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Easy Strawberry Frosting Recipe

Making this easy strawberry frosting recipe is simple, quick, and it’s perfect for topping all your favorite recipes! This simple strawberry icing recipe is one of my favorites, give it a try! Once you’ve tried this delicious strawberry frosting recipe, you will also love to check out more of our fun and easy strawberry recipes!

This recipe for strawberry frosting uses simple ingredients. There’s nothing complicated and you’ll be able to pronounce everything we are using which is great! Frosting might not be a healthy food but that doesn’t mean we have to add insult to injury by including a bunch of chemicals as well!

This homemade strawberry icing is great for cupcakes, pies, cakes, dipping fruit or crackers, and more! You can use this homemade frosting in place of canned frosting without adding a lot of extra work to your recipes.

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Easy strawberry frosting pin with title across the middle.

Making homemade frosting doesn’t have to be difficult. This recipe for strawberry frosting uses simple, easy to find ingredients to make a creamy, flavorful, topping for all your favorite desserts.

Strawberry icing is a great choice for spring and summer desserts. It adds a pop of color, is sweet and fresh tasting, and of course it looks great too! When you find a homemade frosting recipe that is this easy to make you keep it around.

Finished strawberry frosting on a cupcake.

What kind of frosting is this?

This frosting is a type of buttercream. The base is made with butter, cream, and sugar like most butter cream frostings and it makes the texture really nice and smooth.

We are using a little bit of red food coloring and freeze dried strawberries to get the coloring. You can leave out the coloring if you want, the freeze dried strawberries will give it a hint of color on their own anyway!

If you want to adjust this recipe to make other fruity flavors you can do that really easily. All you have to do is replace the type of freeze dried fruit and the coloring.

Close up of the finished strawberry frosting

Here’s what you’ll need to make homemade strawberry frosting:

To make this really easy icing recipe you’ll need the staples of a buttercream frosting: butter, cream, vanilla extract, salt, and sugar (sifted, powdered sugar to be exact). You can find the amounts and ingredients in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

You’ll also need some food coloring and freeze dried strawberries for this version of my homemade buttercream frosting. This is a super simple recipe, once you make it a time or two you’ll know it by heart and be able to whip up a batch every time you make baked goods.

Of course mixing bowls, a mixerspatula, and some whisks should be on your list if you don’t have ones that you love. I also like to have a set of cooling racks so that my recipes can properly cool before they’re scarfed down by my family!

A big pile of strawberry icing on top of a cupcake.

How to make strawberry icing from scratch:

Here’s the thing, making icing from scratch is not nearly as hard as people would have you believe. It’s a mostly about adjusting things slowly to see how the consistency is…since I’ve already done that hard work for you this recipe is very simple, it’s mostly a pour and whip scenario!

Pulse the freeze dried strawberries in a food processor until they have reached a fine powder consistency. 

Freeze dried strawberries.

Place the softened butter, pulverized strawberries, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.

Smashed freeze dried strawberries.

Beat on low until combined.

Freeze dried strawberries on top of the butter in a bowl.

Gradually add in 4 cups of the powdered sugar, a half cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions, until it becomes a thick frosting. 

Mixed in with the icing ingredients.

Add the cream, milk, or water a tablespoon at a time until the frosting is smooth and has reached a texture that is thick and stable, but easy to spread.

The perfect texture for finished strawberry frosting.

Add in additional powdered sugar and liquid in small amounts if needed until you have achieved your desired frosting texture.

If using, add a pinch of salt to offset the tart & sweet flavors of the strawberries & powdered sugar.

Another look at the finished frosting being piped onto a cupcake.

If needed, add a couple of drops of red food coloring to add more pink tone to the frosting. 

Turn off your mixer and place the frosting in a piping bag, or spread over a prepared and cooked cake or cupcakes, then decorate as desired.

Notes to help you get the perfect strawberry buttercream frosting:

Makes enough frosting to generously frost a 9×13 cake, double layer cake, or 12 cupcakes (if piping). If not piping, you should be able to frost 24 cupcakes modestly.

If you don’t have a food processor, place the freeze dried strawberries in a large ziplock baggie. Squeeze the air out before sealing, place the bag a hard, flat surface, then roll a rolling pin over the bag until the berries are crushed into a powder.

Another look at freeze dried strawberries.

Alternatively, you can use strawberry powder instead of freeze dried strawberries.

strawberry powder.

The butter should be softened to room temperature, not too hard, but not melting.

Sift the powdered sugar after measuring it, not before.

Cupcakes frosted with the finished strawberry frosting.

You can refrigerate the frosting in an airtight container for up to 10 days. Be sure to let it reach room temperature before frosting/piping; the frosting hardens up quite a bit when refrigerated and will be difficult to spread unless warmed to room temperature. 

Be sure that baked goods have cooled completely before frosting or they will melt the frosting and make a mess of things!

A very close up look at the finished strawberry icing ready to eat.

Looking for more delicious and simple recipes?

You have come to the right place if you love easy desserts. I love no bake desserts and simple treats that everyone can enjoy. Here are some of my favorites (and a few reader favorites) for you to try out!

Printable Strawberry Frosting Recipe:

Yield: 12 Servings

Easy Strawberry Frosting Recipe

Featured image showing the finished strawberry frosting ready to eat.

Making this easy strawberry frosting recipe is simple, quick, and it's perfect for topping all your favorite recipes! This simple strawberry icing recipe is one of my favorites, give it a try!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • ½ cup freeze-dried strawberries
  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 4-5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
  • 3-4 tablespoons cream, milk, or water
  • 2-3 drops red food coloring (optional)
  • Pinch salt (optional)

Instructions

  1. Pulse the freeze dried strawberries in a food processor until they have reached a fine powder consistency.
  2. Place the softened butter, pulverized strawberries, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
  3. Beat on low until combined.
  4. Gradually add in 4 cups of the powdered sugar, a half cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions, until it becomes a thick frosting.
  5. Add the cream, milk, or water a tablespoon at a time until the frosting is smooth and has reached a texture that is thick and stable, but easy to spread.
  6. Add in additional powdered sugar and liquid in small amounts if needed until you have achieved your desired frosting texture.
  7. If using, add a pinch of salt to offset the tart & sweet flavors of the strawberries & powdered sugar.
  8. If needed, add a couple of drops of red food coloring to add more pink tone to the frosting.
  9. Turn off your mixer and place the frosting in a piping bag, or spread over a prepared and cooked cake or cupcakes, then decorate as desired.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 752Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 35mgCarbohydrates: 185gFiber: 0gSugar: 180gProtein: 1g

I am not a medical expert. These calculations are provided as a courtesy.

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