Healthy Cream Cheese Frosting
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Published Nov 03, 2021, Updated Jul 07, 2023
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Healthy cream cheese frosting that’s made with Greek yogurt and naturally sweetened with maple syrup. No butter or powdered sugar needed! It’s creamy, fluffy and delicious served on carrot cake, cinnamon rolls or your favorite flavor of cupcakes or cake.
The third and final frosting recipe for you this week! I honestly don’t make cream cheese frosting that much but that’s probably because I didn’t realize how easy it was! I love the flavor and find it to be so versatile.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Everyone needs a classic cream cheese frosting recipe in their back pocket!
- It’s a healthier version of the traditional recipe – no powdered sugar or butter needed!
- This recipe is made with just four simple ingredients.
- It’s light and creamy and perfect for topping a variety of cupcakes, cakes and even cookies.
Upgraded Cream Cheese Frosting
Traditional cream cheese frosting is typically made with a full stick of butter and 2-4 cups of powdered sugar, but in true EBF fashion I decided to make an upgraded version. I swapped the powdered sugar with maple syrup and added Greek yogurt for a little boost of protein! Trust me, this version is just as delicious, if not better than the traditional recipe and it’s made with better-for-you-ingredients.
Here’s What You Need
- cream cheese – make sure you’re using a block and not spread of full fat cream cheese that has been softened to room temperature.
- Greek yogurt – again, I recommend using full fat yogurt. I used plain yogurt but you could try different flavors if you’d like! Greek yogurt is thick and creamy and the perfect yogurt option for this recipe. I don’t recommend using a different type of yogurt, as it might thin the frosting out too much.
- maple syrup – classic cream cheese frosting typically calls for powdered sugar, but I’m using maple syrup to sweeten this frosting. I love the flavor it adds but if you’d like to swap for a different liquid natural sweetener, I’m sure that would work as well.
- vanilla extract – a flavor enhancer that brings all of the flavors together in this frosting.
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting
Before you start making your frosting, make sure your cream cheese has been softened to room temperature. It will take about an hour for your cream cheese to soften fully to room temp on the counter. Alternatively, you can soften your cream cheese in the microwave on a plate for about 20-30 seconds. Just make sure to unwrap the cream cheese from the foil before placing in the microwave and don’t heat too long otherwise your cream cheese could turn out runny!
Add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and use a hand mixer to whip the ingredients together on medium speed until smooth and fluffy. Scrape down the sides as needed to make sure everything is fully combined. You can also use a stand mixer for this if you have one!
tip! Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature otherwise the frosting will turn out lumpy and not as smooth after beating it.
Tips For Frosting
You can frost this in a variety of different ways! I usually just use a knife or spatula to spread the frosting on cake or cupcakes but you could also pipe it! Scoop the frosting into a piping bag or a plastic baggie. Cut the corner of the baggie and pipe out the frosting on your treats.
How to Use Cream Cheese Frosting
This recipe makes enough to frost 18 cupcakes or an 8-9 inch cake. Here are some recipes that would be delicious with this cream cheese frosting:
- Healthy Birthday Cake
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- Healthy Vanilla Cake
- Healthy Carrot Cake Bars or Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
- Gingerbread Baked Oatmeal
- Soft Pumpkin Cookies
- Easy Strawberry Cake
- Healthy Smash Cake
- Banana Bread or Zucchini Bread
- Pumpkin Bread or Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
- Birthday Cake Baked Oatmeal
How to Store Leftovers
If you don’t use all of this frosting right away, you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to use, bring it to room temperature and then re-whip with a handheld mixer or stand mixer before using.
More Frosting Recipes
- Healthy Chocolate Frosting
- Greek Yogurt Frosting
- Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
The Most Popular Dessert Recipes
- Vegan Rice Krispie Treats
- Chocolate Covered Snickers Stuffed Dates
- Peanut Butter Balls
- Chocolate Chip Tahini Cookies
- No Bake Cookies
- Monster Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
Be sure to check out all of the dessert recipes here on EBF!
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese (full fat), softened to room temperature
- ½ cup Greek yogurt, I used plain full fat
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl.
- Using a hand mixer on medium speed whip all the ingredients together until smooth and fluffy (about 5 minutes), scraping down the sides as needed. If your frosting is turning out runny, just keep whipping it and it should turn out thick and fluffy. Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer.
- Use frosting on desired recipe and enjoy. This recipe will yield enough to frost 18 cupcakes or a 8-9 inch cake.
Notes
- Maple syrup: Feel free to use your favorite liquid sweetener.
- Make sure the cream cheese is at room temp, otherwise it’ll turn lumpy and not as smooth after beating it.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delicious! I made it to use on cinnamon rolls, and the leftovers made fantastic fruit dip. I did add some Splenda because I like things really sweet.
Yay! So glad you loved this frosting. And great idea to use the leftovers for a fruit dip. Thanks for making it and for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
Hi,
I’m hoping to use this recipe alongside your birthday cake for my daughter’s upcoming 4th birthday party (how long can I keep them refined sugar free?!). Given she wants a unicorn cake, I’m wondering whether you think I could add some natural colour to some of this recipe for part of the cake? Would it affect consistency too much if a wet colour?
Thanks 🙏🏼
Hi Natasha – I haven’t tried adding coloring to this frosting, but I bet it would turn out just fine! Let me know if you try it and how the cake turns out.
Great consistency & great tasted! THANK YOU!
So glad this recipe was a hit, Jen! Thanks for coming back to leave a review. I so appreciate it!
Hi there! Looking forward to trying this recipe! I plan on using this to frost banana muffins for my son’s birthday. Is this able to sit out of the fridge for a few hours?
Thanks!
Hi Danielle – Yes, this frosting will be fine to sit out for a few hours. Definitely come back and let me know how the frosting turns out for you. I hope everyone loves the muffins!
I have always loved cream cheese frosting, so I was thrilled to find this healthier version and paired it with your healthy soft pumpkin cookies. YUM!
However, I could not get the right consistency. It was quite runny and the more I mixed it, the runnier it got. Your recipe notes said to blend it more if it was runny and it would come out thick and fluffly. Mine did not. I tried refrigerating it to see if it would set up a bit, but no luck. I also added about 1/4 cup powdered sugar (even though I didn’t want to add sugar) just in hopes of getting a better consistency, but still no luck. I used a stand mixer.
It tastes great and I love that it’s a healthier version, but would love some ideas about getting the right consistency. I was hoping to take your healthy pumpkin cookies with this frosting to an upcoming potluck if I can get the frosting to come out better. I hope you can help!
Hi Nicole – Thanks so much for sharing your feedback. I am so glad you loved the flavor but I am sorry to hear it was a bit thin. Do you mind sharing what brand of cream cheese and greek yogurt (and what %) you used?
Loved it!!!!! Can I freeze the frosting that’s left over or how long will it keep in the fridge?
Yay! So glad this recipe turned out great for you. If you don’t use all of this frosting right away, you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to use, bring it to room temperature and then re-whip with a handheld mixer or stand mixer before using.
I made this to go on the “healthy smash cake.” I followed the recipe exactly but it also came out “runny” for me. I added 4 oz more cream cheese and it was a better consistency. I frosted the cake the day before the party and put it in the refrigerator. It held great and did not make the cake soggy at all. My son loved it!
Hi Caroline! Thanks so much for sharing, I am not sure why the frosting came out a bit runny the first time around, but I am glad you were able to get it to a better consistency after adding more cream cheese. Thanks for sharing your review & star rating, I really appreciate it!
I’ve made this frosting a couple of times now and each time it has turned out delicious! It took longer than 5 minutes of whipping on medium speed using my KitchenAid, but it did eventually become enough like frosting that I was fine with using it, haha. (I’m not that particular!) I also halved the amount of vanilla extract and it still turned out great. I’ll be coming back to this recipe time and time again! Thank you for it!!
YUM! I am so glad you are loving this frosting, Heather. Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, recipe + star rating, I really appreciate it!
LOVE this recipe!!! So delicious and love the simple, clean ingredients. Does the frosting harden at all with drying?
Hi Megan! I am so glad you are loving this recipe and it is a hit for you. No, I haven’t had any issues with the frosting hardening, did this happen for you? Thank you for sharing your review + star rating, I really appreciate it!
Followed the directions but it still turned out lumpy. Major bummer because it does taste good, but won’t work for what I’m going for now. Glad I made it the night before my event so I have time for a backup plan.
Hi Emily – So sorry to hear your frosting was a bit lumpy. Did you change anything about the recipe? Was your cream cheese fully softened to room temp?