This easy recipe for Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting is made with creamy peanut butter, cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar for a decadent creamy treat. Top your favorite cupcakes, brownies, or birthday cakes for a satisfying peanut butter flavor everyone will enjoy. *This recipe was originally published in November 2011 and has been updated throughout.
My love for peanut butter is deep, so naturally, I've tried a lot of peanut butter frosting recipes. Some are too soft and some just don’t have that satisfying peanut butter taste. I’m happy to say that this one takes the cake! It has the perfect spreading consistency and sweetness that can’t be beat.
I made a batch of chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting for the kids to celebrate our doggie's first birthday. Our German Shorthaired Pointer, Brownie, turned one. He's my favorite running buddy, so I made him a little doggie peanut butter treat, too. He gobbled it up in one bite, not even a crumb was left!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Simple ingredients. This recipe contains ingredients you can find in any grocery store making it the easiest go-to frosting recipe.
- It’s satisfying. There’s nothing like the taste of peanut butter, especially when paired with butter and sugar!
- You can use it on anything! Cakes, brownies, cupcakes, or even just with a spoon.
- It can be frozen. Any leftover frosting can be frozen for up to 2 months so it can be made ahead of time.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Unsalted Butter - Gives the frosting its classic thick texture and a rich buttery flavor.
Low-Fat Cream Cheese - Adds texture and a bit of tangy flavor. - Natural Peanut Butter - Flavors the frosting with a classic peanut butter taste and gives it a nice density.
- Vanilla Extract - Infuses a light vanilla flavor throughout.
- Confectioners Sugar - Sweetens up the frosting while keeping it nice and smooth.
- Milk - Helps to thin out the frosting if necessary.
How To Make Peanut Butter Frosting
Step 1. Mix the frosting base. Beat butter, peanut butter, and cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and creamy.
Step 2. Sweeten the frosting and thin it out. Add in vanilla and milk and mix until it's a good spreading consistency.
Step 3. Use it to top your favorite desserts. Add frosting to a piping bag using a rubber spatula with your favorite tip and use it to frost cakes, cupcakes, brownies, and more!
Recipe Tips
Make sure your ingredients are room temperature before mixing the frosting. This will help ensure everything is nice and smooth.
If needed, sift your powdered sugar to remove any lumps before mixing into the frosting.
If you need a frosting that is a bit thinner, add slightly more milk until desired consistency is reached. For thicker frosting, add more powdered sugar.
You can use crunchy peanut butter if you enjoy it, however, it may not pipe through a bag properly and is best used for frosting cakes.
Make sure your peanut butter is a no-stir natural peanut butter and only contains peanuts and salt, if desired. Peanut butter that has more emulsifiers may not create the same texture needed for frosting.
To lower the carbs and sugar in the frosting, use a powdered sugar substitute such as powdered swerve or monk fruit.
Frosting Decorating Tips
When using peanut butter frosting to decorate, follow these steps.
- Make sure your frosting is cool but not too cold as you don’t want it to break up any cake or cupcakes while frosting.
- Use a piping bag for best results with a fitted tip that best suits your baked good.
Don’t have a piping bag? Use a sturdy Ziploc bag and cut off the tip while removing as much air as possible when distributing the frosting.
How To Use Peanut Butter Frosting
There are so many ways you can use peanut butter cream cheese frosting to make your day a bit sweeter. I love using it on my chocolate cakes or even on a weeknight in a mug cake. You can also try using it in these fun different ways.
- Layer it on top of Decadent Brownies.
- Stir it into your favorite Oatmeal Recipe for breakfast.
- Makes a great addition to Yogurt Parfait.
- Use it to frost your favorite Cupcakes.
NOTE: *If you haven't tried Dr.Oetker's Organic cake mixes, I highly recommend them (not sponsored). They are delicious and a great time saver if you need to bake on a busy schedule. I love the texture of the cupcakes baked from this mix. They are not crumbly, like regular cake mixes, but have a more dense and moist texture like a homemade version.
Storing & Freezing
Storing: Leftover peanut butter cream cheese frosting can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Freezing: Frosting can be placed in a tightly covered container for up to one month in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the fridge before using.
More Peanut Butter Recipes
Easy Light Peanut Butter Mousse
Our birthday boy...
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Easy Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 8 oz low-fat cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup creamy no-stir peanut butter
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups confectioner's sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Beat butter, peanut butter and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl with an electric stand or hand mixer on medium speed until light and creamy.
- Slowly add confectioner’s sugar and mix until well blended.
- Add in vanilla and milk and mix until it’s a good spreading consistency. Use additional milk as necessary to thin out the frosting. To thicken, use more powdered sugar.
- Enjoy on your favorite cake.
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The Better Baker
I think I could have a great time eating a bowl of this awesome frosting! And happy birthday to the birthday dog. =)
Donna
awwww...happy birthday to your buddy! And my Chocolate lab would DEVOUR that cupcake too!!!