This is the best cream cheese frosting for cinnamon rolls! It's fluffy, creamy, and has the perfect balance of sweet and tangy flavors. Whip it up in one bowl, in under 10 minutes!
Why I Love This Cream Cheese Frosting for Cinnamon Rolls
- Cinnamon rolls need frosting: There are some baked goods that can go without being slathered with frosting, but cinnamon rolls aren't one of them. This cinnamon roll frosting is the perfect finishing touch, and we all know that cinnamon rolls with cream cheese have much better flavor than the ones with a quick glaze!
- It's tried-and-true: This cinnamon bun frosting is from my Quick 1 Hour Cinnamon Rolls recipe, so it's a well-tested favorite. You can't go wrong!
- It's easy: You'll love that this cinnamon roll frosting recipe comes together in a matter of minutes.
- It tastes amazing: You might even like it more than the Cinnabon icing recipe! It's creamy, sweet, tangy, and the perfect complement to pillowy soft cinnamon rolls.
Tip: To make it closer to the Cinnabon frosting recipe, add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice!
Tips & Ingredient Notes
This is just an overview, click here to jump down to the full recipe card for the recipe amounts and condensed recipe instructions.
- Butter - You'll want to use unsalted butter here, which gives you more control over the saltiness & flavor of the frosting.
- Cream cheese - Cream cheese frosting for cinnamon rolls starts with full-fat cream cheese-the kind that comes in bricks, not tubs. Low fat also works, just know that your frosting will be a bit runnier.
- Powdered sugar - This might seem like a lot, but once you mix it in, the volume decreases and helps keep your frosting thick & spreadable.
- Vanilla extract - don't skip the vanilla!
- Salt - Just a pinch will balance the sweetness in the frosting.
Tip: Want to make a copycat Cinnabon cream cheese frosting? Use the recipe below and add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
How to Make Cream Cheese Icing for Cinnamon Rolls
- Let 4 ounces of cream cheese and ¼ cup of butter sit at room temperature until they soften.
- Place the cream cheese, butter, 1 ½ cups of powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt in a medium mixing bowl.
- Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat until the frosting is smooth and fluffy, about 30 to 60 seconds.
- Slather the frosting onto cinnamon rolls, or use it however you like!
Looking for more of a glaze than a frosting? Simply add milk a tablespoon at a time until it reaches your desired consistency or use my more pourable cinnamon roll icing!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Yes, if not eaten within 1-2 hours the cream cheese cinnamon rolls should be stored in the refrigerator or the frosting can go bad. While they're best eaten right away, they can be refrigerated for a few days or even frozen (see below).
Yes, cream cheese frosting can be frozen in a zip-top freezer bag or airtight container for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the refrigerator before you use it.
I also love wrapping the frosted cinnamon rolls individually, freezing them, then microwaving them for 20-30 seconds when ready to eat!
Yes, you can make a buttercream frosting without cream cheese by using my cinnamon roll icing recipe! It's more of a quick, pourable glaze.
There are a variety of ways you can make cinnamon roll frosting but my favorite is definitely this recipe with cream cheese! It contains butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. If you're looking for a cinnamon roll frosting without cream cheese, use my cinnamon roll icing.
Easy Cream Cheese Frosting for Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
⭐️ Before you begin! If you make this, will you do me a huge favor afterwards and leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe? This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add ¼ cup unsalted butter (softened), 4 ounces cream cheese, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and ⅛ teaspoon salt. Use an electric mixer to beat for 20-30 seconds until combined.
- Slowly add 1 ½ cups powdered sugar and beat until combined and smooth (about 30-60 seconds). Slather on warm cinnamon rolls and enjoy!
Notes from Melissa
Did you make this?
I'd LOVE to hear your thoughts! Leave a review & photo of your creation and be sure to mention @DesignEatRepeat or tag #DesignEatRepeat on Instagram!Save this recipe!
I'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Cinnamon bun icing
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Shirley!
Super easy, extremely smooth and rich. The taste is that of Cinnabon without their actual recipe. My family loved this on our sourdough discard rolls.
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much for leaving a review, Heather!
The "i.e. 1/2 stick" butter doesn't change when you multiply the recipe by 2 or 3. Delicious recipe tho!
Thank you for catching that, it has been fixed! Thank you so much for leaving a review, Josh!
Wow! This packs a flavor punch and it’s delicious! Perfect for cinnamon rolls. I didn’t have unsalted butter so I used salted butter and omitted the salt. Perfection! Thanks for the recipe!!
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much for leaving a review, David!
Soooo yummy! I didn’t understand why you use unsalted butter but then add salt- but I’m not a professional so I followed it exactly and it was absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing! I will be keeping this recipe!
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much for leaving a review, Anne!
It was really good.Just make sure you really make the butter be room temperature.I kind of ended up with clumps cause I was doing it in a hurry but it was really good.Thank you
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Micheale!
This cream cheese frosting is delicious! It is sweet and creamy and tasted amazing on my cinnamon rolls! I used a tsp of vanilla bean paste instead of vanilla extract, so my frosting had pretty specks of vanilla bean all throughout it! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I am very pleased.
I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe so much, Cynthia! Thank you so much for leaving a review, I really appreciate it!
Honestly the best frosting recipe I've tried in a long time. I doubled it because I don't like having half a brick of cream cheese leftover, I added just a dash of maple syrup, maybe about a tablespoons worth... It's fantastic!
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review! I really appreciate it!
This is the best frosting that i have tasted. I added maple flavor and my family ask to make more.
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Donetta!
Tasty and not too sweet. Good consistency
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Debbie!
Super easy and absolutely delicious! 👍
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Kate!
This is fantastic icicng. Will use again and again. Ty
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Teri!
Great frosting and easy directions. Who could ask for anything more?
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Lydia! I really appreciate it!
This was so easy and delicious- I added a bit less icing sugar and had to stop myself from eating it while the cinnamon buns were baking 😅
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, Taylor! I really appreciate it!
Can I make this ahead of time? How should I store it?
Yes you can! Store in the fridge in an airtight container!
Wow. I have never bothered to leave a comment on an online recipe before but this cream cheese frosting is amazing. Similar to Sue's comment, I am branching out the use of my sourdough starter and making cinnamon rolls for the first time. I wanted a really indulgent frosting and this certainly hits the mark. So delicious and rich with the tang of the cream cheese. For how great it turned out, I'm impressed how incredibly easy it is to make. Simple ingredients I almost always have on hand. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
That makes me so happy to hear, Sonia! I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe so much! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it!