Let me teach you how to make naturally flavored (and naturally colored) strawberry buttercream frosting. The secret is to replace some confectioners’ sugar with freeze-dried strawberry powder. This strawberry buttercream is ultra creamy and smooth, with loads of real strawberry flavor.
I originally published this recipe in 2017 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and a few more success tips.
One reader, Kristen, commented: “I made a variety of cupcakes for a wedding. I made this frosting and I have to say it was easy to make and hands down the best frosting I’ve ever had. I love all of your recipes. ★★★★★“
Let’s talk about how to make naturally flavored, naturally pink strawberry buttercream frosting.
Have you ever tried making frosting with fresh strawberries? I have, and the results were disastrous. I chopped up the strawberries, even blotted the moisture a little bit, pureed them, and then added it to a vanilla frosting. The buttercream instantly curdled as a result of the excess moisture—yuck! Same thing happened with strawberry jam, which also made the frosting too sweet.
Instead of relying on artificial strawberry flavor, I tried a trick I learned while writing my cookbook Sally’s Candy Addiction. Use freeze-dried strawberry powder!
I have a recipe for strawberry buttercream candies in that cookbook—they’re actually the pretty pink striped candies you see on the cover. The filling is creamy and smooth with lots of concentrated strawberry flavor, which comes from—you guessed it—ground freeze-dried strawberries. I decided to make actual strawberry frosting the same exact way. It’s really easy.
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting (6 Ingredients)
- Freeze-Dried Strawberries: You’ll grind these into a powder. Want to make a raspberry buttercream? Use freeze-dried raspberries instead.
- Unsalted Butter: Start with room temperature butter. Room temperature butter is actually cooler than you think. If the butter is too warm, the frosting will be greasy.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: Confectioners’ sugar is the bulk of this frosting, sweetening it and binding the ingredients together.
- Heavy Cream or Milk: Liquid thins out and adds creaminess to the frosting. You can use heavy cream, milk, or even half-and-half.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract adds incredible flavor.
- Salt: A pinch of salt offsets all the sweetness.
That’s it! No artificial flavoring or food coloring in this pretty pink strawberry frosting.
Grind the freeze-dried strawberries into powder using a food processor or blender:
Success Tip for Super-Smooth Strawberry Buttercream:
If you prefer a smoother strawberry buttercream, with none of the teeny-tiny seeds, you can sift out the seeds and larger pieces of the ground freeze-dried strawberries with a fine mesh sieve, and use just the super-fine strawberry dust. If I have an extra minute, I usually do this.
The rest of the recipe is similar to making regular vanilla buttercream or chocolate buttercream. You’ll need a handheld or stand mixer.
Where Can I Buy Freeze-Dried Strawberries?
I always find freeze-dried strawberries in my regular grocery store in the dried fruit aisle. Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Target, and Amazon all carry them.
Do not use “dried strawberries,” which are chewy like raisins or dried apricots. They have a gummy texture and don’t grind into a powder. You need freeze-dried strawberries, which have all of the moisture removed. There’s also freeze-dried raspberries, which is an ingredient we use to coat these chocolate raspberry crinkle cookies.
What Tastes Best With Strawberry Buttercream?
The dessert flavor-combo possibilities are endless! This recipe makes enough for a dozen cupcakes, a 3-layer 6-inch cake, or a 9×13-inch quarter vanilla sheet cake. I would 1.5x the recipe for a 2-layer cake.
- Vanilla Cupcakes
- Pistachio Cupcakes (pictured below)
- Confetti Sprinkle Cupcakes
- Chocolate Cupcakes
- Strawberry Cupcakes
- Peanut Butter Cupcakes (for a PB&J flavor combo)
- Piñata Cupcakes
- Vanilla 6-Inch Cake
- Fruit Pizza
- Lemon Cupcakes (pictured below)
I also halve the recipe and use it to fill these chocolate covered strawberry cupcakes.
Strawberry Frosting Variations
If you love strawberry buttercream frosting, you’ll also love these delicious variations!
- Strawberry cream cheese frosting from this strawberry cake
- White chocolate strawberry buttercream from these white chocolate strawberry cupcakes
- Nutella-strawberry swirl buttercream from my Valentine’s Day cupcakes
For blueberry frosting, see how we use freeze dried blueberries in the frosting for lemon blueberry cookies.
Print
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: about 3 cups
- Category: Frosting
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Freeze-dried strawberries are the secret to adding real flavor and natural color to strawberry buttercream frosting. Rich and creamy, this flavorful frosting pairs perfectly with an array of confections including chocolate cupcakes, lemon cupcakes, and/or a vanilla sheet cake.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (about 25g) freeze-dried strawberries
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 and 1/2 cups (420g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream or whole milk, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Using a food processor or blender, process the freeze-dried strawberries into a powdery crumb. You should have around 1/2 cup. If it’s not grinding down fine enough, you can sift it with a fine mesh sieve to rid larger seeds/pieces. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add confectioners’ sugar, strawberry powder, heavy cream/milk, and vanilla. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. Taste. Add 1–2 more Tablespoons of heavy cream/milk if needed to thin out, if desired. (I usually add at least 1 more.) Add a pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet.
- Use immediately or cover tightly and store for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer. After freezing, thaw in the refrigerator then beat the frosting on medium speed for a few seconds so it’s creamy again. After thawing or refrigerating, beating in a splash of heavy cream or milk will help thin the frosting out again, if needed. (It stiffens in the refrigerator.)
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Food Processor | Fine Mesh Sieve | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand Mixer)
- Where to find freeze-dried strawberries: I always find freeze-dried strawberries in my regular grocery store in the dried fruit aisle. Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, some dollar stores, Target, and Amazon carry them.
- Do not use fresh, frozen, or dried strawberries. Fresh and frozen strawberries add too much moisture. Dried strawberries are chewy like raisins or dried apricots. They have a gummy texture and don’t grind into a powder. You need freeze-dried strawberries, which have all of the moisture removed.
- Heavy Cream: Heavy cream produces an extra creamy frosting, but whole milk or half-and-half work too. Lower fat or nondairy milks work in a pinch, but the frosting won’t be as creamy.
- Quantity: This recipe is enough to frost 12–18 cupcakes, or a thin layer on a 9×13-inch quarter sheet cake. 1.5x the recipe for a 2-layer cake. (Doubling the recipe would be far too much.)
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi! This looks awesome- I want to make this for the cupcakes for my son’s birthday party. Does the cupcakes have to be refrigerated with this frosting because of the cream/milk content? If so, how far in advance should I take them out so the frosting (and cupcakes) can soften up to eat? I’ve never made this kind of frosting before 🙂 Thanks so much!
Hi Vivian, the frosting is okay at room temperature for about a day, but more than that and we do recommend storing it in the refrigerator
Ive made this so many times. Grandson loves it. I just made a boxed strawberry cake and made some changes to it and also added the freeze dried strawberries to the mix. We also love your strawberry cream cheese frosting. Sally’s Baking Addiction is where I go for any desert recipe I want to try. Recipes are amazing.
I’m truly blown away by how good this recipe is. Only trouble is I’ve eaten quite a bit before even frosting my cake.
As I’m in London England, I really appreciate the inclusion of gram measurements too. Never checked to see how many cups of freeze-dried strawberries I ended up with and it turned out just fine.
If I were to make one half strawberry, but one half vanilla, how would I do it?
Hi Sabine, the freeze dried strawberries take the place of some confectioners’ sugar in this version. It would be quite difficult to try and mix in the freeze dried strawberries after the frosting has been completely made otherwise. We recommend making a separate batch of vanilla frosting instead.
Would one recipe be enough to frost a 2-layer 6 inch cake?
Hi Fay! Yes, it should be.
My frosting tasting a bit,,, bland with smooth vanilla and sugar ? What do you recommend ?
Hi Roselie, what brand of freeze dried strawberries did you use? It could be possible your bag of strawberries simply wasn’t as flavorful. You could try replacing just a small amount more of the confectioners’ sugar with some more freeze dried strawberry powder for more strawberry taste.
I made this last year for my husbands birthday lemon cupcakes and it was a HUGE hit! I want to do it again for his Angel Food Cake cupcakes this year, but I have to be dairy free. Have you tried this with any dairy substitutes? If not, do you have any recommendations for an “icing” that is dairy free? 🙂
Hi Kali, you could certainly try making this buttercream with a plant-based butter and dairy-free milk. We haven’t personally tested it, so we’re unsure of the exact results. We expect it should be a bit less creamy. Let us know how it goes!
This recipe is very good! I love the flavor and intensity of the Strawberry!
Most recently I struggled making this recipe when I made it with 1/2 cup of blended down strawberry powder. This seemed to make the frosting too thick, and difficult to spread. It was almost like fondant!
Previously I used the 1 cup of unblended strawberries- blended them into a powder, which measured about 1/4 cup, and the frosting turned out nice and creamy. Excellent texture.
I’m usually a great lover of everything Sally puts out! But this time the instructions led me astray.
Perhaps some clarity on the measuring. Otherwise loved the flavor and overall method of this recipe. So many people ask how it tastes like strawberry and how it’s so pink! I love to tell them that it’s all natural ingredients- blended freeze dried strawberries!
Such a great trick! I’ve even used it in our family pancake recipe before too.
Hi Jennifer! I love how pink and flavorful this frosting is without artificial colors or flavors. I usually use just about 1/2 cup of the strawberry powdery crumb. Instead of reducing the amount, you can add more cream or milk to help smooth/thin it out. But I’m glad 1/4 cup worked better for you!
Hi Sally, Would this frosting be ok to send in the mail after freezing? I’m hoping it would hold up for a few days tho this might be wishful thinking.
Hi Michelle, the frosting is okay at room temperature for about a day, but more than that and we do recommend storing it in the refrigerator so it’s not the best candidate for shipping.
Is there a way to do normal, ripe strawberries as a sub for the freeze-dried ones? -Thanks
Hi Sally, we haven’t had success with using fresh strawberries to make strawberry buttercream, but you could instead try the strawberry whipped cream from this recipe for strawberry shortcake cupcakes. Hope you enjoy!
Hi,
I used fresh strawberries in mine, I just creamed the strawberry puree with butter at the start and left out the vanilla. Turned out perfectly. I just added a little bit of puree along the way to intense the flavour.
Hello Sally, can’t wait to try this frosting along with your chocolate cake receipt for my daughters 5th birthday. I’m wondering if I can use freeze dried strawberries that are already in powder form. I don’t want to affect the flavor or freshness but I don’t have the mesh sieve to sift out the seeds
Thank you! .
Hi Skyler, that should be just fine. Hope it’s a hit!
I want to use this as a filling, can it stay at room temperature for at least 24 hours? Cake will be fondant covered
Hi Lisa, after decorating or filling anything with buttercream or cream cheese frosting, it’s fine for 1 day at room temperature.
This recipe is AMAZING. It’s my go-to for cupcakes, cakes, and cookies. I highly recommend making the frosting a day or two before you need it as the flavor intensifies the longer it sits.
How much frosting would I need for a 3 layer 9 in cake layers? Would it be ok to add red gel food coloring and can I crumb coat with this recipe?
Hi Susan, we would recommend doubling it for a 3 layer, 9 inch round cake. You can add gel food coloring and yes, it works well for a crumb coat, too. Enjoy!
I loved this recipe. But I need red coloured frosting.. If I was to want to have the flavour of this but red, could I just add some red food colouring?
Yes, you can add some gel food coloring.
How much of this would you recommend making for a 4-layer pinata cake?
Hi Barb! You need quite a lot of frosting for a 4 layer cake. We would make 2.5-3x this amount of frosting, depending on how much frosting you like between the layers and if you will do additional decorating with the frosting.
I have a lot of dehydrated strawberries that I made in my dehydrator and then powdered in a coffee grinder. Could I substitute that for the freeze-dried strawberries? Thank you.
Hi Judy! You really need freeze dried strawberry powder here for best results.
Hi! How many regular sized cupcakes will this frost? Trying to get an idea of how much to make!
Hi! This recipe is enough to frost 12–18 cupcakes, or a thin layer on a 9×13-inch quarter sheet cake.
The Strawberry Buttercream Icing is delicious. Easy to make and it turned out perfectly!! The taste was incredible and the consistency was perfect for icing a cake!! Will make again !! Who would have thought freeze dried strawberries would be so yummy!!!
Thanks for all the great recipes Sally!
I want to use this recipe but color the frosting blue and purple for my daughters bday cake. Do you think I’ll be able to get good color with how pink the frosting ends up?
Hi Jessica! You can definitely add color, but keep in mind it will be in addition to the natural pink color from the freeze dried strawberries. Purple would be doable (adding some blue to this frosting), but getting a true blue may be tricky on top of the pink. We always recommend using gel food coloring for best results. Let us know if you give it a try!
Really intense, wonderful flavor. I make my own powdered sugar (blend granulated sugar until its powder…not rocket science), so maybe that explains the extra thick result. I used buttermilk to thin it (cake recipe also had buttermilk) and had to add an extra 4 tablespoons. Also, added extra vanilla. Very easy to work with as well.
So flavorful! I didn’t want to dirty my food processor so I put the strawberries in a zip top bag with all of the air out and crushed them with a rolling pin before sifting.
Hi Sally, I’m making your vanilla cake using 3 9” layers do I double or 1.5 the buttercream recipe?
Hi Kristy, we would double the recipe for a 3 layer cake. Enjoy!
Hi Sally, thank you for your trustworthy recipes. My question …
I like to add whipped cream to my frosting for the middle layer of my cakes. Will that work with this strawberry frosting?
Hi Janet, we haven’t tried that before with this recipe. Let us know if you decide to try it, or you might enjoy this whipped frosting instead. You can use freeze dried strawberries there for a strawberry version.
This is my new favorite frosting! I don’t know if I can go back to plain buttercream. It’s so delightfully delicious!
Hi Sally! This sounds exactly what I need for a cake idea I have. Can you tell me what size bag of Freeze Dried Strawberries to look for? I’m seeing these really small bags in ounces 1.4 oz and to make a cup seems a little expensive. Thanks in advance.
Hi Kandi! The freeze dried strawberries are very light. A 1.4 oz package will have more than enough for this recipe.
Thanks so much for the fast reply!
I can’t wait to add this to my cake recipe.
This is addictively AMAZING. True strawberry flavor and goodness without the artificial dyes. DELICIOUS!
Good recipe and consistency. I needed to add another TSP of milk and about 1/2 tsp of strawberry extract to enhance the flavor.
How long can this buttercream be out of the fridge (due to the milk in it)?
Hi Megan, we’ve left buttercream at room temperature for 24 hours with no problems, but after that we’d recommend storing in the refrigerator.
I am trying to decide whether to make this recipe or the strawberry cream cheese frosting that is described in the strawberry cake recipe (and I am not able to comment on that recipe). I am not a huge fan of cream cheese frosting – how forward is the cream cheese flavor in that frosting?
Hi Ally, you can definitely taste the tangy cream cheese frosting in that recipe. This strawberry buttercream recipe sounds like it will be perfect for you!
This is a revelation! Incredible strawberry flavor and gorgeous color. Thank you for the recipe and step-by-step instructions. My new favorite secret ingredient for sweet treats!
This is hands down the BEST frosting I have ever tasted. I did not have milk so substituted sugar free sweet Italian coffee creamer and used salted butter and it is my favorite frosting now and forever. Do you have a book? I pretty much print everything and love everything!
I’m glad that you enjoyed this! It’s one of my favorites, too. I have 3 cookbooks published, and am working on my 4th! This is the most recent cookbook I have published, back in 2017.
Hello! If I use freeze dried strawberry powder (purchased as a powder) for the icing recipe how much should I use? I’m assuming it would be less than the freeze dried strawberries before becoming powder. Thank you.
Hi Meg! You’ll need about 1/2 cup freeze dried strawberry powder.