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 
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Made this yesterday, and tasted it, and all I could taste was the soy. I really didn’t like it! I was like, “but it’s Katie’s, so it must be good! Maybe I did something wrong!”. So I put it in the fridge for the night, hoping that would do something, and sure enough, in the morning, the soy taste was hardly there. But if someone makes this, I would recommend making it a day ahead so that the flavors settle. Thanks for another good recipe Katie!
Hi Claire,
Did you make sure to use Mori Nu tofu? Glad it worked out in the end, no matter!
Wow, you are fast!! Yes, I did use it! The only difference is that I used partially hydrogenated toffuti cream cheese. Could that have been the taste difference?
Hmmm… I don’t think so. But what sweetener?
Haha yeah I’m online now and try to stay on top of comments. 🙂
I used some powdered sugar, and added vanilla extract. Any idea why it tasted different?
Hi Katie!
I made your banana bread donut muffins this morning and it soo good!
I really wanna make this frosting but I don’t have tofu. Lol I do have the tofutti cream cheese though and wondering if that would be good enough!!
Oh I just read the nutritional link. Looks like I do need the tofu. Dang it! Lol ok thanks I’ll try a diff frosting recipe from you!
Maybe just use extra of the cream cheese? It should be ok! 🙂
This frosting is amazing!!! I am really surprised at how little sugar I needed to add to it for it to taste awesome. Most cream cheese frosting recipes call for a TON of powdered sugar, margarine, and cream cheese so I’m very happy that this is so healthy and decadent. Yay for silken tofu!
This sounds amazing, but we don’t eat soy products. Do you have a similar recipe that is soy free, by chance?
I am LOVING your website…I just can’t get enough! Now, the problem is that I just can’t decide what to make out of all the lovely desserts and breakfasts to choose from! 🙂
Here is a list of all my frosting recipes. Many, such as the coconut banana butter, are soy-free. https://lett-trim.today/chocolate-covered-recipes/healthy-recipes-frostings-and-nut-butters/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
what to do when no cream cheese for frosting? help please
https://lett-trim.today/chocolate-covered-recipes/healthy-recipes-frostings-and-nut-butters/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
I just made this…and ate it in one sitting. It was THAT good. It doesnt even taste healthy either! 🙂
I saw you said “sweetener of choice” but I didn’t see an amount. Could you clarify that part please? Thank so much. 🙂
Peoples’ tastes are so different that it’s impossible to give an amount that everyone will like. Just use a little, taste, add more as needed.
This is exactly what I was looking for! I made a healthy carrot cake and needed some healthy cream cheese frosting. Thanks! I am still licking it off my fingers
I just tried this recipe and was slightly disapointed in the outcome. The tofu flavor still came through no matter what I did to try and remove it. Also, I was expecting a thicker, more cream cheese-like frosting.
What tofu did you use?
trans fat lies in mostly packaged foods, of which I don’t eat often, so I don’t have to worry too. But if were making a cake and using already made frosting, I cringe a little because of all the trans fat. But really, if you avoid packaged snacks you avoid trans fat.