Learn how to make richly flavored brown butter cream cheese frosting with this easy recipe. This creamy frosting tastes incredible on banana cake, pumpkin cake, spice cake, zucchini cake, and so much more. You only need 5 ingredients, but be sure to allow time for the browned butter to re-solidify in the refrigerator.
How do you make silky, creamy, tangy cream cheese frosting even better? By adding the most magical ingredient of all—brown butter.
I first shared this frosting on my zucchini cake and banana layer cake, and readers went wild for it. With so much love and praise, it only felt right to give this fan-favorite its very own spotlight. It more than deserves it!
Here are just a few of the many, many reviews:
One reader, Sarah, commented: “This is just a comment on the brown butter cream cheese frosting (which I used with a different cake recipe)—it is THE BEST FROSTING I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE. No exaggeration. The nuttiness, the tang, the vanilla, the just-right-sweetness, ohmygoodness. It is literally perfect.★★★★★“
Another reader, Mary, commented: “I now want to use brown butter frosting for any cake that calls for cream cheese frosting… SO GOOD!!! ★★★★★“
Another reader, Peter, commented: “I will literally never make cream cheese frosting any other way ever again. Even my friends who don’t like cream cheese loved it. ★★★★★“
Another reader, Eva, commented: “Wow! I’m not a huge fan of frosting. Most of it is too sweet for me… This one, however, is amazing—the combination of sweet, salty, and umami made it hard to stop licking the bowl. ★★★★★“
It’s easy to see why this frosting is so popular. You have all of the tangy creaminess of already-pretty-perfect cream cheese frosting, plus the delicately nutty, toffee-caramelized flavor from brown butter on top of it.
I don’t overload the frosting with sugar, either—just enough to bulk it up without masking the brown butter flavor. Here’s everything you need to make it:
How to Make Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
It’s simple to make, but you do need to allow time for the browned butter to re-solidify in the refrigerator. You can brown the butter first, before you even make your cake, or do it while the cake is baking or cooling.
Browning butter takes less than 10 minutes, and I have an entire tutorial on how to brown butter if you need some extra help.
After you brown the butter on the stove, refrigerate it until it’s re-solidified:
Then beat the solidified brown butter with softened (room-temperature) cream cheese to make the base of the frosting. Finally, add in the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt, and beat the frosting until it’s smooth and creamy.
Just look at all those gorgeous specks of pure FLAVOR!
Success Tip: Use the Right Cream Cheese
Your brown butter cream cheese frosting will be thin and runny if you’re not careful about the type of cream cheese you use. Make sure you use an 8-ounce (226g) brick of full-fat cream cheese, not reduced-fat or “light” cream cheese, and not the cream cheese spread that comes in a tub. Save the cream cheese spread for topping your bagels.
The #1 reason bakers end up with runny frosting is because they’re accidentally using cream cheese spread instead of a brick. There’s a HUGE difference! For the best, thickest, and most successful frosting, use the bricks of real, full-fat cream cheese.
Also, make sure the cream cheese sits out at room temperature for a little while before you need it. If your cream cheese is too cold when you begin beating it, you’ll end up with lots of tiny lumps of cream cheese in your frosting. You don’t want those in your cheesecake, and you don’t want them in your frosting, either!
Can Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting Be Piped?
Cream cheese frosting, including this brown butter cream cheese frosting, can be challenging to pipe because it’s so creamy and soft. However, if you refrigerate it prior to piping, it should hold shape better. Fit your piping bag with a piping tip, fill your bag with the frosting, then refrigerate it for 20–30 minutes before piping.
Still, don’t expect it to be as sturdy as buttercream. Think about it: cream cheese right out of the refrigerator is much softer to the touch than cold butter is! So save any intricate piped designs for vanilla buttercream, and stick with a basic round tip for piping cream cheese frosting.
How Much Frosting Does This Make?
The amount in the recipe card below makes enough to frost a quarter sheet cake (9×13-inch pan), a batch of 12 cupcakes, OR a thin coating on a 2-layer cake. If you need enough frosting for a 3-layer cake, see recipe Note below.
Try This Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting on:
Description
Learn how to make richly flavored brown butter cream cheese frosting with this easy recipe. This creamy frosting tastes incredible on banana cake, pumpkin cake, spice cake, zucchini cake, and so much more. You only need 5 ingredients, but be sure to allow time for the browned butter to re-solidify in the refrigerator. If you need enough to frost a layer cake, see recipe Notes below.
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, cut into 4 slices
- 8 ounces (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 and 1/2 cups (300g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- Brown the butter: Set out a medium heatproof bowl or glass liquid measuring cup because you’ll need it at the end of this step. Place the sliced butter in a light-colored skillet or saucepan. A light-colored interior allows you to determine when the butter begins to brown. Melt the butter over medium heat, stirring or whisking constantly. Once melted, the butter will begin to foam. Continue stirring/whisking, keeping a close eye on it. After about 5–7 minutes, the butter will begin browning and you’ll notice lightly browned specks forming at the bottom of the pan. The butter will have a nutty aroma. The color will gradually deepen, from yellow to golden to golden-brown; once it’s a light caramel-brown color, immediately remove from heat and pour into the bowl; be sure to scrape out and include the brown solids that have formed on the bottom of the pan. Cool for 10 minutes at room temperature, then transfer to the refrigerator to cool completely and solidify.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the solidified brown butter on high speed until creamy and smooth, about 1 minute. Add the cream cheese and beat again until smooth and combined, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then gradually increase to high speed and beat for 2 minutes.
- Spread the frosting on cooled cake or cupcakes. If you plan to pipe the frosting, transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip and refrigerate it for 20–30 minutes before piping.
- Cover leftover frosting tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can brown the butter up to 3 days in advance and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to make the frosting.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Light-Colored Skillet or Stainless Steel Skillet | Silicone Whisk | Silicone Spatula | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand)
- Amount: This recipe makes enough to frost a quarter sheet cake (9×13-inch pan), a batch of 12 cupcakes, OR a thin coating on a 2-layer cake. If you need enough frosting for a 3-layer round cake, increase the ingredient amounts to the following and follow the same instructions: 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature, 12 ounces (339g) full-fat brick cream cheese softened to room temperature, 4 cups (480g) confectioners’ sugar, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- Brown Butter: For more information and troubleshooting, see this post on how to brown butter.
