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Easy, incredible Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting recipe: bright lemon, tangy cream cheese, and sweet butter combine for the BEST lemon cream cheese frosting! Tastes incredible—not too sweet, just the right amount of tangy and tart with fresh lemon flavor.
Why This Is The Dreamiest Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Not Too Sweet: Just right. You won’t be scooping this frosting off of your too-sweet cupcakes, you’ll be lavishing in it.
- Tangy ‘n Tart: Tangy, dreamy cream cheese and bright ‘n tart fresh lemon make for incredible flavor, just like lemon glaze!
- Perfect for Easter, picnics, birthdays, and more!
Irresistible Recipe: Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting!
There is something so bright and fresh about lemons that already has me smiling when I see one! So when I decided to remix my super-popular cream cheese frosting, I thought zesty lemons would be the perfect complement.
With just 6 ingredients (and two coming from an actual lemon), we’ll make the easiest recipe for lemon cream cheese frosting. It’s smooth and creamy, with tangy cream cheese flavor that’s well-balanced with bright lemons and sweet vanilla.
The best lemon cream cheese frosting is incredible on so many types of cakes, cupcakes, brownies, and cookies! Try it on my carrot cake cupcakes, crispy gingersnaps, and pumpkin cake. This frosting tastes unbelievable with everything!
Best Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
- Cream Cheese – quickly soften cream cheese by unwrapping, then heating on a microwave safe plate for 10 seconds (don’t overdo it, it can melt).
- Butter – use unsalted butter and soften to room temperature by leaving on the counter for 30-60 minutes.
- Lemon Zest & Lemon Juice – for the best flavor, use fresh-squeezed lemon juice. The best part? You conveniently have a lemon to zest afterward!
- Vanilla – use genuine, pure vanilla extract for it’s rich and deep flavor.
- Confectioners’ Sugar – I’ve included tips below on how to get a sweeter, thicker frosting or a thinner, less sweet frosting.
How to Make Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Using a stand mixer with a whisk attachment (or a hand mixer with a large mixing bowl), beat together cream cheese, softened butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat until fluffy and creamy.
- Gradually add in confectioners’ sugar, beating until smooth and thick. Use less sugar for a thinner frosting, more for a thicker, sweeter frosting.
- Pipe onto completely cooled cupcakes, cookies, cake, or brownies (like these fudgy brownie bites). Enjoy!
Recipes for Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting (What to Use With)
- Chocolate cupcakes
- Pumpkin cupcakes
- Carrot cake cupcakes
- Chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese frosting – try swirling a combo of cream cheese frosting and lemon cream cheese frosting. So good!
- Cinnamon roll monkey bread – pipe lemon and cream cheese frosting onto this bread—yum!
Tips
- Make sure to use cream cheese that’s softened throughout the center. Quickly soften cream cheese by unwrapping it, then microwaving for 10 seconds (don’t overdo it or you’ll melt it).
- Use freshly-squeezed lemon juice—it makes all the difference. The lemon flavor will be brighter and fresher, with a tangy and tart, not bitter, flavor. I use either this stainless steel lemon squeezer or electric lemon squeezer to get every drop of juice out.
- Add more confectioners’ sugar for sweeter frosting (about 4 cups) or less for less sweet lemon frosting with cream cheese (about 2 cups).
- No clue how much sugar to use? Follow what I did—3 cups—and see how you like it. Adjust as needed.
Tools You Need
- Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer: both of these are the gold standard in baking. I’ve had mine for 10 years and they’re still going strong!
- Piping Tips: for smooth frosting | for star shaped swirls. These are the two piping tips I use the most for all of my frosted baked goodies. They’re high-quality and produce beautiful results.
For more delicious ideas like this cream cheese lemon frosting recipe, follow us on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. If you’ve tried this recipe, take a pic and tag us on Instagram using #beamingbaker. We can’t wait to see it! Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️
Fabulous Frosting Recipes & More
A few of our recent desserts include world’s best monkey bread, ambrosia salad, and peanut butter oatmeal cookies.
BEST Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- or Hand Mixer
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened (use brick-style)
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened (½ cup)
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice, fresh-squeezed
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2-4 cups confectioners’ sugar, – more for a thicker frosting, less for a softer one. I used 3 cups.
Instructions
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or a hand mixer and large mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese, butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla, until slightly fluffy and creamy.
- Slowly add in confectioners’ sugar, beating until smooth and thick to your liking. Use less for a thinner, softer frosting; use more for a thicker, stiffer frosting.
- Pipe onto completely cooled cupcakes (like carrot cake cupcakes or chocolate cupcakes) or cake (like pumpkin cake) or spread onto brownies or cookies. Enjoy!
- ★ Last Step: If you made this recipe, leave a comment and review. It truly helps our small business keep running and it helps readers like you!
Notes
- Using 3 cups of confectioners’ sugar, I can make enough frosting to comfortably frost 12-16 cupcakes with high frosted tops. If frosting much less, you could frost maybe 2 dozen cupcakes.
