This silky honey cream cheese frosting is made with just honey, cream cheese, and butter in 5 minutes! Honey adds floral notes and keeps it refined sugar-free. It's super creamy, and great for spreading on carrot cake, gingerbread, or for licking off of spoons – you do you!
If you're a fan of my reader-favorite low-sugar cream cheese frosting, you're going to love this no-sugar version that's sweetened only with honey. Using honey not only makes this cake topping refined sugar-free, but it also gives it an extra-silky texture and bright, floral notes that taste like springtime.
Swirl this silky frosting over your favorite homemade cake and cupcake recipes – if you don't eat it all straight from the bowl first!
Ingredients
This frosting is made with just 3 main 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.
- Butter adds richness. Be sure to use fresh butter that tastes delicious. I like Straus and Vermont Creamery brands which are both made with super fresh cream and are extra rich.
- Honey sweetens the frosting, adding a silky texture and bright, floral notes. I prefer an amber-colored clover honey, but feel free to use different varietals here. Make sure your honey is liquid and at room temperature, not crystallized, for a smooth frosting. Crystallized honey can be liquefied and cooled back to room temperature to dissolve the crystals.
- Salt optionally adds a bit more sharpness to the flavors.
How to Make Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
This recipe makes about 1.5 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 5 minutes to whip up.
You can make it in a small stand mixer such as the KitchenAid Mini fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a bowl with an electric beater (or a spoon and your strong arms!)
- Beat together the soft butter and cream cheese until smooth
- Add the honey and salt.
- Beat the frosting on medium-high until silky smooth.
- Swirl over your favorite cake recipes, or eat it straight from the bowl!
What to Pair with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
Besides licking it off the spoon, here are some of my favorite uses for this honey frosting recipe:
- Spread it over floofy oat flour carrot cake or richly spiced gluten-free gingerbread cake
- Serve it with thick slices of moist gluten-free zucchini bread made with almond and oat flours
- Swirl it over gluten-free lemon poppy seed snacking cake
If you make this frosting, please let me know what you use it on in the comments below!
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Silky 3-Ingredient Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 8 ounces (225 g) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 8 tablespoons (113 g) lightly salted or unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup (95 g) runny honey (light-colored such as clover)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt if using unsalted butter
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with an electric beater or wooden spoon) combine the cream cheese and butter. Beat on medium-low speed until smooth and combined, 1-2 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl and paddle as needed.
- Add the honey and salt, if using. Beat the frosting on low speed to combine, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until fluffy, 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Take care not to overwhip the frosting because it can turn grainy (though it will still taste delicious!)
- The frosting will be soft at first – better for swirling than piping. If you wish to pipe it, pop it in the fridge for a few minutes at a time, stirring every few minutes until it's firm enough to pipe.
- Use the frosting right away, or store refrigerated airtight for up to 1 week. If chilled, let soften to room temperature before using.
Video
Notes
- This recipe makes about 1.5 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.
Diana Strong says
So good!! We used this to ice the zucchini bread recipe, and added fresh picked blackberries to the cake and the frosting, for my sons second birthday. GF and refined sugar free, seasonal ingredients, super easy and a total crowd pleaser. Thanks Alana!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hi friend!! Aw I'm honored that my recipes got to be at your son's second birthday. Zucchini bread + honey frosting + blackberries sounds dreamy – I need to try that combo! Thanks so much for the sweet note!!
Rebecca says
Using for pumpkin spice cupcakes for daughters birthday 🎂. Adding a little maple extract to the frosting. Thanks! Will be adding recipe to my recipe binder!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
That sounds like a delicious combination! Maple makes everything better doesn't it?
Alisha Hunt says
Hi! Could I just add cocao powder to this recipe for a chocolate frosting?
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Good question! I haven't tested it with cocoa but judging by my chocolate cream cheese frosting recipe I think it should work, as long as the cocoa doesn't take the frosting out of emulsion or cause it to break. I would add the sifted cocoa powder 1 tablespoon at a time to the finished frosting until you like the chocolate level. You'll probably want 2-3 tablespoons.
Please let me know how it goes!
Tereza says
Hey, would it be possible to make cream cheese frosting without butter? Maybe using coconut cream (the solid part of coconut milk) or something similar?
I usually follow the recipe but substitute yogurt, which works well as a topping. However, it’s not firm enough to use as a cake filling between layers.
Thanks for your help :)
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Hm, that's a great question. I once saw a recipe that used only cream cheese and powdered sugar, no butter, so you could try just blending the cream cheese and honey together. It might be firm enough to use a filling if you chill it first? I do like the idea of using coconut cream, but I'm not sure how well it will incorporate into the cream cheese since they're pretty different textures. Dairy-free butter could be another option.
Tell me more about the yogurt sub - I'm fascinated! What kind of yogurt do you use and how do you blend it with the frosting?
Tereza Zhelyazkova says
Normally i use 8oz cream cheese with a little bit more than 1/4c yoghurt(sometimes even 1/2c) and 1/4 maple syrup. When i leave it for at least 20minutes in the fridge is perfect for topping ( it cannot be piped but on top of the loafes or muffins is great)
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
That sounds so delicious, thank you for sharing your variation!
Angela says
This recipe is fantastic. We have a bee keeper in our family and access to so many different nuances of honey. Each one has a unique taste. Not to mention when you use espresso honey or cinnamon whipped honey!
To stretch this recipe, I added another block of cream cheese and a little less than doubled the amount of honey.
Thank you!
Alanna Taylor-Tobin says
Lucky you to have a beekeeper in the family. Those honey flavors sound incredible and I can imagine how delicious they would taste in this frosting. Yum!! Glad to know that variation worked well too!