Cream Cheese Glaze
This scrumptious cream cheese glaze is an easy way to bring your sweets to life. Using just 4 ingredients, it can be made as thick as a frosting for carrot cake or as thin as a drizzle for an extra special stack of pancakes!
The anticipation of watching glaze drip down the side of your cinnamon roll, donut, muffin, or slice of coffee cake is enough to make your mouth water. It’s that moment when you need to decide if you’re going to be fancy or finger-licking. Let’s get real, the latter usually wins out!
About this cream cheese glaze recipe
The combination of sweet and tart makes this smooth glaze worthy of having around at all times. It’s definitely easy enough to whip up for last-minute desserts but it’s also great to make a few days ahead.
There’s something so satisfying about any type of cream cheese topping. The tartness and creaminess tastes so good with sweet pairings. Red velvet cake is good and all, but isn’t it the cream cheese frosting that takes it over the top?
Switch up the flavor on occasion and customize it to your liking (keep reading for more tips on this!). When the weekend rolls around, you’ll be ready to pour it all over your pancakes in the morning and desserts in the evening!
What’s in this glaze?
- Cream Cheese – You’ll want the cream cheese to be softened to room temperature for easy mixing. We recommend full-fat or low-fat but avoid low-fat cream cheese. The texture isn’t as good and it contains more water and additives.
- Powdered Sugar (Confectioners’ Sugar) – Powdered sugar adds sweetness to this tasty glaze. You may need more or less to get the desired consistency. Adding more powdered sugar makes the glaze thicker; less makes it thinner.
- Milk – It’s a balance of powdered sugar and milk, so add more milk as needed if you want the glaze to be thinner. You can also use heavy cream if you’d like.
- Vanilla Extract – Vanilla is a warm subtle flavor that brings everything together. Read on for more flavor ideas.
How to make this glaze
Add all the ingredients to a medium-sized mixing bowl.
Using an electric mixer, beat until smooth. Add more liquid or sugar if necessary to achieve desired consistency.
Pro Tip: If you plan to refrigerate the glaze, make sure to take it out of the fridge an hour or two before using so it can soften back up. If it becomes a little too thick, use an electric mixer to loosen it up a little, adding more milk if needed.
How to make cream cheese glaze thinner
A thicker glaze works as a spreadable frosting but if you want to pour, drizzle, or drip it on, add a bit more milk, just a teaspoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached.
How to make cream cheese glaze thicker
To get it to a thicker consistency, just add more powdered sugar little by little, blending it in with the mixer for a smooth texture.
How to make this cream cheese glaze your own
The flexibility of this recipe is one of the best things about it! Now that you’ve learned the basics, play around with the flavors.
- Lemon: Add lemon zest and a bit of lemon juice for a lemon cream cheese glaze. This works with orange and lime citrus extracts as well.
- Almond: Use almond extract instead of vanilla for a variation on subtle background notes. Maple cream cheese glaze is pretty amazing, too.
- Cinnamon: Sprinkle in cinnamon for a beautiful flavor pairing to all of your pumpkin bread, cakes and muffins. Try cinnamon cream cheese glaze.
- Chocolate: Be sure to try my chocolate cream cheese glaze if you’re a chocolate lover.
- Spike your glaze with limoncello, Grand Marnier, or bourbon for a little extra something!
- Add butter: For a smooth buttery note, blend in softened butter along with the other ingredients.
Storage Suggestions
Serve immediately or store in a covered container in the fridge for up to a week.
More pancake toppings
Get the Recipe: Cream Cheese Glaze
Ingredients
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar, more as needed
- 3 tablespoons milk, more as needed
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add ingredients to medium sized mixing bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until smooth. Add more liquid if necessary to achieve desired consistency.
- Serve immediately or store in a covered container in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
- Makes about 1/2 cup. Recipe can easily be doubled if desired.
- Serve immediately or store in a covered container in the fridge for up to a week. Take it out about an hour before serving to allow it to soften a bit. Stir well or beat with mixer to blend.
- If you want your glaze thinner, add a bit more milk, just a teaspoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. For a thicker consistency, add more powdered sugar little by little, blending it in with the mixer until smooth.