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!
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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
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (i.e. ½ stick) softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened, use the cream cheese sold in a brick, not in a tub
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
Before you begin! If you make this, will you do me a huge favor 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 unsalted butter (¼ cup), cream cheese (4 ounces), vanilla extract (1 teaspoon), and salt (⅛ teaspoon). Use an electric mixer to beat for 20-30 seconds until combined.
- Slowly add powdered sugar (1 ½ cups) and beat until combined and smooth (about 30-60 seconds). Slather on warm cinnamon rolls and enjoy!
Last Step! Please 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.
Omg its almost orgazmic. This recipe is easy to make and extreamly yummy 😋!!!!
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Liz! I really appreciate it!
Delicious. I mixed by hand and it still came out creamy, very nice. I used it on Better Homes and Garden Cinnamon Rolls
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Laura!
I made this and poured over my pecan pound cake. Oh, so good. But you could really taste the cream cheese I think next time I’ll cut it back to 3 oz of cream cheese. That’s just me anybody else might like the taste of cream cheese. Thank you for the recipe.
Thank you for leaving a review, Norma!
Delicious and my new go to for cinnamon roll topping. Thank you 💕
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Sandra! :)
This icing was perfect! Not to sweet but sweet enough!
This was great and I am a skeptic when it comes to homemade icing. I even did not follow the instructions closely as in adding the powdered sugar gradually (I stopped beating and added all at once then started beating again) the texture was still great and the taste was amazing - the author is correct - if you want that little bit of tang, add a little lemon juice. I will definitely use again!
Absolutely delicious
My family enjoyed this
Loved it. Not to sweet to over power the Cinnamon Rolss
Yes, I used it! Was very similar to what I used before! I enjoyed it! Thanks for posting it!
I used the recipe for just the frosting. I'm type 1 diabetic so I subbed the preferred sugar with Swerve confectioners blend and added 1 tablespoon of half and half along with a few squirts of Italian lemon juice from concentrate. Yummm!yummm
Delicious! We doubled the recipe because we like our cinnamon rolls bathed in frosting and it worked great!
Lol, can't go wrong with extra frosting! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Sydney! Thank you for leaving a review!
Excellent icing!
I reduced this recipe to 1/4, and it was just enough to add an extra layer of icing to my Pillsbury cinnamon rolls with no leftovers. It was fabulous! And exactly what I needed!
I’m so glad you got this frosting to work for what you needed with reduced measurements! Thanks for leaving a review, Katherine!
Came out amazing thank you
Fantastic frosting for our TikTok cinnamon rolls! The only tweak I made was I added about a tablespoon of cream to make the frosting a tiny bit thinner, so I could pour it over the cinnamon rolls!
So glad that you could customized and enjoy the frosting Suzanne.
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.