Strawberry Frosting

This strawberry frosting gets its flavor from freeze-dried strawberries ground into a fine powder, not from a strawberry reduction, jam, or artificial flavoring. The result is a buttercream with intense, real strawberry flavor and a naturally pink color with deep pink flecks throughout.

I use the same freeze-dried technique in my white chocolate strawberry truffles , and it works just as well in frosting. Five minutes with a mixer and you have a buttercream that pipes beautifully on my gluten-free strawberry cake , cupcakes, cookies, or anything else you want to frost.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• It’s ready in 5 minutes. Just process the strawberries, cream the butter, and mix everything together. No cooking, no reducing, no waiting.
• 6 simple ingredients. Freeze-dried strawberries, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, and milk. That’s it.
• Naturally pink with no food dye. The freeze-dried strawberries give the frosting a beautiful pink color with deep pink flecks. No artificial coloring needed.

Ingredient Notes

• Freeze-dried strawberries – Process them into a fine powder in a food processor. You want as few large pieces as possible so the frosting stays smooth and pipes well. A few small flecks are fine and add to the look.
• Unsalted butter – Must be fully softened to room temperature (you should be able to press a finger into it easily). Cold butter won’t cream properly and you’ll end up with a lumpy frosting.
• Whole milk – Added at the end to adjust consistency. Start with 2 tablespoons and add more by the half tablespoon if needed. The fat in whole milk helps keep the frosting smooth. You can use 2% in a pinch.

Freeze-dried vs. dehydrated strawberries

Use crispy, crunchy freeze-dried strawberries for this recipe, not the chewy dehydrated kind you’ll find next to raisins and dried cranberries. Freeze-dried strawberries have about 99% of their moisture removed, which means concentrated strawberry flavor without adding liquid that would thin out the buttercream. You’ll find them in the dried fruit aisle or snack aisle of most grocery stores.

Step-by-Step Instructions

This fresh strawberry frosting recipe is incredibly easy to make with the help of a food processor and an electric mixer. It can be ready in just about 5 minutes. Follow the easy steps below with matching photos to help you make this recipe perfectly every time.

For the ingredient list with measurements, full instructions, printable recipe, and additional notes, please scroll down to the recipe card.

Place the freeze-dried strawberries in a food processor. Process until finely ground. Add the softened butter and the prepared strawberry powder to a large mixing bowl. Beat until the butter is creamy and combined thoroughly with the freeze-dried strawberries. Scrape down the sides of the bowls as needed. Add the vanilla extract and salt. Mix until combined. Add the powdered sugar gradually, mixing in between each addition. Add the whole milk to the frosting. Mix until smooth and creamy. Frost your cake, cupcakes, or cookies as desired.

Recipe FAQs

How do you thicken strawberry frosting?

If your strawberry frosting is too thin, you can thicken it by adding more powdered sugar to it.

How do you make your strawberry frosting easier to pipe or frost a cake with?

If your strawberry buttercream is too thick, which can make it difficult to frost a cake with, add more milk by the ½ tablespoon until it has reached the right consistency.

Can strawberry frosting be made dairy-free or vegan?

Yes, use a 50/50 mix of vegan butter and shortening for a dairy-free and vegan strawberry frosting. Substitute the whole milk with almond milk, or another non-dairy milk alternative.

Expert Tips

• No food processor? Use a rolling pin. Place the freeze-dried strawberries in a zip-top bag and roll back and forth until finely crushed. It won’t be as fine as a food processor, but a few small chunks in the frosting look good and taste great.
• Add the powdered sugar gradually. About 1/2 cup at a time on low speed. If you dump it all in at once, it will fly everywhere and the frosting will be harder to mix smooth.
• Use it right away or re-whip before frosting. The strawberry powder absorbs moisture as it sits, so the frosting will stiffen up over time. If you make it ahead or pull it from the fridge, give it a good 30-second whip with the mixer and add a splash of milk if needed to get it back to a pipeable consistency.

Storage Instructions

Refrigerator: Airtight container for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature and re-whip before using.

Freezer: Up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then bring to room temperature and re-whip until smooth.

Frosted desserts: A frosted cake or cupcakes will keep at room temperature for 1-2 days as long as they aren’t sitting in direct sunlight or a hot room. Refrigerate for longer storage.

Serving Suggestions

This frosting is made for my gluten-free strawberry cake . It’s the pairing I had in mind when I developed it, and the strawberry-on-strawberry flavor is worth every bite. For a chocolate-strawberry combination, frost my gluten-free chocolate cake or pipe it onto gluten-free chocolate cookies for a cookie sandwich.

It’s also great on my gluten-free cookie cake if you want to swap the vanilla buttercream for something fruity, or piped into gluten-free cookie cups for a party-ready dessert. If you’re making a strawberry coulis to drizzle alongside, I have a strawberry coulis recipe that pairs perfectly.