Name: Cinnamon Roll Icing
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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Melt-in-your-mouth, cream cheese cinnamon roll icing is the perfect topping for your family’s homemade cinnamon roll recipe. It’s also delicious drizzled on cookies or coffee cakes.

Our homemade cinnamon rolls have quickly risen to be our top post since 2017. It was a recipe the girls were hesitant to share, but they are so glad they did! It’s exciting to see you all making these rolls and sharing your successes with the recipe that we know and love.

There’s one part of that cinnamon roll recipe that is the finishing step, making them melt-in-your-mouth rolls. And it’s this homemade Cinnamon Roll Icing recipe. It’s not only perfect on our cinnamon buns, but can be used on your favorite recipe or even store bought cinnamon rolls.

About this Cinnamon Roll Icing recipe:

Flavor: You’ll taste sweet maple (or vanilla if you choose) and a hint of tangy cream cheese.
Texture: The butter and cream cheese help this cinnamon roll icing to be perfectly smooth and creamy. It will melt in your mouth!
Method: The recipe takes less than 10 minutes from start to finish. You’ll need an electric hand mixer to ensure the frosting is mixed evenly.
Yield: This makes the ideal amount for a 9×13 rectangle pan of 12-15 cinnamon rolls. If you prefer just a drizzling of frosting, it will of course cover more.

Ingredients in Cinnamon Roll Icing

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 vanilla extract.

How to Make Cinnamon Roll Icing

Before you begin

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 melt 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 give your frosting the best creamy texture.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and butter using a hand 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

creamed butter and sugar with powdered sugar over the top

Frost the Cinnamon Rolls

Do you frost cinnamon rolls when they are warm or let them cool first? The choice is yours, but allow the rolls to cool 10 minutes if you choose to frost them when they are warm. This will help the frosting not melt too quickly.

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.

overhead view of cinnamon rolls in a pan

Storage Instructions

Room temperature: Do not store the frosting at room temperature.
Refrigerator: Store the frosting in airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
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.

Cinnamon Roll Icing without Cream Cheese

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.

Cinnamon Roll Icing

4.48 from 19 votes

Melt-in-your-mouth, cream cheese cinnamon roll icing 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.
Add in your favorite extract and the powdered sugar. Beat until combined.
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 as thin as you’d like it to drizzle overtop the rolls.

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.