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Hi friends. It’s officially, officially baking season.
For some people, baking season starts on September 1st.
For me, it starts once it’s cold enough out to wear cozy sweaters.
Having the beautiful smell of something baking away in my kitchen makes everything even better. And what is some baking without having a good, reliable frosting recipe for you to spread onto a variety of baked goods?
This yogurt cream cheese frosting is my new favorite recipe for a slightly lighter take on traditional cream cheese frosting. The Greek yogurt adds a nice tangy flavor that compliments the tanginess of the cream cheese nicely without overpowering it.
Since we use fat free Greek yogurt to replace some amount of cream cheese, without, any of the rich taste, this frosting is noticeably lighter. But, in a good way. Without lacking any of that lovely luscious, indulgent texture we want in our cream cheese frosting.
What can I use this yogurt cream cheese frosting on?
Anything that you would normally use with a traditional cream cheese frosting.
- sheet cakes
- one layer cakes
- cupcakes
- cookies
It’s especially good on:
- carrot cake
- pumpkin cakes
- banana cakes
- red velvet cakes
- basically, any type of spiced cakes or cupcakes
- sugar cookies
But really, the possibilities are endless.
Ingredients for yogurt cream cheese frosting:
- cream cheese (make sure to use blocks of full fat cream cheese)
- unsalted butter
- plain Greek yogurt (I use fat free)
- vanilla extract
- powdered sugar
That’s all you need to make this super delicious, frosting recipe.
I do have a recipe for cream cheese frosting without powdered sugar. It’s been a big hit. And, while I love that I have found a way to make a cream cheese frosting without powdered sugar to reduce our intake of refined sugar, when needed.
I have found that sometimes you just need a little powdered sugar in your life!
This yogurt cream cheese frosting is one of those times. But, the good news is that I use way less sugar in this recipe then traditional cream cheese frosting recipes.
I do find that powdered sugar is superior in creating the ultimate fluffy frosting texture that melts in your mouth. However, since we aren’t decorating a fancy cake with layers, and piping the frosting, then we don’t need nearly as much powdered sugar to keep the frosting at the ideal piping and decorating consistency. So, why not reduce the amount of powdered sugar used?
In my opinion, frosting on most cakes is usually way too sweet. This yogurt cream cheese frosting is just right in the sweetness department.
It’s just sweet enough to be worthy of frosting a cake, without making your fillings hurt.
Is this yogurt cream cheese frosting recipe healthier then traditional cream cheese frosting recipes?
Yes. A little.
It is healthier for two reasons:
- We reduce some of the fat content by replacing some of the cream cheese with fat free Greek yogurt.
- We use way less powdered sugar. Traditional frosting recipes call for up to 4 cups of powdered sugar. This recipe only uses 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar.
That being said. This is still a frosting recipe, meant to frost cakes or cookies.
There is still sugar and fat. And like any dessert, it is not health food. It is meant to be a treat that is enjoyed, on occasion.
Can I pipe yogurt cream cheese frosting?
I am not 100% sure as I have not tried piping this frosting myself, nor do I have a lot of cake decorating experience in general.
However, I am confident that you could do simple piping decorations on the top, flat surface of a cake. Or, piping it onto a cupcake.
Please let me know if you give any fancy cake decorating a try with this frosting. I would love to know how it goes.
I hope you enjoy this yogurt cream cheese frosting recipe as much as I do.
It’s fluffy, smooth, perfectly sweet, with a nice tang to it. It tastes like regular cream cheese frosting does, just with an extra kick of tanginess to it. No one will be able to detect that it comes from Greek yogurt.
This frosting is easy to make too. It comes together in about 10 minutes. Just throw everything in a bowl and whisk away with either an electric hand mixer, or a stand mixer.
It’s the prefect companion to any fall spiced cake.
Recipe for a super delicious, and easy pumpkin cake is coming next week. Stay tuned for that.
Recipes to use Yogurt Cream Cheese Frosting on:
More frosting recipes you’re going to love:
- 5 minute vegan chocolate frosting
- cream cheese frosting without powdered sugar
- Healthier Vegan “Buttercream” Frosting
If you made this recipe please do me a huge favor by leaving a comment down below, along with a star rating. This helps my recipes to be seen by more people. Also, I enjoy hearing from you. Thanks friends, I appreciate it.
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Yogurt Cream Cheese Frosting
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: about 2 1/2 cups 1x
- Category: baking, dessert, easy, 10 ingredients or less
- Method: mixing
- Cuisine: gluten free, egg free
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Greek yogurt replaces some of the cream cheese for a slightly lighter cream cheese frosting. This yogurt cream cheese frosting recipe is perfectly sweet, tangy, fluffy, and rich. It’s great for frosting carrot cake, pumpkin cake, red velvet cake, or sugar cookies.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces full fat blocks of cream cheese, room temp (about 1 block + just over 1/2 of another block)
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp
- 2/3 cup Plain Greek yogurt, room temp (I used fat free)
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup + 1 to 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Instructions
- Cream together: To the bowl of a stand mixer, or use a mixing bowl for using an electric hand mixer – add the softened cream cheese, softened butter, and room temp Greek yogurt. Mix on high until well mixed together. Scrape the bowl with a spatula as needed. Add the vanilla extract and mix until incorporated.
- Add the sugar: Add 3/4 cup of the powdered sugar. Mix on high speed for at least 5 minutes, stopping the mixer to scrape down the sides as needed. At this point taste the frosting. If you want it to be a little sweeter add 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches your desired sweetness. Keep in mind that I created this frosting recipe to be more on the tangy side, and not overly sweet like most frostings tend to be. Whisk on high for another 2 minutes, or until everything is well incorporated and the frosting has a light, and creamy, smooth texture.
- To use: If using the frosting right away you can spread it onto cakes, cookies, cupcakes, or other baked goods (see post for links to recipes). The frosting is best served when it’s at room temperature. However, it does need to be stored in the fridge for longer pierids of time due to the cream cheese and the Greek yogurt.
- To store: You can make this frosting up to several days in advance and store it in an air tight container in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. Allow it to come to room temp before using the frosting.
Notes
Yogurt: You must use Greek yogurt here versus a regular yogurt. The water content in a regular strained yogurt is too high, whereas a lot of the liquid has been strained from Greek yogurt making it thicker.
Piping the frosting: I think you should be able to pipe this frosting into simple designs. However, I have not tested piping with this frosting, nor do I have much experience piping frosting at all. Let me know if you give it a try. 🙂
Decorating with candies or sprinkles: I made this frosting for a pumpkin cake. I decorated the pumpkin cake with candy corn pumpkins. As the pumpkins sat on the frosting they sort of melted. I am not sure why this happened (maybe because of the yogurt?). I have not tried decorating the frosting with anything else on top. To play it safe, maybe add any decorations such as sprinkles, or other candies, just before serving your dessert.
Recipe for the yogurt cream cheese frosting is inspired by, and heavily adapted from Well Plated’s recipe for pumpkin sheet cake with Greek yogurt cream cheese frosting.
We are trying it out. Thanks!
YaY! I am excited for you. Let me know how you like it. 🙂