This floofy brown butter cream cheese frosting is mind-bendingly delicious. Vanilla bean brown butter adds notes of caramel, hazelnut, and butterscotch while tangy creamy cheese and a good hit of salt keep it balanced.
Spread or pipe this ultra-addictive icing over gluten-free pumpkin cake – if you can resists nomming it straight from the bowl!

If you're in the market for a less-sweet cream cheese frosting but you want to make it EXTRA, let me introduce you to my latest obsession: brown butter cream cheese frosting. Same balanced formula, but the butter gets browned with vanilla bean first for major flavor.
This frosting is so addictive, I had to hide it from myself so I wouldn't eat the entire batch straight from the bowl. I'm glad I saved some to swirl over this gluten-free pumpkin cake, because the two are a match made in dessert heaven.
Here's what I love about this brown butter frosting:
- balanced with salty / sweet / umami notes
- rich with butterscotch and caramel flavors
- silky and creamy
- rich and airy
- sturdy enough to swirl or pipe through a piping bag
- versatile; plays well with any flavor of cake or cupcake
Ingredients
This frosting uses 5 ingredients:
- Cream cheese forms the base. Be sure to use a block of cream cheese that has some gums in it which keeps it smooth. My favorite brand is Organic Valley which has a clean, fresh flavor and can be found at most major grocers.
- Vanilla bean brown butter (made with butter and vanilla bean) adds richness. European-style butter works best thanks to its high fat content, such as Straus or Vermont Creamery.
- If you don't have vanilla bean, brown the butter on its own and add some vanilla paste or extract along with the powdered sugar.
- Powdered sugar sweetens the frosting just enough.
- You could probably make this frosting refined sugar-free by whizzing coconut sugar or maple sugar in a clean coffee or spice grinder, adding in a little corn starch, but I haven't tested it this way.
- Salt makes this frosting utterly addictive; think buttered popcorn, but in frosting form. Use fine sea salt and not table salt, which can taste harsh.
Method
This recipe makes about 2 cups of frosting, enough for an 8-inch square cake, 9-inch single layer cake, or 6 cupcakes. Double the recipe for a 9x12-inch sheet cake, or triple it for an 8- or 9-inch layer cake. It takes about 10 minutes of active time to make, plus at least 30 minutes for cooling down the butter after browning.
You can make it in a small stand mixer such as the KitchenAid Mini (affiliate link) fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a bowl with an electric beater (or a spoon and your strong arms!)
If it's your first time, see my brown butter tutorial for more info.
Pairings
Besides nomming it straight from the bowl, here are some of my favorite pairings for this frosting:
If you make this frosting, please let me know what you use it on in the comments below!
Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my award-winning gluten-free baking cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this brown butter cream cheese frosting, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet.

Whipped Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 8 ounces (225 g) cream cheese, softened to room temperature (the kind that comes in a brick, not a tub)
- 8 tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter (preferably European-style)
- ½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped (or use ½ teaspoon vanilla paste or extract added with the salt)
- 1¼ cups (125 g) powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Equipment
- small stand mixer (or electric beater, or a spoon and your strong arms)
Instructions
Brown the butter
- In a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the butter with the vanilla pod and scrapings. A light-colored pot will make it easier to track the progress of the browning butter.
- Set the pot over medium-low heat, swirling occasionally. After 3–5 minutes, the butter will foam up, then turn golden and smell nutty with deep brown specks on the bottom of the pot. Watch it closely at this point so it doesn’t burn, reducing the heat if need be. It should register about 250ºF on an instant-read thermometer.
- Immediately pour the butter into a heatproof bowl to stop the cooking, scraping the pan and adding in any brown butter bits. Remove the vanilla bean and discard, or reserve for another use. Let the butter cool to room temperature, 1-2 hours; it should be the consistency of mayonnaise. To speed this up, pop it in the fridge and stir every few minutes.
Make the frosting
- When the butter has cooled, beat the softened cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl and the paddle a few times.
- Add the cooled brown butter and beat on medium-low speed until smooth and combined, 1-2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl and paddle as needed.
- Sift the powdered sugar into the cream cheese mixture and add the salt. Beat the frosting on low speed to combine, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice.
- Use the frosting right away, or store refrigerated airtight for up to 1 week. If chilled, let soften to room temperature before using.
Notes
- This recipe makes about 2 cups of frosting, enough for a 9x9-inch sheet cake, a 6-inch layer cake, or 6 cupcakes.
- Double the recipe to frost a 9x12-inch sheet cake.
- Triple the recipe for an 8- or 9-inch layer cake with frosted sides.
- Nutritional values are for 1 of 8 servings.
Jamie King says
This is the most amazing super easy frosting! I canโt have dairy so used dairy free cream cheese and Earth Balance sticks and also then couldnโt have brown butter but nonetheless this is the most smooth and creamy and perfectly sweet cream cheese frosting! Thank you!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
I'm so glad it worked dairy-free! I actually have a vegan cream cheese frosting recipe that's very similar. What kind of DF cream cheese did you use, out of curiosity? Thanks so much for the note!
Jamie King says
Oh! I'll have to check it out, thanks! I used Violife cream cheese.
Thank you so much for sharing your recipes! I love baking and anything I make from your book or your website is enjoyed by even the gluten eaters in my home!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
I'm so glad you're enjoying the recipes in the book and on TBG. That's great to know that Violife cream cheese works here too!