Cream Cheese Frosting for Cinnamon Rolls

Cream cheese frosting for cinnamon rolls, a frosting recipe specifically for topping cinnamon rolls - this frosting can also be a glaze, depending on the temperature of the rolls when you frost them.

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How This Recipe Works

I make a lot of cinnamon rolls, and have really figured out the perfect frosting for them. This is a fairly standard cream cheese frosting recipe, but the ratios are different to make the frosting slightly stiffer and a little sweeter. That's because cinnamon rolls aren't as sweet as cake, and can take a little more sweetness in the frosting. It also means that you can make real mounds with the frosting, for a very attractive topping.

If you want a less-sweet option, you can make our standard cream cheese frosting recipe or try our maple cream cheese frosting. The maple version replaces some icing sugar with pure maple syrup, which is less sweet and also adds a delicious flavour.

If you frost fully cooled cinnamon rolls with this frosting, it will stay in mounds or swirls, depending on how you choose to spread it. You can see this on our blueberry cinnamon rolls. If you frost hot or warm cinnamon rolls, the frosting will melt into more of a glaze, as you can see on our sourdough discard cinnamon rolls. It's great either way.

Ingredients You'll Need and Why

These are standard cream cheese frosting ingredients, just in slightly different quantities. These are our notes from recipe testing. You can find the full recipe card below with complete measurements and instructions.

• Cream cheese: this should be the type of cream cheese that comes in a block, not the spreadable type that's meant for bagels. There should be no extra ingredients other than milk, a fermenting agent, and maybe salt. In some places you won't be able to get block cream cheese, and in that case it's fine to use the type from a tub, but make sure it is just plain cream cheese for baking and not for spreading.
• Butter: for the best taste, use salted butter. If you only have unsalted, that's fine. You can add a tiny pinch of salt to the frosting to make up for it. Note that margarine or vegan butter alternatives are generally much softer than real butter and will make the frosting soft, too.
• Icing sugar: also called powdered or confectioner's sugar. Don't try to use plain granulated sugar, which won't incorporate properly into the mixture.
• Vanilla: a hint of vanilla adds flavour to the frosting, making it more complex. Also try orange zest or extra cinnamon.

How to Make Cinnamon Roll Frosting

Keep in mind that all of the ingredients should be at room temperature before starting. Cold butter and cream cheese will make for lumpy cream cheese frosting, so be sure to take them out of the fridge in advance!

Step 1: beat the butter until light and fluffy, just a minute or so on high speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed. If using a stand mixer, use the paddle attachment.

Step 2: beat in the cream cheese until very smooth and fluffy, another minute or so. If either of these ingredients were cold, the mixture will be lumpy. If that's the case then set it aside to come to room temperature before continuing - the lumps won't go away until you do.

Step 3: add the icing sugar and vanilla and beat again until very smooth, light, and fluffy. The sugar should be fully dissolved once the frosting is ready.

Step 4: top warm or cooled cinnamon rolls, depending on how you want to serve, and serve immediately.

Expert Tips for the Best Frosting

• Use room temperature ingredients: cold ingredients won't beat together properly, and you'll end up with a curdled, lumpy frosting. Wait for everything to come up to room temperature before starting.
• Sift the sugar: icing sugar is almost always lumpy, and if it is, it's much harder for it to fully incorporate into frosting. Sift it through a fine mesh sieve to add to the mixture to remove and lumps.
• Do the rub test: check to see if the frosting is ready by rubbing a little between your fingers. If it feels grainy, it needs more mixing to dissolve the sugar fully.
• Top right before serving: since this is made with cream cheese, it should be refrigerated if not being served immediately. If you know you won't eat all the cinnamon rolls at once, it's best to frost them individually just before serving.

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