This easy cream cheese glaze is sweet, tangy, and silky smooth - and it takes just 5 minutes to make! Keep it thick for cinnamon rolls, or add a little milk to create the perfect drizzle for cakes, muffins, and donuts.
Quick Look: Cream Cheese Glaze Recipe
A smooth cream cheese icing that stays soft and can be spread, drizzled, poured, or used for dipping.
☆ Why make THIS version? The glaze starts thick, so you can add the milk gradually and stop at exactly the consistency you need. Plenty of cream cheese keeps it beautifully tangy rather than overly sweet, while the butter gives it a rich, silky finish.
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I make this cream cheese glaze all the time, and always in a massive batch because once it's in the fridge, it gets drizzled over absolutely everything - cinnamon roll muffins, pumpkin Bundt cake, pancakes, waffles… Honestly, there's not much it doesn't improve!
It's really easy to adapt, too. Just start with the thick glaze and add the milk a little at a time until it does what you need - spread it over warm cinnamon rolls, create neat drips down a Bundt cake, or loosen it enough for dipping donuts.
Reader Review:
I'm making this glaze for the second time tonight and like the first time, I'll double the recipe so I have leftover to add to pancakes, cookies, ice cream or right out of the fridge with s spoon.
Definitely my go to icing for everything
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Len
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Ingredients
This easy cream cheese glaze has just a few staple ingredients you probably already have at home.
- Cream Cheese - Use full-fat cream cheese at room temperature. Cream cheese varies between countries and brands, so a softer tub-style product won't need as much milk as firm block cream cheese. My guide to UK vs US baking ingredients explains more about why ingredients can behave differently.
- Butter - Salted or unsalted, according to personal preference. Room temperature.
- Powdered Sugar - Also known as confectioner's sugar or icing sugar. You can adjust the amount of sugar depending on how sweet you want the glaze to be.
- Vanilla - This really deepens the flavor - you can use pure vanilla extract, or I like to use vanilla bean paste so I get the little black specks of vanilla in the cream cheese glaze.
- Milk (optional) - You can use milk to control the consistency of the glaze, the more you add, the more runny it will be. Use any kind of milk.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Cream Cheese Glaze
- Beat together the butter and cream cheese until smooth. It is important that they are both at room temperature or it may turn out lumpy. You can use an electric mixer or just do this by hand with a bowl and a wooden spoon.
- Sift in the powdered sugar to remove any lumps. Mix in until combined. If you are using a hand mixer, make sure you do this on low speed to avoid a dust cloud.
- Add the vanilla and mix until incorporated.
- Check the consistency of your glaze; add milk one tablespoon at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.
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Choose Your Glaze Consistency
Finish mixing the glaze before adding any milk, then loosen it one teaspoon at a time. The exact amount will vary depending on the cream cheese you use and how warm your ingredients are, so judge it by how it moves:
For spreading or controlled drips: Keep it thick. It should hold on a spoon but spread easily over warm cinnamon rolls or pipe neatly down a Bundt cake. You may not need any milk.
For drizzling: It should fall from the spoon in a thick ribbon while still sitting visibly on top of the bake. Start with 1-2 teaspoons of milk.
For pouring or dipping: It should flow freely and level itself while still coating the back of a spoon. Add up to 1-2 tablespoons of milk in total.
How To Use Cream Cheese Glaze
This simple cream cheese glaze can be used in so many different ways. Combining it with some of your favorite recipes can really take them to the next level. The tangy cream cheese cuts through the sweetness of a lot of desserts and makes a huge difference to the end result.
Here are some of my favorite ways to use it:
- Muffins - Drizzling cream cheese glaze over any muffin recipe instantly makes them better. I love them in top of my cinnamon roll muffins.
- Breakfasts - Add some extra flavor to pancakes or waffles, such as my Cinnamon Waffles recipe.
- Cinnamon Rolls - If you make homemade cinnamon rolls, the cream cheese cinnamon roll icing is arguably the best part! Make it a little thicker so you can spread it on.
- Bundt Cakes - Pour the cream cheese glaze over a bundt cake for a beautiful and delicious topping. For more control over the drips, put it in a piping bag and squeeze it on. I did this for my Maple Pecan Bundt Cake and my Pumpkin Bundt Cake.
- Donuts - Make the glaze a little runnier and you can dip whole donuts into it to coat them in glaze. I used this method for my Pumpkin Spice Donuts.
- Banana Bread - Cream cheese glaze makes a great topping to drizzle over some warm banana bread.
Variations
- Maple Cream Cheese Glaze - Add a few tablespoons of maple syrup, instead of milk to the glaze for this tasty twist. This is great for fall desserts like my Maple Pecan Bundt Cake or my Pumpkin Spice Donuts.
- Almond cream cheese glaze - Add a dash of almond extract for an almond cream cheese glaze. This would be delicious drizzled over my Almond Croissants recipe.
- Boozy Cream Cheese Glaze - For an extra special glaze, add 1-2 tablespoons of your favorite tipple into the glaze instead of the milk. I particularly like this with Amaretto.
- Cinnamon Cream Cheese Glaze - Add some warm spices like cinnamon or ginger for a perfect glaze for your fall desserts.
Storage
Leftover cream cheese glaze can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Any baked goods with the glaze on them will have to be stored in the fridge too.
I don't recommend freezing it, as it can split when thawing and have an unpleasant texture.
Cream Cheese Glaze FAQs
Cream cheese glaze is smooth, soft and pourable, with a lot less powdered sugar than frosting. If you need something thick enough to cover a layer cake, pipe onto cupcakes, or spread onto something like Red Velvet brownies, use my smooth and pipeable cream cheese frosting instead.
Cream cheese frosting is the classic frosting found on red velvet cake and carrot cake. Cream cheese glaze is a great alternative for those who don't like the thicker frosting but still want the perfect balance of cream cheese and sweetness.
Before doing anything else, put it in the fridge for 15 minutes to see if it firms up to the consistency you need.
If you've added too much liquid, your cream cheese icing will spill off your favorite desserts instead of clinging to the sides. The easiest remedy is to add a little extra powdered sugar, as that will absorb the liquid.
It's very easy to add too much icing sugar and make your frosting extremely sweet. If you've already doctored the icing and have found it's way too sweet, add some extra cream cheese.
Start with a tablespoon or two and add a little more as needed until you get the perfect consistency.
No, this cream cheese glaze stays soft, it doesn't firm up or form a crust.
More Toppings and Glazes
Looking for more ideas for what to drizzle over your desserts? Try some of these topping recipes:
Show Me Your Bakes!
If you tried this recipe, I'd love to know how it turned out in the comments!
Want to share a photo? You can send me a pic or tag @bonni_bakery on Instagram - I love seeing all your creations.
Cream Cheese Glaze Recipe
Ingredients
- 113 g (4 oz) Cream Cheese (room temperature)
- 57 g (½ stick) Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
- 120 g (1 cup) Powdered Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 tablespoon Whole Milk (optional)
Instructions
- Make sure the butter and cream cheese are both at room temperature, then beat them together until creamy and smooth.113 g (4 oz) Cream Cheese, 57 g (½ stick) Unsalted Butter
- Sift the powdered sugar into the bowl, then mix it in until there are no lumps.120 g (1 cup) Powdered Sugar
- Add the vanilla and a pinch of salt if desired. Mix until incorporated.1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Check the consistency of your glaze. If you want a more runny glaze, add 1-2 tablespoons of milk until the desired consistency is reached. If you want a thicker glaze or have added too much milk, you can add a little more powdered sugar to thicken it up again.2 tbsp Whole Milk
Len says
I’m making this glaze for the second time tonight and like the first time, I'll double the recipe so I have leftover to add to pancakes, cookies, ice cream or right out of the fridge with s spoon.
Definitely my go to icing for everything
laura says
Any baked goods with this glaze will have to be stored in the refrigerator??
Jules Grasekamp says
Hi Laura,
Yes as the glaze contains cream cheese, any baked goods with it on will need to be stored in the refrigerator if keeping for more than 4 hours.
Jules
Azi says
8uabdn
Monica v says
Does the glaze harden?
Jules Grasekamp says
Hi Monica,
No this glaze stays soft 🙂
Jules
Chris Radwanski says
I could sit down and eat this stuff with a spoon, its that good! Great recipe, keep up the good work!
Victoria says
Could I add pumpkin pie spice to this glaze without ruining it?
faith says
most likely. try sifting it in with the sugar