So, you’re making cinnamon rolls! This cream cheese cinnamon roll icing is my husband’s favorite for this breakfast treat. It is rich, creamy, and a perfect counterpoint the cinnamon tang within the rolls themselves. It has a bit more structure than the cream cheese icing I like to use for cakes; while it is less malleable for delicate decorating, it is more robust, meaning it is going to stay put on top of your breakfast pastry.
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Ingredients
The ingredients for this cream cheese cinnamon roll icing are fairly basic, and shouldn’t be too hard for you to pull together.
- 1 block of room temperature cream cheese
- 1 stick of room temperature salted butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- 3 ½ cup powdered sugar
- 4 teaspoons milk (optional – depends on how thick you want the final icing)
How to make cream cheese icing for cinnamon rolls
Start by creaming together your butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer. Mix in the vanilla bean paste.
Mix in powdered sugar, about one cup at a time. Once all of the powdered sugar is mixed in, assess the texture of the icing. If you would prefer an icing that is thinner, add in up to 4 tablespoons of milk, one tablespoon at a time.

Spread the icing over cinnamon rolls that have cooled completely. If your rolls are warm, the icing will melt…which, although it makes for tasty rolls, might but a damper on the presentation.

I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you try it at home, please tag #WhiskAverseBaking in your posts on social media, or leave a message in the comments below.

Cream Cheese Icing
Ingredients
- 1 eight-ounce block cream cheese room temperature
- ½ cup salted butter room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- 3 ½ cup powdered sugar
- 4 teaspoons milk optional
Instructions
- Cream together butter and cream cheese. Mix in vanilla bean paste.
- Mix in powdered sugar one cup at a time.
- If mixture is too thick, thin with milk until it reaches the desired texture.
- Spread over cooled cinnamon rolls.
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