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Home » Recipes » Desserts

Low Carb Sugar Free Cream Cheese Frosting

By Kim Hardesty

A silky-smooth low carb sugar free cream cheese frosting recipe that’s perfect for carrot cakes, red velvet cakes, layer cakes, and cupcakes.

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Low Carb Sugar Free Cream Cheese Frosting is easy, silky and ketogenic.

Cream cheese frosting was one of my favorites growing up - especially on my mother’s carrot cake. She made one every year for Easter and slathered it in tangy-sweet cream cheese frosting. It was so good that I often ate just the frosting and left the cake behind.

Now that I'm grown with my own children, I continue mom’s Easter tradition and make my family a low carb carrot cake with a sugar free cream cheese frosting (and sometime carrot cupcakes). In fact this frosting is so fast and easy to make, it’s my go-to recipe for decorating all kinds of cupcakes and even layer cakes.

A cupcake in bright floral paper is topped with silky sugar free cream cheese frosting with a white towel to the left side, a small wooden handled stainless-steel spatula with frosting on it's tip is behind the cupcake as is a large clear glass bowl of cream cheese frosting and additional un-frosted cupcakes in the back ground.

Some people don't care for cream cheese frosting. They don't like the tang. My sugar free cream cheese frosting recipe tames the tanginess by whipping the cream cheese with butter, resulting in a silky-smooth texture. Whipping the ingredients produces a fluffy cream cheese frosting much nicer than the original my mother made, which was a little runny and overly sweet.

If you are new to low carb you may be wondering how to make cream cheese frosting without sugar. It’s easy. I use a natural low carb sugar alternative like an erythritol/stevia blend in place of the sugar. I like Sukrin Icing Sugar but Swerve Confectioners is another popular brand.

A large clear bowl of swirled sugar free cream cheese frosting with beaters placed behind and un-frosted cupcakes to the left of the beaters and a frosted cupcake to the right all on a white marble surface.

Because erythritol isn't digested or absorbed in the body, this sugar free frosting recipe shouldn't impact blood sugar. I would consider it safe for diabetics and weight loss. However, this is a treat and as I tell my children, “treats are sometimes foods”. (Read more about low carb sugar free sweeteners.)

Beware: it's common to see recipes for sugar free cream cheese frosting sweetened with honey or maple syrup. Although these recipes are refined sugar free they contain a lot of sugars and carbohydrates and therefore ore not suitable for diabetics or weight-loss. Stick to the low carb sugar alternatives I mentioned above or use your favorite.

This recipe for Low Carb Sugar Free Cream Cheese Frosting serves 12, at 1 net carb per serving.

Low Carb Sugar Free Cream Cheese Frosting is easy, silky and ketogenic.

Low Carb Sugar Free Cream Cheese Frosting

A silky-smooth low carb sugar free cream cheese frosting recipe that’s perfect for carrot cakes, red velvet cakes, layer cakes, and cupcakes.
5 from 5 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Basics, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes minutes
Servings: 12
Calories: 169kcal

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces Philadelphia Cream Cheese, cool but soft (1 ½ packages)
  • 4 ounces salted butter, softened (8 tablespoon or 1 stick)
  • ½ cup low carb powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • stevia glycerite or stevia drops to taste

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl, beat the cool cream cheese until smooth. I use a hand mixer.
  • Add the sweetener and beat until lightened in texture. Beat in the vanilla until completely incorporated.
  • Add the butter, beating again until the mixture is whipped together and nice and light. Adjust sweetness with more powdered sweetener or stevia to taste. 
  • Refrigerate until ready to use. Beat until light and fluffy before using. Makes approximately 2 cups or enough to generously frost 12 cupcakes.

Notes

Nutrition Facts
Low Carb Sugar Free Cream Cheese Frosting
Amount Per Serving
Calories 169 Calories from Fat 162
% Daily Value*
Fat 18g28%
Carbohydrates 1g0%
Protein 2g4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition

Calories: 169kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 18g

About Kim Hardesty

Kim is a self taught cook with over 30 years experience in the kitchen. She develops and tests low carb and keto recipes in her California home. She began her low carb journey in 2009 and at the urging of friends, started blogging in 2014. Kim shares delicious low carb and keto recipes no one would believe are sugar-free. Her recipes are featured in newsstand publications and on sites all over the internet.

View all posts by Kim Hardesty | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest

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Reader Interactions

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  1. Vanessa

    January 07, 2023 at 6:10 pm

    Can’t tell it’s low carb. I could just eat this plain it’s so good!

    Reply
  2. Kathryn

    June 11, 2020 at 3:49 pm

    I really enjoyed this recipe! Perfect!

    Reply
  3. Cynthia

    November 08, 2018 at 5:18 am

    Hi Kim! Not sure if you still check this, but wanted to thank you for this and other sugar free recipes! I’m new to baking sugar free and had a question. I have granulated Splenda already, and limited budget. If I tried to powderize Splenda granules, will it substitute? Have you or anyone else tried? Thanks so much!

    Reply
    • Kim

      November 08, 2018 at 4:06 pm

      Hi Cynthia. Yes, you can powder the Splenda but I seem to remember that it doesn't dissolve very well into the frosting - but that could have been an all butter frosting. It's been several years since I have used it. What I suggest for the future is to buy generic erythritol (if it's on your budget) and some Splenda drops (EZ Sweets) or liquid stevia. This would be less expensive than buying name brand 1:1 sugar replacements like Sukrin, Swerve or Lakanto.

      I find that using a combination of a concentrated sweetener with the erythritol works just as well as the name brand sweeteners. The only thing is the initial outlay in cost. Fortunately, most of them last a very long time. For example, the KAL powdered stevia I buy for my coffee is very expensive, but has 500 servings which are about 1/32 of a teaspoon each. I also use it sometimes in my smoothies or in baked goods. It lasts me well over a year. Same for the stevia glycerite I buy. I like to use that in baking with the erythritol because I don't think it is as bitter as some of the other liquid stevia brands.

      Yes, everything is expensive, but once you have some of the staples, they last quite a long time. I hope this helps. -Kim

      Reply
      • Cynthia

        November 11, 2018 at 7:40 am

        Thank so much for all the great info! I have already favorited these so I can come back for recipes. I will try powdering the Splenda and see if I can get it to melt with a lilttle vanilla and cream cheese (gently) bring back to temp and see how the test works out. I’ll let you either way in case someone else asks. You have A GREAT website for design and function. The best I have seen for baking and cooking. Excellent job!!

        Reply
  4. Kelly

    May 06, 2018 at 4:48 pm

    This is my FAVORITE icing. I put it on top of my low carb apple cinnamon muffins and it is the BEST. I usually use Monkfruit powdered sugar because it is my favorite and does not have the ‘cooling’ effect that Swerve has. Thanks SO much for this recipe!

    Reply
    • Kim

      May 07, 2018 at 8:59 am

      I'm glad you like the recipe, Kelly. I bet it's fantastic on your apple cinnamon muffins, which sound delicious BTW. Monkfruit is a nice sweetener. Thanks for sharing and for the nice comment. I hope you enjoy your week. -Kim

      Reply
  5. Jacqueline

    May 03, 2018 at 3:50 pm

    I followed Some info that I had read regarding the equivalence of sugarless equivalents, so I ordered a bag of erythritol and 4 ounce bag of Stevia powder I don’t know anything about the sukrin icing, But I know that I could make the erythritol and the Stevia together confectionery, and no longer have to buy my favorite PYURE, not crazy about swerve at all, to each his own, prefer skinny girl drops as opposed to straight up Stevia drops(pyure liquid)Anyhow, in the recipe what would be the equivalent I’m sorry if that sounds redundant but it just seems like such a simple cream cheese frosting recipe as opposed to the others I’ve seen thank you so much this is a great site and a wonderful recipe.

    Reply
  6. Pam

    February 17, 2018 at 2:55 pm

    Gonna give this a try this morning!!! Sounds great.

    Reply
  7. rachel Poisson

    January 19, 2018 at 9:00 am

    Where can I find Sukrin icing suger and the stevia glycerite?

    Reply
    • Kim

      January 19, 2018 at 4:11 pm

      You can find the Sukrin Icing Sugar on Sukrin USA.com and the stevia glycerite on Amazon. You may also use your favorite low carb sweetener to taste. If it is granular, you may want to powder it first. -Kim

      Reply
  8. Kelly

    November 14, 2017 at 11:44 am

    Holy crap swerve confectioners is freaking magical there is literally no aftertaste I could eat this icing all day yay for a new fat bomb ? thankyou!!! It feels like cheating it’s so good.

    Reply
  9. Jessica

    October 27, 2017 at 8:13 am

    Would Swerve granulated work instead of Confectioners? Everywhere in my area is on backorder for the Confectioners.

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Kim

      October 27, 2017 at 8:19 am

      Sure, Jessica. Make sure to powder it in a coffee grinder or some such device. That gives it a better chance of dissolving. -Kim

      Reply
  10. Tammy

    July 23, 2017 at 3:32 am

    What is considered a serving size?

    Reply
    • Kim

      July 23, 2017 at 8:13 am

      Approximately 3 tablespoons, Tammy. -Kim

      Reply
  11. Matt

    June 11, 2017 at 8:38 pm

    I love cream cheese frosting. Can't wait to give this one a try.

    Reply
  12. Anastacia

    March 20, 2017 at 3:45 pm

    This looks really good! Do you think this would be a good option for a smash cake? I'm making my daughter a healthy smash cake without sugar and I wanted a frosting that would hold up better than just heavy whipping cream. Would this work for piping?

    Reply
    • Kim

      March 20, 2017 at 5:09 pm

      Anastacia, this will pipe but it would hold up better if the cake were refrigerated over-night. I would probably use whipped cream and beat until almost stiff, then add 1/8 teaspoon of xanthan gum and whip until stiff. It will stabilize the whipped cream and it will hold all day without breaking down. I have used stabilized whipped cream as frosting many times. Look at my post for chocolate birthday cake. Another option is to whip cream cheese, sweeten it and then whip the cream cheese until stiff (stibilize it with xantan gum) and then fold them together. Let me know if you have any more questions. -Kim

      Reply
  13. Adina

    March 15, 2017 at 1:44 am

    I love cream cheese frosting, it is my favorite kind actually. It is good to have a low carb alternative for the next batch of cupcakes.

    Reply
    • Kim

      March 15, 2017 at 8:43 am

      Thanks, Adina. Everyone has a recipe for cream cheese frosting, right? It's so easy and much better than the canned version! -Kim

      Reply

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