No Powdered Sugar · No Grit · Pipeable
Cream Cheese Frosting Without Powdered Sugar (5 Easy Ways)
Fluffy whipped cream cheese frosting made with regular granulated sugar, plus maple, melted chocolate, homemade powdered sugar and sugar-free versions, so you can frost the cake with whatever is in your pantry.
- 10 minutes
- Granulated sugar
- Frosts a 9×13
- Printable card
A two-layer cake frosted with fluffy cream cheese frosting made without powdered sugar.
Ran out of powdered sugar halfway through baking? Good news: this cream cheese frosting without powdered sugar is lighter, fluffier and less sweet than the classic. Beating regular sugar into the cream cheese dissolves it, and cold whipped cream turns it into a silky, pipeable frosting with no grit at all.
Below you will find an easy cream cheese frosting without powdered sugar for any cake, plus four more ways to make it with maple syrup, melted chocolate chips, homemade powdered sugar or a sugar-free sweetener, and flavors like pineapple, lime and pumpkin.
Can You Make Cream Cheese Frosting Without Powdered Sugar?
Yes, in at least five ways. Powdered sugar is just finely ground sugar with a little cornstarch, so anything that sweetens without grit will work. Cream cheese frosting with no powdered sugar (or cream cheese frosting without icing sugar, as it is called in the UK) can be just as smooth. Here is how they compare:
| Method | Sweetened with | Texture | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| MethodWhipped, with granulated sugar | Sweetened withGranulated sugar + heavy cream | TextureLight, fluffy, pipeable | Best forLayer cakes, cupcakes, berries |
| MethodMaple or honey | Sweetened withMaple syrup or honey | TextureSoft, creamy, spreadable | Best forCarrot, spice and pumpkin cakes |
| MethodMelted chocolate | Sweetened withChocolate chips | TextureRich and fudgy | Best forChocolate cake, brownies, cupcakes |
| MethodHomemade powdered sugar | Sweetened withGranulated sugar, blended | TextureClassic and thick | Best forAnything that needs a classic frosting |
| MethodSugar-free | Sweetened withPowdered monk fruit, erythritol or sucralose | TextureClassic, no added sugar | Best forLow-sugar and keto bakes |
Cream cheese, cream, maple syrup, vanilla, citrus and chocolate chips.
How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting Without Powdered Sugar
This no powdered sugar cream cheese frosting is the easy cream cheese frosting recipe without powdered sugar to start with. Tap how much you need and every amount on the card changes. A hand mixer works just as well as a stand mixer.
Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting Without Powdered Sugar
Light, fluffy and pipeable cream cheese frosting made with regular granulated sugar. Beating the sugar into the cream cheese dissolves it, and whipped cream gives it body, so there is no grit and no powdered sugar.
How much frosting?
Ingredients
- 4 oz (113 g)8 oz (226 g)12 oz (340 g)16 oz (450 g) full-fat block cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup (50 g)½ cup (100 g)¾ cup (150 g)1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ½ tsp1 tsp1½ tsp2 tsp vanilla extract, or alcohol-free vanilla
- a tiny pincha pincha big pinch⅛ tsp fine salt
- ½ cup (120 ml)1 cup (240 ml)1½ cups (360 ml)2 cups (480 ml) cold heavy cream
Instructions
Soften the cream cheese
Let the cream cheese sit at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes, until a finger presses in easily. Keep the cream in the fridge until you need it.
Beat out the grit
Beat the cream cheese, sugar and salt on medium for 3 to 4 minutes, until completely smooth. Rub a little between your fingers: if it still feels grainy, beat for another minute.
Add the vanilla
Scrape down the bowl, add the vanilla and beat for a few seconds to mix.
Stream in the cream
With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the cold cream. The mixture will look thin at first.
Whip to stiff peaks
Raise the speed to medium-high and whip for 2 to 4 minutes, until thick and fluffy with stiff peaks. Stop as soon as it holds its shape; overwhipping can make it grainy.
Frost or chill
Spread or pipe right away, or chill for 30 minutes for sharper piping. Keep frosted cakes in the fridge.
Granulated Sugar in Cream Cheese Frosting: How to Avoid Grit
Whipped to stiff peaks, with every sugar crystal dissolved.
The worry with a granulated sugar substitute for powdered sugar is a gritty frosting. Here is how to dissolve it, or skip crystals altogether:
Beat it longer
Cream cheese is about half water. Beating granulated sugar into it for 3 to 4 minutes dissolves the crystals.
Use superfine sugar
Caster or superfine sugar has smaller crystals that dissolve much faster. Make your own by blending regular sugar for 30 seconds.
Let the cream do the work
Sugar dissolves easily in liquid, which is why the whipped method on the card is never gritty.
Switch to a liquid sweetener
Maple syrup and honey have no crystals at all, so there is nothing to dissolve.
4 More Ways to Make Cream Cheese Icing Without Powdered Sugar
No heavy cream, no mixer, or no sugar at all? One of these will work. Tap to choose:
Maple or Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup (57 g) butter, softened
- ⅓ cup maple syrup or honey
- ½ tsp vanilla, or alcohol-free vanilla
- a pinch of salt
Beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth, then beat in the maple syrup, vanilla and salt. Chill for 30 to 60 minutes to firm up. It is softer than classic frosting and perfect on carrot cake and spice cake.
No mixer? This is the one to make: a sturdy whisk or wooden spoon is enough.
Melted Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Frosting
Could you just use cream cheese and melted chocolate chips? Yes, and it is delicious.
- 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup (6 oz / 170 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 to 2 tbsp maple syrup (optional)
- a pinch of salt
Melt the chips, cool until just warm, then beat into the cream cheese until glossy. It sets rich and fudgy as it cools. Use white chocolate chips for a vanilla version.
Make Your Own Powdered Sugar
Out of powdered sugar? Blend 1 cup granulated sugar with 1 tbsp cornstarch in a blender for 1 to 2 minutes, until it is fine as flour. Let the dust settle before you open the lid.
Use it cup for cup in our classic cream cheese frosting recipe for the thick, classic version.
Sugar-Free Mocha Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup (57 g) butter, softened
- ¾ cup powdered monk fruit or erythritol sweetener
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 to 2 tsp instant espresso, dissolved in 1 tsp hot water
- ½ tsp vanilla
Beat everything until fluffy. Using Splenda or another granulated sweetener? Blend it to a powder first so it is not gritty. For more, see our keto cream cheese frosting.
Pineapple, Lime, Pumpkin and Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Chocolate, maple, lime and pineapple cream cheese frostings, all without powdered sugar.
Crushed pineapple
For crushed pineapple cream cheese frosting without powdered sugar, fold ½ cup very well-drained crushed pineapple into the maple version, pressing it dry in a sieve first. Lovely on hummingbird and carrot cake.
Lime
For a homemade cream cheese lime frosting, add the zest of 2 limes and 1 tbsp lime juice to the whipped frosting with the vanilla. Bright and fresh on coconut or key lime cupcakes.
Pumpkin
For pumpkin cream cheese icing without powdered sugar, beat ¼ cup pumpkin purée and ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice into the maple version, then chill well before frosting.
Lemon
Swap the lime for lemon zest and juice. For a richer version, see our lemon cream cheese frosting.
How to Thicken Cream Cheese Frosting Without Powdered Sugar
Classic frosting gets thicker with more powdered sugar. Without it, you thicken with cold and fat instead:
| Fix | How |
|---|---|
| FixChill it | HowRefrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes. Cream cheese firms up a lot as it cools. |
| FixAdd cold cream cheese | HowBeat in 2 to 4 oz more cold block cream cheese. |
| FixWhip the cream longer | HowFor the whipped version, whip until the peaks stand up straight. |
| FixAdd white chocolate | HowBeat in 2 oz melted and cooled white chocolate; it sets as it chills. |
| FixSkip the tub | HowUse block cream cheese, never spreadable tub, which is too soft. |
Glazing a bundt cake? Make the maple version and thin it with 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk until it pours. Drizzle it over the cooled cake.
Storing Cream Cheese Frosting
- Refrigerate: up to 3 days for the whipped version and up to 5 days for the maple, chocolate and sugar-free versions, covered.
- Room temperature: a frosted cake can sit out for up to 2 hours. There is no safe no-refrigerator cream cheese frosting.
- Freeze: the maple and chocolate versions freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge and re-whip briefly.
Cream Cheese Frosting Without Powdered Sugar FAQs
Can you make cream cheese frosting without powdered sugar?
Yes. Beat granulated sugar into softened cream cheese until it dissolves, then whip in cold heavy cream. You can also sweeten it with maple syrup or honey, melted chocolate chips, homemade powdered sugar or a powdered sugar-free sweetener.
Can I use granulated sugar instead of powdered sugar in cream cheese frosting?
Yes, but it needs time to dissolve. Beat it with the cream cheese for 3 to 4 minutes, or dissolve it in whipped cream as in the recipe card. Superfine sugar dissolves even faster.
Why is my cream cheese frosting gritty?
The sugar has not dissolved. Keep beating for another minute or two, use superfine sugar, or blend granulated sugar into a powder before adding it.
Can I just use cream cheese and melted chocolate chips for frosting?
Yes. Beat 1 cup of melted and slightly cooled chocolate chips into 8 ounces of softened cream cheese. It makes a rich, fudgy frosting that sets as it cools, with no powdered sugar needed.
How do you make cream cheese frosting without a mixer?
Make the maple or honey version. Soften the cream cheese and butter well, then stir and whisk everything together by hand with a sturdy whisk or wooden spoon until smooth, and chill to firm it up.
How do you thicken cream cheese frosting without powdered sugar?
Chill it for 30 to 60 minutes, beat in a little more cold block cream cheese, or add a couple of ounces of melted and cooled white chocolate. Avoid adding more liquid.
Can you make cream cheese frosting without powdered sugar or milk?
Yes. The maple version and the melted chocolate version need no milk or cream at all, just cream cheese, butter and a sweetener.
Can I use Splenda or a sugar substitute in cream cheese frosting?
Yes. Use a powdered sugar substitute, or blend granulated Splenda, monk fruit or erythritol into a fine powder first so the frosting is not gritty.
What is the lowest sugar cream cheese frosting?
For cream cheese frosting with no sugar added, use powdered monk fruit or erythritol. With real sugar, the whipped recipe here uses about a quarter of the sugar in a classic cream cheese frosting.
Can I make cream cheese frosting without confectioners sugar? What can I use instead?
Yes. To replace icing sugar or confectioners sugar, blend granulated sugar with a little cornstarch until it is a fine powder. Maple syrup, honey and melted chocolate also sweeten cream cheese frosting without any confectioners sugar.
Does cream cheese frosting need to be refrigerated?
Yes. There is no safe no-refrigerator cream cheese frosting, because cream cheese is perishable. A frosted cake can sit out for up to 2 hours, then keep it in the fridge.
Can you make dairy-free cream cheese frosting without powdered sugar?
Yes. For a non-dairy version, use a dairy-free cream cheese, plant-based butter and maple syrup, and chill it well. Our vegan cream cheese frosting has the full recipe.
Related Reads
More cream cheese frostings, and the cakes to put them on.
The Best Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
The thick, tangy classic made with powdered sugar. Get the recipe → Sugar-FreeKeto Cream Cheese Frosting
Silky, tangy and just 1 g net carbs. Whip it up → No ButterCream Cheese Frosting Without Butter
Fluffy and easy with no butter at all. See how → Dairy-FreeVegan Cream Cheese Frosting
Pipeable, dreamy and completely plant-based. Make it vegan → Bright and ZestyLemon Cream Cheese Frosting
Silky and pipeable with fresh lemon. Try it → Bake ThisThe Best Moist Carrot Cake
The cake cream cheese frosting was made for. Bake it →Beat the sugar into the cream cheese until smooth, whip in cold cream, and you have a fluffy cream cheese frosting without powdered sugar in 10 minutes.
No cream? Reach for maple syrup or melted chocolate chips instead, and frost away.
