Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting recipe is equal parts nutty and creamy and makes a delicious cake frosting or filling! Cream cheese and creamy peanut butter combine for a wonderfully rich and irresistible frosting that is simple to make and easy to use, whether you’re spreading it onto a chocolate cake or spooning it into a piping bag to decorate a sweet treat.
Here on Savor the Best, we’re serious about making seriously good cakes. Which means seriously good frosting recipes to go with them! We first shared a peanut butter frosting recipe to go with these chocolate cupcakes and decided that it’s such a good recipe, it deserves its own post!
So here it is, a deliciously creamy, rich, and smooth peanut butter cream cheese frosting that’s still light and airy, with bold and sweet nutty flavor from the nut butter (chocolate peanut butter cake is calling…).
Why Peanut Butter Frosting with Cream Cheese?
It’s hard to beat a classic cream cheese frosting– it’s creamy and rich with a bold peanut butter flavor and it’s not overly sweet.
Cream cheese and peanut butter are essentially the base of our peanut butter cream cheese frosting, which works really well because it gives the frosting that necessary creaminess without being too nutty or buttery.
The peanut butter blends nicely into the cream cheese, and the frosting still turns out whipped and light even though there is no heavy cream involved.
The Ingredients:
For the most delicious peanut butter cream cheese frosting, make sure the cream cheese, peanut butter, and butter are all at room temperature.
To do this, leave it sitting on the counter for a few hours before making the frosting (if you’re short on time, keep reading to learn how to soften butter and cream cheese quickly!). This will help the ingredients combine well and give you a smooth frosting without any cream cheese clumps.
You will need:
- Cream cheese. It is important that this ingredient is soft. Use the kind of cream cheese that comes in a block. Don’t use the stuff that comes in a tub that stays soft and spreadable all the time.
- Creamy peanut butter. Use regular peanut butter (the stuff that has sugar and hydrogenated fat). If you use natural peanut butter, it will still work but the texture will not be as smooth and creamy as a true buttercream. It may go without saying but don’t use crunchy peanut butter to make frosting.
- Butter. Make sure it is softened. Do not use the spreadable tub of margarine or butter. Use the kind of butter that comes in sticks.
- Vanilla. Pure vanilla extract is an expensive ingredient but you only need a small amount to make a big difference in flavor. A bottle of vanilla extract will last for several recipes.
- Salt. Don’t be tempted to skip the salt. Even if you use salted butter and peanut butter, an extra pinch of salt will enhance the flavors.
- Powdered sugar. Also called confectioners sugar. Don’t use regular granulated sugar.
- Milk. Whole milk if you have it on hand otherwise, reduced-fat milk will work.
How to Make Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Icing:
So, how do you make peanut butter frosting from scratch? Lucky for us, this is an easy recipe that only takes a few minutes!
Once the butter, cream cheese and peanut butter are at room temperature, follow these simple steps and you’ll have homemade peanut butter frosting in a jiff. 😉
- Mix: In an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, peanut butter, and butter. Beat on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes or until smooth.
Make sure to stop the mixer once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl, making sure everything is incorporated well. Add in the vanilla and salt, mix for another minute, then scrape down the sides of the bowl again. - Sweeten the frosting: Add in the powdered sugar and mix on low speed until the sugar is absorbed by the butter/cream cheese mixture. You can stir it by hand as well. Just take it slow to prevent the powdered sugar from flying out of the bowl.
Once it’s stirred in, increase to medium speed, mixing for about 2-3 minutes or until the frosting is smooth (don’t forget to stop the mixer halfway through to scrape down the sides). - Taste and adjust: Taste the frosting and test the consistency. If it appears too thick, you can add in the whole milk to lighten it up. Simply add 2 tablespoons and beat well.
Tips for Softening Butter and Cream Cheese:
Let the cream cheese and butter soften up to room temperature before you begin! We cannot stress this one enough. If you use cold butter or cream cheese, you’ll end up with lumpy frosting.
Tips for getting ingredients to room temperature (without waiting hours):
- How to soften butter quickly: you can grate sticks of cold butter using a cheese grater to speed up the softening process. Once the butter is grated, it will soften up within minutes.
- How to soften cream cheese quickly: Cut cold cream cheese into small cubes and let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. The smaller you can cube the cream cheese, the quicker it will soften.
Frequently Asked Questions
Peanut butter will make a frosting slightly thicker than cream cheese frosting that is made with butter and cream cheese. It will also stand up to warm temperatures a little better.
Peanut butter cream cheese icing will be more likely to curdle if you use natural peanut butter (the kind you have to stir) or if you over-beat the mixture.
You may have runny icing if you use spreadable cream cheese (the kind that is sold in tubs). Make sure to use cream cheese that comes in bricks.
Yes! You can freeze peanut butter cream cheese icing for up to three months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge. If it looks curdled when you thaw it, whip it with the beaters to restore the texture.
Yes, but you will have some limitations to the color. Since there is already a yellowish tan color in this peanut butter cream cheese icing, it will do better with colors like muddy orange, brown, and mossy green.
And there you have it! A peanut butter cream cheese frosting recipe that is nearly foolproof! Oh, the yumminess that awaits you!
As far as how to use it, peanut butter and chocolate are a natural combination, so perhaps start there?
Check out this recipe for the best chocolate cake with cream cheese icing. Liberally spread this PB frosting on a layer cake or make a fun treat by sandwiching a couple peanut butter cookies or spelt chocolate chip cookies together. This frosting also makes a delicious peanut butter cream cheese filling and is perfect with all sorts of cake!
There’s no wrong way to enjoy this delicious frosting, and trust us, you will!
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More Recipes You Will Love
When it comes to cookies, these gluten-free peanut butter cookies are always a favorite and you can make some amazing cookie sandwiches if you fill them with cream cheese frosting.
Our Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake is a must-try. Layers of spongy chocolate cake are stacked between creamy peanut butter filling, then the entire treat is covered in a rich chocolate ganache and topped with peanuts. A chocolate and peanut butter dream!
This Butterscotch Tart is heavenly and nostalgic. The creamy, caramel-y butterscotch filling shines through and goes perfectly with the simple shortbread crust.
Strawberry cream cheese frosting and chocolate cream cheese icing are also great flavors that go well with the tanginess of cream cheese. Both versions would taste amazing on our brownies with cream cheese frosting.
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Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1-1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
- 4 ounces butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
Instructions
- Combine the cream cheese, peanut butter and butter in a medium-size mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes or until smooth. Stop the mixer once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the vanilla and salt. Mix on medium speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the powdered sugar and blend on low speed or by hand until the sugar is absorbed.
- Increase the speed to medium-high and blend 2 to 3 minutes until smooth. Stop the mixer partway through to scrape down the sides.
- If the buttercream is too thick, add up to 2 tablespoons of milk and beat well.
Notes
- Let the cream cheese and butter soften up at room temperature before you begin. If they are cold when you start then you will get lumpy frosting.
- To soften butter quickly, grate it with a cheese grater.
- To soften cream cheese quickly, cut in into small cubes and let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. The smaller you cube the cream cheese, the quicker it will soften.
- When you add the powdered sugar, stir it in slowly at the beginning and increase the speed gradually. If you start the mixer at high speed then the powdered sugar will fly out of the bowl.
Darlene Rogers
Tuesday 28th of March 2023
I’m hoping to get a peanut butter taste and not so much of the cream cheese taste! For the ones who used this recipe which taste is it the peanut butter or cream cheese?
Dahn Boquist
Tuesday 28th of March 2023
This has a lovely peanut butter flavor, but you will be able to detect some cream cheese flavor as well. If you don't care for the tang of cream cheese, you can omit the cream cheese and increase the butter to 8 ounces.