This Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting is decadent and rich, with notes of toasted caramel from the browned butter and subtle tang from the cream cheese.
Homemade frosting is one of my favorite ways to elevate a store-bought cake (see How to Make Box Cake Mix Better for all of my hacks!). This one brings such depth of flavor while only requiring 4 ingredients and being pretty much foolproof.
As a busy mom who loves to bake, I love a recipe that easily elevates flavor with just one extra step (in this case, browning the butter). I was very intentional with this recipe, adding the most flavor with the least amount of extra ingredients.
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients
Use a block of cream cheese rather than a tub of whipped cream cheese spread. Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature so it’s nice and soft and easy to whip.
If you like a little salt in your frosting, you can use salted butter or add a pinch of table salt.
Browned Butter Cream Cheese Frosting Tips and Tricks
How to Make Brown Butter Frosting with Cream Cheese
Browning butter is very easy, but keep in mind that butter goes from browned to burned really quickly.
To avoid burning the butter, use a light-colored pan so you can easily see the color change.
Watch it closely throughout the whole process (it usually only takes anywhere from 4-8 minutes!) and have a heat-safe mixing bowl ready to transfer it to as soon as it’s browned.
Place the butter in your pan over medium heat, stirring frequently. First it will melt, then it will bubble before you start to see little flecks of brown. It usually stops bubbling right before it browns.
Mix those little brown flecks a few times before immediately transferring to your bowl. Then, place the whole bowl in the refrigerator so the browned butter can re-solidify. This usually takes about an hour.
Quick tip: If you want to brown your butter the day before making this frosting, you can definitely do so and just place the bowl of browned butter in the fridge overnight.
Once the brown butter is solid, add the cream cheese and vanilla extract and beat until well-combined. Then, add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, whipping in between until you’ve added 3 cups.
Then, continue to slowly add more powdered sugar, about 1-2 tablespoons at a time, mixing in between until you’re happy with the consistency. Depending on if you’re spreading or piping, you may want a thinner or thicker frosting respectively.
How to Serve and How to Store Brown Butter Frosting with Cream Cheese
This caramelized butter cream cheese frosting uplevels cupcakes, cakes, cookies, brownies, and so much more! I especially love it on these Moist Banana Carrot Muffins.
It’s great for either piping or spreading, whichever you prefer!
Cream cheese frosting is safe to store at room temperature for about 2 hours. So, if you’re making this ahead of time, make sure you refrigerate it until it’s time to serve!
When stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, it will last for up to 2 weeks.
You can also freeze this frosting for up to 6 months in a freezer safe bag. Just allow it to thaw naturally in the fridge overnight or for a few hours at room temperature before you use it.
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
SAVE RECIPE TO COLLECTION PIN PRINT RATEEquipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 8 ounces block cream cheese, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- up to 4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Grab a large heat-safe mixing bowl and set it next to the stove. To a light-colored pan (you need to be able to see when the butter changes color!), add the butter over medium heat. Heat for about 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently while the butter melts, then bubbles, then brown flecks begin to show. Once you see those brown flecks, stir a few times, then immediately transfer to the mixing bowl so it doesn't burn. Place the brown butter in the refrigerator for at least one hour or overnight to re-solidify.½ cup unsalted butter
- Add the softened cream cheese and vanilla extract to the solid browned butter and use a hand mixer on high to beat until well-combined and smooth.8 ounces block cream cheese, softened, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, mixing in between, until you've added 3 cups. Then, about 1 tablespoon at a time, continue to add powdered sugar, mixing in between, until you are happy with the thickness. You shouldn't need more than 4 cups of powdered sugar total. Pipe or spread onto your baked goods.up to 4 cups powdered sugar
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