Healthy Cream Cheese Frosting

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 Carrot Cake Bars or Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal
• Gingerbread Baked Oatmeal
• Soft Pumpkin Cookies
• 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

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Be sure to check out all of the dessert recipes here on EBF!