The best cream cheese frosting is all about balance. The texture should be rich, thick, yet soft and buttery enough to easily spread on top of homemade cheesecakes and cinnamon rolls. It shouldn’t be too sweet, either. When we set out to find the best store bought cream cheese frosting, we were looking for the perfect mix of tangy cream cheese and sugary frosting. Even though most of the shelf-stable stuff isn’t made with real cream cheese, it should still replicate the best cream cheese frosting recipes you would make yourself at home.
America can’t take credit for too much in the world of baking, but thanks to William Lawrence (circa 1870, New York), we can take credit for cream cheese frosting. And look, I won’t deny it: Homemade cream cheese frosting can’t be beat. The best store bought cream cheese frosting brands are yummy enough to substitute in a pinch, but after this taste test, I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s a hole in the market here. As a true American baking staple, I’m still waiting to be whisked away by a can of dreamy, creamy, tangy frosting that would give my local bakery (or the Cheesecake Factory) a run for its money.
For this taste test, I tried these cream cheese frosting brands straight off a spoon, dipped in Dot’s Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels (I had them next to me, okay?), and even spread over some toasted cinnamon raisin bread for good measure. From the best cream cheese frosting for carrot cake to the best cream cheese frosting for cinnamon rolls, these were the three nationwide brands that stood out.
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- Pillsbury Creamy Supreme Cream Cheese Frosting
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Can you ever really go wrong with Pillsbury? Their cream cheese frosting is all-around yummy, with the added bonus of being the cheapest of the bunch (just under $2 at my local Walmart). It’s thick, churned, and super smooth—my spoon cut right through it like butter. The flavor favors sugary frosting over that signature cream cheese tang, but it isn’t cloyingly sweet like some other brands we tried. I consider this the best cream cheese frosting for red velvet cake, since it’s thick, sweet, and tangy enough to enhance the red velvet flavor (whatever the heck that is) without distracting from it.
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- Duncan Hines Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting
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Not to be confused with the original Duncan Hines cream cheese frosting (which has an odd, chemically aftertaste that I personally didn’t like), this whipped version stands on business. Pillowy soft and super easy to spread, it has a thinner texture yet fuller, tangier flavor overall—making it the best cream cheese frosting for cinnamon rolls, hands down. Watch out for this stuff. It’s so darn pleasant and light, you don’t realize how much you’re eating. I was two dozen pretzels deep before my body said “no more.” (And then I ate more.)
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Betty Crocker Cream Cheese Frosting
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Betty Crocker is a far cry from aerated, sugary fluff, and that’s why we loved it. This rich frosting has a granulated sugar texture that makes for such an interesting—and I can’t believe I’m about to use this word—“mouthfeel.” (The most underrated part of edible cookie dough, in my opinion.) It leans sweet, but it also has a noticeable, bold tang. My colleague Jordan Myrick (who so selflessly joined me for this taste test) crowned it as “the best cream cheese frosting for carrot cake,” and I’m going to tack cupcakes onto that, too. Cake frosting that dissipates into your mouth like a flavorless cloud has no place here. This stuff is thick, velvety, and flavorful. It’s the best cream cheese frosting you’ll find in a can, fam. Try it!
Credit: Merc / Instacart
Best Value
Runner Up
Best of the Best
Other cream cheese frosting brands we tried: Duncan Hines Creamy Cream Cheese Frosting, Great Value Cream Cheese Frosting, Baker’s Corner Cream Cheese Frosting, FitBake Cream Cheese Frosting, Judee’s Keto Cream Cheese Frosting
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!