and friends and paired beautifully with lemon cake. Thanks for sharing this recipe! Will make again!
Sophia says
so glad you liked it!