Creamy, healthy cream cheese frosting…
It’s both fluffier and creamier than Pillsbury cream cheese. And if you’re counting calories: you could eat the entire recipe for just 200 calories. Who wouldn’t want to eat an entire container’s worth of frosting in one sitting?
For more healthy frosting recipes: Over 50 Healthy Frosting Recipes
But the following recipe is better than store-bought frosting for a reason much more important than the calories: it’s free of unhealthy trans fats.
Many packaged frostings contain your entire day’s worth of trans fats in just two tablespoons. I posted a similar frosting recipe, my Cheesecake Frosting, around three years ago, and I modified the recipe yesterday and think this new healthy cream cheese frosting recipe is even better than the original!
Healthy Cream Cheese Frosting
(makes about 3/4 cup)
- 1/2 cup cream cheese, such as TJ vegan or homemade cashew cream cheese
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp powdered sugar OR stevia to taste
- 1/4 cup silken tofu OR more cream cheese (For soy-free: Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese Frosting)
- up to 2 tbsp milk of choice, as needed for desired thickness
Blend everything together in a small food processor (I used a Magic Bullet). If you’re using this recipe to top cupcakes, I’d recommend frosting them just before serving, or frosting earlier and then storing the cupcakes in the fridge, due to the perishable nature of the ingredients. Leftover frosting can be stored for a few days in the fridge, covered. Variation ideas: Add pumpkin, or shredded carrot and pineapple for a carrot cake dip, or cinnamon and walnuts…
Or you can go crazy: Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Dip.
Do you worry about trans fats?
Do you think they really are as bad as all the hype says they are? I don’t “worry” about them, but that’s pretty much because I don’t have to—most of the foods containing trans fats are pre-packaged snack foods (often not even vegan) I wouldn’t seek out anyway. Sure, every now and then I’ll grab a handful of chocolate Teddy Grahams if I’m at a friend’s house and they’re sitting out. But for the most part, I don’t buy anything with “partially-hydrogenated oils” listed in the ingredients (a really easy way to tell if a food has trans fats).
By the way, I just noticed: You can totally see my head and camera in the reflection of the spoon in the photo above 
.
I don’t normally worry about trans fats either, since I usually eat pretty healthily. Don’t get me wrong, I do splurge on some “junk” foods sometimes, but it’s only occasional and I think balance is important!
I stress myself out everytime I visit your page, I just want to start making everything right away!
I just made your cookie dough battter dip and two other similar variations and love them, now I want this too!
I trans fat for it’s unhealthy qualities and what it represents….packaged “convenience foods” too many people seek as real food replacements…..bleh. Either way, like you, I don’t have to worry for myself since I make most of my own items, but I always find myself reading ingredients on everything at the store…..just because.
I try to make sure there are absolutely no trans fats in my diets, after taking bio and learning how they just sit in your arteries and harden. But then I’m human and the gertrude hawk peanut butter chocolate bars call my name and I give in 🙂
Wow, this looks great! I was just going to suggest if you could re-do this recipe… because I’ve been trying to make hot-cross buns, and they need an icing.
Hmmm…. do you have a recipe for hot cross buns for Easter? My boyfriend wants is looking for a recipe that is easy for him to make. Can you help me?
I don’t think I’ve ever had one! 🙁
I avoid trans fats ALL the time. They have many extremely negative health effects (just google it!). Also, I have one quick question, in recipes can I substitute coconut butter for coconut oil?
Depends on the recipe.
what if i cant get any tofutti cream cheese where I live? 🙁
btw, how on earth did you get the frosting so white??? :O
you must’ve used magic!
Nope, it’s just that color! As I say in my substitution notes, I’ve not tried a different brand of cream cheese so I don’t know how any other one will taste in the recipe. But you’re welcome to try with whatever you can find.
I don’t there is anything better on the PLANET than carrot cake with a cream cheese frosting. I haven’t had a good one in 5 years-since I went vegan. I’m REALLY excited to see if this one does it for me!:)
Hey girl,
are you ready for a challenge? I’m allergic to soy, gluten, dairy, corn, coconut, quinoa, sesame, flax and every nut except almonds, pine nuts and pistachios. Any chance you’re willing to take a stab at a “raw” cream cheese frosting made from pine nuts, almonds or sunflower seeds? I’ll send you an organic cotton pot holder if you do … 😀
Can you have cocoa?
If so, I haven’t posted this one yet, but if you try it please let me know what you think!
-1/4 cup pb (or almond butter for you)
-4 to 6 tsp maple syrup
-2 T cocoa powder
-4 tsp milk of choice
-3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
Blend all in a small food processor, like a Magic Bullet.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmm, I’m gonna have a go at this ASAP! I’m out of maple syrup, so I’ll have to use some organic raw agave syrup. The recipe police won’t come after me, will they? :O BTW, I majorly *heart* you for posting this! I SO was not kidding about the pot holder, do you have a P.O. box? 😀
Oh. My. STARS!!!!! Wyatt (my 7.y.o. who is also an allergic guy, as well as having ASD and tourette’s) and I are SO happy right now, he’s singing about your mad recipe skillz! We, the gluten, peanut, walnut and soy allergic (to name a few) salute you! Smooches from Seattle!
Aw hugs back from Texas 🙂
So so glad you tried it!!
Please do a low-sugar, no baked peanut butter cookie. That would rock
Hey! Couldn’t help but notice your comment.. and wanted to let you know there are two recipes for this already on CCK 🙂
The first is a double chocolate peanut butter cookie – https://lett-trim.today/2011/10/02/chocolate-peanut-butter-no-bake-cookies/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> Here’s the regular peanut butter cookie – https://lett-trim.today/2011/08/24/peanut-butter-cookie-dough-cookies/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
The raisins help sweeten without overpowering your diet with sugars.. or you could always use dates instead! 🙂 Hope this helps!
I have a question for your question… do you worry about soy at all?
I worry about soy more than I worry about trans fat. Not to say I don’t eat soy, just that I definitely am mindful of how much of it I consume 🙂
I don’t, but I also don’t really consume much soy. Except for the mori-nu tofu, I really don’t think I eat it at all… I’m not big on meat substitutes.
How much powdered sugar? Do I just add pumpkin to it
However much you wish, depending on your tastes.
And yes, you can just add pumpkin to taste as well if you want a pumpkin dip.
Pure vanilla extract. They sell it in the baking aisle of almost any grocery store :).
I have vanilla extract but do u use the white vanilla extract…mine is the normal brown extract
Yours is fine!
Oh do I use white vanilla?
I used Trader Joe’s brand firm tofu and their brand of vegan cream cheese. I also put in fresh strawberries and used both powdered sugar and liquid sweetener. It isn’t fluffy, but it tastes great! I think the lack of fluffiness may be mostly from the strawberries.I found that if I refrigerate it for a little bit it gets thicker. Thanks for the recipe!
Probably the liquid sweetener also made it thinner. But wow, I had no idea TJ’s made vegan cream cheese! They’re finally opening a store in Dallas, and so I will definitely look out for it!
Wow! I’ve been playing around with tofu pudding and pie, and I just happened to get some free cartons of follow your heart vegan cream cheese. And a lot of firm tofu. Free. So in they went together in the blender, for a major batch of carrot cupcakes for easter. At first the tofu, vegan cream cheese, vanilla and baker’s stevia in the raw – well it was bitter, wtih a tofu aftertaste. So I took about a quarter of a cup of golden raisins, and a date or two, pureed those in the vitamix with vegan sour cream and added that. Slightly runnier, but the sweetness is more balanced than with just stevia. One thing I’ve noticed about tofu sweets is that the longer it sits, the less tofu taste and better the flavor gets. SO the frosting goes in the fridge overnight, and tomorrow before company comes I’ll ice the cupcakes. Thanks for all your recipes!
I was thinking about making a fruit dessert pizza with your sugar cookie recipe as the crust and this cream cheese frosting with fresh fruit ontop! I was wondering if I could use the xylitol powder sugar in the frosting?
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure… but I’d be really interested to know the results if you try it. I don’t see why it wouldn’t work!
just made this to top my carrot cake cupcakes — used low fat cream cheese and some powdered sugar — but putting the silken tofu gives it such a smooth consistency! i licked the whole bowl and spoon and had to just pop it in the fridge immediately so as not to eat the whole bowl! amazingly delicious 🙂