Infused with real strawberry flavors, this easy strawberry frosting recipe is perfect for a wide variety of baked goods, from a simple vanilla cake to a full blown strawberry cake to a tart lemon cake. It comes together in a few simple steps and only five ingredients.
This strawberry frosting will transform your baked goods to a whole new level. It is so rich and creamy! It also holds up very well, so not only can you spread it over a sheet cake, but it’s perfect for piping. This frosting recipe is truly a must when strawberry season hits. Don’t have fresh strawberries? Not to worry, down below, I share tips on using freeze-dried berries and frozen strawberries.
If you love strawberry recipes, then try my strawberry muffins, strawberry cupcakes, strawberry bread, or strawberry cheesecake!
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Strawberries — fresh, ripe strawberries are ideal as strawberries do not continue to ripen once picked.
Butter — use unsalted butter. Make sure your butter is at room temperature before you start the frosting.
Powdered sugar — frostings tend to need a lot of powdered sugar. I have a post on how to make powdered sugar if you run out. Avoid swapping powdered sugar for another sugar. The fine powder will make a smooth strawberry frosting. You might also find this sugar labeled as icing sugar or confectioners’ sugar.
Heavy cream — adding heavy cream will make the frosting lighter, fluffier, and richer.
How to Make Strawberry Frosting
1. Place the strawberries in a blender or food processor. Process until completely smooth.
2. Measure out ¼ cup of strawberry puree.
3. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and fluffy.
4. Add the strawberry puree and beat until well combined. Scrape down the bowl.
5. With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar in about a cup at a time. Stop and scrape down the bowl occasionally.
6. Once all of the sugar is added, beat in 2 tablespoons of cream and the vanilla. Beat on medium-low speed until fluffy. Add the additional tablespoon of cream if needed for a smooth and fluffy frosting. Use the frosting immediately or cover and chill overnight. Bring to room temperature and beat again for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until the strawberry frosting is fluffy and spreadable before using.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- This strawberry buttercream frosting recipe makes enough frosting for a 9×13-inch sheet cake, an 8-inch 2-layer cake, or 16 cupcakes.
- You can substitute fresh strawberries for freeze-dried strawberries! I like doing this when fresh strawberries aren’t in season. Process 1 cup of freeze-dried strawberries in a food processor until finely ground and powdery. Beat into the butter as directed. You may need to add an additional few tablespoons of cream to the frosting since the strawberries don’t have any added moisture.
- You can strain the strawberry puree through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds for a smoother frosting.
- To make this strawberry frosting dairy-free, you can simply substitute regular butter with vegan butter.
- Make sure to mix until just combined. Overmixing can cause the frosting to become too runny.
- It’s important you gradually add powdered sugar to the mixer instead of dumping it all in at once. Adding in batches prevents lumps and ensures a smooth texture to your frosting.
- I recommend naturally bringing the butter to room temperature instead of using a microwave. You want to avoid the butter melting in the microwave, as the butter will not cream properly if it is runny.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you only have frozen real strawberries, you can use them in place of fresh strawberries. I recommend that you thaw and strain out any liquid before you puree them to prevent the frosting from being liquidy.
Store the frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
This homemade strawberry frosting is freezer friendly! Transfer the frosting to an airtight freezer-safe bag or container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Once ready to use, thaw the frosting overnight in the refrigerator, then bring it to room temperature. You can whip it again in the mixer if you’d like.
After frosting a cake or cupcakes with this strawberry frosting, it can be kept on the counter for a day or two if your kitchen is cool. However, I recommend keeping the frosted baked goods in the fridge if you want to keep them longer.
In my tips, I shared that overmixing leads to a runny frosting as the butter starts melting as the frosting starts warming up from overmixing. To help fix this, try refrigerating the frosting for an hour and then check to see if the frosting has firmed up. If not, you can beat more powdered sugar into the frosting to try to thicken it.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Strawberry buttercream recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Strawberry Frosting
Video
Ingredients
- ½ cup chopped fresh strawberries or frozen thawed strawberries about 6 berries
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened, (227g)
- 6 cups powdered sugar (720g)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place the strawberries in a blender or food processor. Process until completely smooth. (If desired, you can strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds.) Measure out ¼ cup of strawberry puree.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until soft and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the strawberry puree and beat until well combined. Scrape down the bowl.
- With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar in about a cup at a time. Stop and scrape down the bowl occasionally. Once all of the sugar is added, beat in 2 tablespoons of cream and the vanilla. Beat on medium-low speed until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the additional tablespoon of cream if needed for a smooth and fluffy frosting. Use the frosting immediately or cover and chill overnight. Bring to room temperature and beat again for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until fluffy and spreadable before using.
Notes
- This strawberry buttercream frosting recipe makes enough frosting for a 9×13-inch sheet cake, an 8-inch 2-layer cake, or 16 cupcakes.
- You can substitute fresh strawberries for freeze-dried strawberries! I like doing this when fresh strawberries aren’t in season. Process 1 cup of freeze-dried strawberries in a food processor until finely ground and powdery. Beat into the butter as directed. You may need to add an additional few tablespoons of cream to the frosting since the strawberries don’t have any added moisture.
- You can strain the strawberry puree through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds for a smoother frosting.
- To make this strawberry frosting dairy-free, you can simply substitute regular butter with vegan butter.
- Make sure to mix until just combined. Overmixing can cause the frosting to become too runny.
- It’s important you gradually add powdered sugar to the mixer instead of dumping it all in at once. Adding in batches prevents lumps and ensures a smooth texture to your frosting.
- I recommend naturally bringing the butter to room temperature instead of using a microwave. You want to avoid the butter melting in the microwave, as the butter will not cream properly if it is runny.
