This post may contain affiliate sales links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This Homemade Strawberry Frosting is the BEST you’ll ever make! And there’s two different ways to achieve it! You can use fresh strawberries that have been reduced over the stove to increase flavor, or freeze dried strawberries!
The Best Homemade Strawberry Frosting Recipe
I would say that of all the flavors of frosting, I get the most questions about strawberry frosting. It’s a bit illusive. Strawberry puree alone often doesn’t lend enough flavor and if you add too much, you thin out your frosting beyond where it’s usable. And if you add chunks of strawberries, it really throws things off. So what’s a strawberry lover to do?
I’ve used both these methods for strawberry frosting before in various recipes on the site and finally decided to put it into its own post and give you all my tips! First, let’s go over both ways to make this frosting. One method is to use fresh strawberries that have been cooked in a pan on the stove to reduce the liquid and create a thicker, stronger strawberry puree/sauce. The second method would be to grind up freeze dried strawberries and add the powder to your frosting.
How to Make Strawberry Frosting
Both methods of strawberry frosting have the same frosting base. Much like my vanilla buttercream frosting, you’ll start with your butter (and shortening, if you like) and beat that until it’s nice and smooth. From there, you’ll add about half of the powdered sugar and mix it all together until smooth.
Next, you’ll want to add your strawberry flavoring. If using fresh strawberries, you’ll want to have your strawberry reduction ready and cool. To make it, puree your strawberries and strain the puree to remove the seeds. While straining it isn’t completely necessary, it’s nice to do so that your frosting doesn’t have little seeds in it.
From there, slowly cook the puree on the stove and reduce it by half. This basically doubles up the strawberry flavor while also giving you a thicker puree to add to your frosting. Cool the strawberry reduction and then you’re ready to add it to your frosting. I typically add about three to four tablespoons so that my frosting doesn’t thin out too much. If you prefer a thinner frosting (which is often ok for cupcakes and sheet cakes, but less ideal for layer cakes), you can add a little more.
If you’re doing to use the freeze dried strawberries, you’ll pop them into your food processor and grind them into a powder, then simply add the powder to the frosting. It’s a much simpler and quicker way to go, if you’re able to find them at your store.
The only other thing that’s different with the freeze dried strawberry method is that you’ll need to also add some cream or water to it. Because the reduction adds liquid to the frosting naturally, you don’t need any extra. But with this version, the dry powder doesn’t do the job on it’s own and a little liquid is necessary to thin out the frosting a bit.
From there – regardless of which version you make – you’ll want to add a touch of vanilla extract and the remaining powdered sugar and mix it all together until it’s nice and smooth.
Can I Use Frozen Strawberries in this Frosting?
Frozen strawberries would be a fine option to use for this strawberry frosting. I personally don’t like to use them because you can’t tell prior to buying and thawing them if they have good flavor or not. Since the flavor influences the frosting so much, I like to know that mine smell amazing and have great flavor. The other thing about frozen strawberries is the water added. Yes, you’ll cook them down and intensify the flavor, but again I just prefer knowing I’m getting the best and strongest flavor. So while you can certainly use them, they aren’t my preference.
What Makes this the Best Strawberry Frosting Recipe?
Regardless of how you decided to go with your strawberry frosting, both versions are awesome! In fact, even though the freeze dried strawberries give some intense flavor, the strawberry reduction actually does a great job of keeping up. I could hardly tell a difference between them as far as flavor. The great news about that is that you have two amazing approaches to making the best homemade strawberry frosting!
More Strawberry Recipes to Try:
Strawberry Whipped Cream – 2 Ways
Homemade Strawberry Cake
Strawberries and Cream Cupcakes
Strawberry Poke Cake
Strawberry Shortcake Cake
Strawberries and Cream Cheesecake Cake
Strawberry Cheesecake
Strawberry Pound Cake
No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake
Homemade Strawberry Frosting – Two Ways
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 1/2 cups
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Homemade Strawberry Frosting is the BEST you’ll ever make! And there’s two different ways to achieve it! You can use fresh strawberries that have been reduced over the stove to increase flavor, or freeze dried strawberries!
Ingredients
1 cup freeze-dried strawberries OR 1 1/2 cups (200g) chopped fresh strawberries
1 cup (224g) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 cups (460g) powdered sugar
3–4 tbsp (45-60ml) water or cream, if needed
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch or two of salt
Instructions
1. If using fresh strawberries, add the strawberries to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. You should have about 3/4 cups of puree.
2. Add the puree to a small sized saucepan and cook over medium heat. Allow the mixture to come to a slow boil, stirring consistently to keep it from burning, until it has thickened and reduced to about 6 tbsp, about 10-15 minutes. To measure, pour the puree into a measuring cup. If it’s more than 6 tbsp (between 1/4 and 1/2 cup), add it back to the pan and continue cooking.
3. When the puree has thickened and reduced, pour into a large measuring cup and allow to cool to at least room temperature. This strawberry mixture can be made ahead, if you like, and stored in the fridge.
4. If using freeze dried strawberries, add them to a food processor and grind into a fine powder. Set aside.
5. Regardless of which version you’re making, add the butter to a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth.
6. Add about half of the powdered sugar and beat until well combined and smooth.
7. If using the strawberry reduction, add about 3 tablespoons of the reduction and beat until well combined and smooth. If using the freeze dried strawberries, add the powder and about 3 tablespoons of water or cream and beat until well combined and smooth.
8. Add the vanilla extract and slowly add the remaining powdered sugar and beat until well combined and smooth.
9. Add additional strawberry reduction/milk or cream until your frosting is the right consistency. Use your frosting on cakes, cupcakes, etc. Frosting can be left at room temperature for 1-2 days, but if you aren’t using it right away, I recommend refrigerating it for up to a week or freezing it for about a month.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 3263
- Sugar: 402.2 g
- Sodium: 64.9 mg
- Fat: 184.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 417.5 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 488.5 mg
I’m a huge fan of your recipes!!
I’m planning on making a batch of cupcakes with these. Do they go bad after 2 days and room temp? What happens?
I don’t like putting cupcakes in the fridge since they dry out.
Can you make the frosting ahead of time and refrigerate with the same fluffy frosting?
Yes, you can. Just bring it back to room temperature before using.
I’m a 10 yr old who loves baking, and I’m making this for my sister who’s turning 16. After a while, I chose vanilla cupcakes, and my brother chose strawberry frosting! totally worked, and was really good. Definitely making again! Delicious! Thank you so much!
For the frosting I put in the correct amount of butter, but all I tasted and smelled was butter. For next time should I only put half the butter in? The filling and cake was awesome though!
Did you use salted butter? I feel like salted butter can be that way. If you used unsalted and were still not loving the buttery taste, you could replace half of the butter with shortening.
hi there!! planning to do this recipe, just wanted to ask how the process for making the frosting would be if frozen strawberries will be used? Thank you! 🤗
You’d want to thaw them and pat them dry to get rid of excess water that will water down the strawberry flavor. Then follow the directions for the fresh strawberries.
Super easy and really delicious 😋 only used half the sugar and it was perfect. Thank you for a scrumptious delight.
I know that this is a strawberry recipe but I can’t choose between strawberries or raspberries haha
Will I need to adjust the recipe at all if I use raspberries in place of strawberries?
No, you shouldn’t need to adjust anything.
Business axiom: It is far more for the sender to ensure the file is formatted correctly than to ask all recipients to format upon opening.
Could you separate the above into to complete recipes. One for fresh and one for frozen.
Thank you
Hi! Finally someone who’s given a recipe with fresh strawberries!
Here they sell a strawberry compote in stores (it looks semi solid in consistency with some berry pieces in it). so I was wondering if I could substitute that in place of the puree? Or is compote too different from a puree? And would the compote work for a strawberry cupcake batter too?
Would be great if u could solve my query. Thanks!!
A compound is going to have things like sugar mixed in, so it may not give you the same result.
Would it be ok if I reduced the sugar considerably?
The powdered sugar gives the frosting volume and adds stability. If you don’t need as much frosting and you don’t need it to be a stable/thick, that would be fine. It just depends on how you want the frosting to turn out.
Hey. Can I use a blender instead of food processor for the freeze dried strawberries
That should be fine as long as you can grind it into a powder.
I made this frosting & followed the recipe to a T & it wasn’t what I hoped it would be. I used puréed strawberries & cooked on the stove exactly as states in the recipe. I ended up having to use strawberry extract to amp the strawberry flavor. And it was also runny. I had to put it in the freezer. Also, we have central air so our home is not warm. Not sure 🤔 what happened…
I just made cupcakes with this recipe and they turned out great!
Can i use canned strawberry pie filling for buttercream frosting as here i couldn’t find any fresh ones or frozen strawberry
I would imagine you could. Having not done it myself, it’s hard to advise though.
I was not thrilled when my son asked for strawberry frosting on his birthday cake, until I found this recipe! The use of freeze dried strawberries is brilliant! (BTW I got them at Trader Joe’s). I could not stop eating this… Thank you so much!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Oh ok so that is normal how it was..maybe than the cream cheese version better for my taste
Thank you again
Cream cheese is also firm when refrigerated, so it will do the same thing. The only frosting that I can think of off the top of my head that will not firm up when in the fridge is a whipped cream.