Name: Cinnamon Roll Icing Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 6 ounces cream cheese (softened); 1/3 cup salted butter (room temperature); 2 cups powdered sugar; 1/2 tablespoon maple extract (or vanilla extract)

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This melt-in-your-mouth, cream cheese cinnamon roll icing recipe is the perfect topping for your family’s homemade cinnamon roll recipe. It’s also delicious drizzled on sweet breads, pumpkin cookies, cinnamon roll biscuit bake, muffins or coffee cakes.

This smooth and creamy icing combines sweet maple or vanilla flavor with a tangy hint of cream cheese. Using an electric hand mixer, you can whip up this recipe in under 10 minutes to perfectly frost a 9×13 pan of 12–15 cinnamon rolls or provide a light drizzle for even more.

overhead view of cream cheese frosting for cinnamon rolls

The perfect cinnamon roll icing recipe.

There’s one part our popular cinnamon roll recipe that is the finishing step, making the warm rolls melt in your mouth. It’s this homemade cinnamon roll icing recipe. It can be used on Hawaiian roll cinnamon rolls, carrot cake rolls or even store bought cinnamon rolls.

The most important tip for the best cinnamon roll frosting is to be sure the butter and cream cheese are at room temperature. If you use melted butter, the frosting won’t have a good texture. The butter should give very slightly when you gently push your index finger into it. This will ensure you have a creamy frosting.

Use this on our easy cinnamon rolls, puff pastry cinnamon rolls or crescent roll cinnamon rolls that don’t require making dough. Drizzle it over our brown sugar pound cake. Spoon it on top of our cinnamon chip scones. It’s so versatile!

Although we love cream cheese, we realize you may not. You can make a simple vanilla buttercream frosting or powdered sugar glaze if you’d like a cinnamon roll frosting without cream cheese.

You may also love our easy sugar cookie icing on cut out cookies and cinnamon cupcakes.

Enjoy! -Julie

Ingredients

There are only 4 ingredients needed:

Cream Cheese. Allow the cream cheese to come to room temperature before mixing. This will help it mix more smoothly.
Salted Butter. The butter should be at room temperature, not at all melted. If you only have unsalted butter, use that but add about ¼ teaspoon salt. The salt helps cut the sweetness of the frosting.
Powdered Sugar. Sift the powdered sugar before mixing so that the icing comes out smooth.
Flavoring. This recipe showcases maple extract, which is our family’s choice, but if you don’t love maple, use one teaspoon vanilla extract.

See the recipe card for ingredient amounts.

Cinnamon Roll Icing Recipe

4.48 from 19 votes

This cream cheese cinnamon roll icing recipe is the perfect topping for your family's homemade cinnamon roll recipe. It's also delicious drizzled on cookies or coffee cakes.

Servings 12

Prep Time 10

Total Time 10

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Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

6 ounces cream cheese softened
1/3 cup salted butter room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tablespoon maple extract or vanilla extract

Instructions

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and butter using a hand mixer. Blend well until all lumps are gone. 6 ounces cream cheese, ⅓ cup salted butter
Add in your favorite extract and the powdered sugar. Beat until combined. ½ tablespoon maple extract, 2 cups powdered sugar
After the cinnamon rolls are done baking in the oven and are cooled, spread the frosting over the tops. Put a few sprinkles on top if you'd like.
Store any leftover frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Video

Notes

Don’t want a thick frosting? Make a cinnamon roll glaze by adding heavy cream, a tablespoon at at time, until the frosting is thinner, at your desired consistency to drizzle overtop the rolls.

Storage Instructions:

Refrigerator: Store the frosting in airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Do not store the frosting at room temperature.
Freezer: Freeze the frosting in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before eating.
To thaw the frosting, move it to the refrigerator and let it sit in there overnight. Please beware of microwaving the frosting to defrost it. It can melt easily and lose its creaminess.

The calories shown are based on the frosting being divided 12 ways, with 1 serving being 1/12 of the frosting. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate.

Nutrition

Author Julie Clark

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Calories 173

Keyword cinnamon roll glaze, cream cheese frosting for cinnamon rolls, icing recipe

How to Make Cinnamon Roll Icing

In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese and butter using an electric mixer (or use a stand mixer) . Blend well until the mixture is even.
Add in your favorite extract and the powdered sugar. Beat until combined.

butter and cream cheese in a mixing bowl

When to Frost Cinnamon Rolls

Do you frost cinnamon rolls when they are warm or let them cool first?

If you frost the rolls while they are warm, the frosting will melt into the rolls slightly, making them a little extra gooey.

If you frost the rolls when they are cooled, the frosting will sit on top of the rolls. This is a great option if you are transporting them or want to rewarm them later. They also look very traditional this way.

My favorite option? Spread half of the frosting on top while the rolls are warm and let it melt in slightly. Then top the mostly cooled rolls with the remaining glaze. They will be gooey just like the famous Cinnabon cinnamon rolls.

Cinnamon Roll Icing Recipe

The perfect cinnamon roll icing recipe.

Ingredients