This Sugar Free Vanilla Cream Cheese frosting is quick and easy to make and keto and low carb!
Cream Cheese Frosting
When it comes to choosing a frosting, are you in the cream cheese pack or the buttercream pack? I'm a cream cheese fan all the way but buttercream frosting has it's place in my heart as well. This recipe was originally posted on my blog back in July of 2012. The photos were horrible but the recipe is still fantastic! I decided an update of the photos was needed, though the writing and content is still orginial below. The holiday season is the time of year to have some delicious sugar free frosting recipes up your sleeve for all your keto baking needs.
A frosting recipe finally!!!! You asked and finally I have one for you!!! Creamy vanilla and sweetened with stevia!!!! Only a few ingredients needed to make this deliciousness! A tiny bit of cream, some stevia and vanilla extract and you are done! Perfect for any cake or cupcake!My kiddies LOVED it and of course I had a few bites, but I must warn you......this is addicting! You really need to be careful because the taste is out of this world! You could eat spoonfuls of this before you even frost your dessert!
When to use Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream cheese needs refrigeration. When you plan your application of using this cream cheese frosting you need to keep this in mind. Keep your dessert refrigerated until ready to serve. If it's a hot summer day and you leave this baked good outside, this frosting will most certainly melt all over the place. But there truly is a place for all things cream cheese and I'd suggest a few recipes to use this on. My first suggestion is my Carrot Cake Cheesecake, as well as my Chocolate Mug cake and my Lemon Mug cake.
Sugar Free Confectioners
There are a few brands of sugar free confectioners on the market today. Back in 2012 when this recipe was written there was not. I originally chose vanilla liquid stevia for the recipe but since have used a combination of Swerve confectioners and liquid stevia for a perfect balance of flavor and no aftertaste with either. My family likes it better so that's what I'm using today. You can use any sweetener you like, just add a small amount and taste and adjust as needed.
Dairy Free Sugar Free Frosting
A simple swap of the cream cheese with a vegan cream cheese will yield the same results as using traditional dairy cream cheese. Just to note, if you have a lactose intolerance there is also a cream cheese that removes the lactose and is still made with dairy. Also to note, if you have a tree nut allergy in the family, most dairy free cream cheeses are made from tree nuts, like almond or cashew.
Sugar Free Frostings
Once you know the basic frosting method you like, making sugar free keto frosting is a cinch! I've got plenty of varieties for you to choose from! Not a fan of cream cheese? Try my Sugar-Free Butter Cream Frosting instead. Or try my Cannoli frosting or Peanut Butter Buttercream Frosting!
Sugar Free Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
Sugar Free Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting (Low Carb, Keto)
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup Swerve Confectioners
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla liquid stevia
- 2 tablespoon heavy cream or 3 tablespoon depending on consistency you need
Instructions
- Using a stand mixer or hand held electric mixer , place cream cheese, confectioners, vanilla and stevia in bowl and mix until the cream cheese is smooth.
- Add one tablespoon of heavy cream at a time, blend until a smooth consistency appears after each tablespoon.
- Refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight which will allow it to thicken in texture.
- When ready to decorate, spoon into a pastry bag or plastic bag with a snipped corner to decorate or simply spread onto cake or cupcakes with a butter knife. Keep refrigerated.
Notes
Nutrition
About Brenda
Brenda Bennett is a certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, certified Sugar Detox Coach, certified Keto Coach and certified Life Coach. She has been Sugar Free & Refined carb free for 17 years and has written 2 cookbooks, Sugar-Free Mom, and Naturally Keto and her 3rd book The 30-Day Sugar Elimination Diet, is a four part program to help you detox from sugar, eliminate cravings, balance blood sugar and lose weight all while eating a delicious, nutrient dense whole foods. Meal plan offers two tracks to follow, low carb or keto. She is the founder of the Sugar Free Fresh Start course and Sugar Free Tribe weight loss membership. Learn more.
Brit
This is amazing! I cut the recipe in half to use on your pumpkin scones! 🥰 My husband and I are in heaven with these! Such a treat. I can’t imagine how much experimenting you have to do to find the best ratios. Thank you for your work!
Brenda Bennett
Lots! But thank you so much!
Robin
What can I use instead of sugar alcohol type confectionery sugar? Every sugar alcohol I have tried really upsets my stomach
Brenda
Maybe just use vanilla liquid stevia.
Terri
I was really nervous because I didn't have heavy whipping cream. I made it with Half and half and I used better than sugar and it was very good. So happy.
Jennifer Parker
Love it! I added some coconut. Going to add this site to my address book.
Laurie phillips
This turned out not tasting like anything related to cake. The frosting was not sweet enough and cake taste terrible. I gusss I do not like keto recipes.
Brenda
There's no cake in this recipe.
Jessica
Thought this was fantastic. I added just a pinch of salt, it was just a bit too sweet.
ally
can u add colouring to this recipe
Brenda
yes
Cay
I was looking for a cream cheese frosting recipe with stevia. Thank you! I used less stevia to avoid the aftertaste. I thinned mine with apple juice concentrate. I hope to try this with other extracts, like lemon, almond, coconut, or maple flavors. This worked well with my sugar-free carrot cake.
Brenda
Thank you, glad you liked it!
Kate
My son is diabetic and has a dairy allergy. I’m afraid nut milk won’t be thick enough but the flavor of canned coconut cream too strong? Anyone tried a dairy free version?
av
I just tried this recipe...it turned out very bitter for me - the stevia left an awful aftertaste, tried masking it with some lemon juice...did not turn out as expected...is there a certain brand of stevia you used?
Brenda
Which brand of stevia did you use? I buy through iherb.com and my coupon code is YAJ035. I often use NuNaturals vanilla or Sweetleaf vanilla crème.
Rachel
I just tried making this icing to go on your red velvet cake. Mine turned out very bitter for me as well. I wonder if my measurements were off. Because the cream cheese comes in ounces instead of cups, I went to the Philadelphia cream cheese web site and, according to them, there are 12oz. of their cream cheese in 1 1/2 cups. Is this amount correct? Thanks.
Brenda
If you look at the year this was written in 2012 so I was pretty new at writing recipes. Yes it is 12 ounces so that is one package and a 1/2.
dew
Hi thanks for this recipe! I tried saving it to my ZipList, but the "PRINT" image came up instead of the cupcake image! Your SF Chocolate frosting recipe saved fine with the correct image, so maybe it's only a problem for this one page. Oops, it's also doing it on your Fudgey Flourless Chocolate Brownies. Feel free to delete this comment once you find time to look into & fix things. Thanks!
Knox GFgal
I put this frosting on sugar cookies this weekend & ruined all of them to be passed out to neighbors. At first all seems fine but the frosting absorbs into the cookie turning it soft & crumbly and the frosting curls on top of it. Don't recommend for cookies!
Will try again on carrot cake.
Brenda
Did you keep them refrigerated? I've not made the frosting to place on a cookie, only on cupcakes or cake. I'm sorry that happened to your sugar cookies but this frosting is not like butter cream icing, it needs refrigeration.
Alana
I realize that this is an old post but can you make this frosting to ice a cake in advance? So long as it's kept in the fridge? Thanks!
Brenda
yes that will work
Alana
Thanks Brenda! I'll give it a try and ice a cake today that I'm serving tomorrow mid-morning 🙂
Coach Cheryl
I can't wait to try this on the weekend! I have a questions though. The lite cream cheese I use has 1 gram of sugar. Are there some out there without any sugar? I noticed in the nutritional data there is no sugar listed.
Thanks!
Katherine
Can this be made vegan?
Cyndi
I'm going to be trying a vegan version this week. I'd be happy to let you know how it turns out.
Brenda
Sure, please do!
Bill
Would this frosting be good on carrot cake?
Sarah C
I always love sugar free. I would love if you could link up to Thursday Food Fest. I open on Wednesday Evenings. Thanks for considering. Sarah
Minnie@thelady8home
My!!!! Yumm!!!! They look gorgeous. I can only imagine how divine they taste. So bad for my waistline.
Brenda
No bad for the waistline at all! Only if you eat too much of course. One tablespoon of frosting has only 31 calories which is very good!
Janeen DeGeorge
Can stevia powder be used in place of liquid? If so, how much?
Brenda
I have not tried it with the powder so I can't comment on the results you will have. You could start with 1/2 teaspoon of powder then taste it and adjust.
Good Food Good Friends
Love cream cheese frosting, Can't wait to try this sugar-free version.
Jan J.
Oh yum! I think I would just eat the frosting and forget the cake LOL! Is one 8-oz bar one cup of cream cheese?
The Better Baker
M-M-M-M-More please! Perfect!!