Strawberry Buttercream Frosting Recipe
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This homemade Strawberry Buttercream Frosting is loaded with fresh strawberries and is creamy and delicious for topping cakes, cupcakes, and more! Just six real ingredients, and easy to make!
Baked goods like cakes, cupcakes, and cookies taste amazing with this scrumptious, fresh-tasting Strawberry Buttercream frosting. It’s so tasty, comes together easily, and is made with only six real ingredients, including strawberries, butter, and sugar. The pink color and strawberry flavor are all natural from the strawberries. It’s amazing on everything from Strawberry Cake to Chocolate Cupcakes or swirled on top of a chewy sugar cookie! Such a favorite frosting!
Table of Contents
How to Make Strawberry Buttercream
My family loves this frosting! I get requests for it often. It’s so good and such a favorite that my niece wanted it for a graduation celebration cake. Strawberry lovers adore it – but everyone that I’ve served it to loves it, too! The taste is fresh and amazing – I hope you try it soon.
This buttercream frosting only takes a few ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:
Ingredients
Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.
- Butter – Use unsalted butter that is softened to room temperature
- Confectioner’s sugar – Also called powdered sugar
- Strawberry syrup – A strawberry simple syrup made with fresh strawberries, sugar, and water
- Vanilla extract -Use this homemade vanilla or your favorite high-quality vanilla
- Half-and-half – Or use cream or whole milk
- Salt – Use a pinch of kosher salt to balance and enhance the sweetness
Tip for Bakery-Perfect Buttercream!
Here’s a tip to make your buttercream frosting light, fluffy, and bakery-perfect!
To make my strawberry buttercream frosting, you’ll want to be sure to follow the instructions of adding the confectioner’s sugar 1/2 cup at a time and then turning your mixer on high speed for the fluffiest of frostings.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Mix together butter and sugar. Cream together the softened butter and a small amount of confectioner’s sugar at a time.
Combine with strawberry and vanilla. After each bit of the sugar has been added, add a bit of strawberry syrup at a time. Add the vanilla and then beat on high for about 20 seconds to lighten the frosting.
Mix with half-and-half. Add one tablespoon of half-and-half at a time until the buttercream has reached a consistency that will hold shape. Add a pinch of salt and whip on high for a final 20 seconds.
Frost the dessert or store it. Use this immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to three days.
Storage Tips
To refrigerate. Cover well or place in an airtight container with a lid for up to three days.
To frost the dessert. To use once refrigerated, slowly allow it to reach room temperature and then beat on low speed until the buttercream is smooth before using.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Just cover the frosting well, or be sure to place it in an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 3 days.
When ready to frost, let it sit out of the fridge for a bit to slowly reach room temperature. Whip on low speed until the buttercream is smooth.
This delicious buttercream works perfectly on so many baked goods, from cakes and cupcakes to topping cookies or just placing a dollop between two vanilla wafers.
Here’s my Strawberry Buttercream Frosting recipe. I can’t wait to hear how you love it.
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 3 1/2 – 4 cups (397-454 g) confectioner’s sugar, sifted
- 4 tablespoons (80 g) strawberry syrup
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) half-and-half, heavy cream or whole milk
- pinch (0.4 g) kosher salt
Instructions
- Cream together butter and ½ cup of confectioner’s sugar at a time. After each cup of sugar has been added, add strawberry syrup 1 tablespoon at a time. Add vanilla and then beat on high for about 20 seconds to lighten the frosting.
- Add half-and-half, one tablespoon at a time until the buttercream has reached a consistency where it will hold it’s shape. Add pinch of salt and whip on high for a final 20 seconds.
- Use immediately or cover and refrigerate up to three days. To use once refrigerated, slowly allow to reach room temperature and then beat on low speed until the buttercream is smooth before using.
Notes
Storage Tips
To refrigerate. Cover well or place in an airtight container with a lid for up to three days. To frost the dessert. To use once refrigerated, slowly allow it to reach room temperature and then beat on low speed until the buttercream is smooth before using.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
Where do you find Strawberry syrup?
The Strawberry Syrup in this buttercream frosting is my recipe. Click on the blue “strawberry syrup” link in the frosting recipe and it will take you to the Strawberry Syrup Recipe.
Hi there can you use strawberry jam in place of the syrup?
I’ve not made this frosting using jam, Elisabeth.
It was SO delicious! I had it as my frosting for my wedding cake and everyone loved it!
I’m thrilled you used this frosting on your wedding cake, Mae Beth. I wish you the very best! Thanks.
Thank you! I’m so excited to make this frosting (with your chocolate cake) for my daughter’s third birthday this weekend. For the frosting, can you use buttermilk in place of whole milk/cream? I only have 1% milk and fat free half and half…. thanks!
I have not used buttermilk in this frosting, Sara. I would use the fat free half and half. I wish your daughter a very happy 3rd birthday!
Hi Robyn,
I have made your white cake many many times. It is amazing and my family and friends always request these layers. I have made the vanilla and chocolate buttercream but not the strawberry. My best friends birthday is tomorrow and she requested the strawberry buttercream. In your directions you said to add 1 tablespoon of strawberry syrup after each.cup of sugar is that after each half of cup or a whole cup?
Also once this cake is made does it have to be refrigerated immediately and does it stay in the fridge
Until it’s all gone. Normally I freeze these cakes after a couple of days if there is any leftovers.
Hi Catherine,
I do add 1 tablespoon of strawberry syrup after each whole cup of sugar has been added. I refrigerate my strawberry buttercream frosted cake until it is eaten or I freeze the leftovers after several days. Hope your friend enjoys her cake and has a great birthday. Thanks for letting me know how much your family enjoys my other cakes. xo
I have made this frosting multiple times now and it’s great! My modifications are to use only strawberry sauce instead of adding milk, as well as to grind up freeze dried strawberries and sift them to get the seeds out, reconstituting them in the strawberry sauce to intensify the strawberry flavor a bit. Our local strawberries are wonderful if you grow them yourself, but if you get them at the store their flavor is just not that intense. Hence the freeze dried additive. 🙂 I also cut the vanilla in half or less and add a bit more salt. When I add all the vanilla, there is a lovely richness but I don’t get quite the strawberry intensity I like. Thank you, Robyn for a wonderful recipe!
Hi Angela,
So glad you like this frosting! It is such a shame that some strawberries we buy from the grocery store don’t taste as good as homegrown ones do. But happy you found a solution that works for you. Thanks!
Can you substitute with strawberry seedless jam?
I’ve not tried jam instead of the strawberries in the recipe. I hope you enjoy the frosting, Liz. Thanks!
Made this to frost white cupcakes. Delicious! I like how it is not overly sweet and the strawberry flavor is not over-powering. It piped well and frosted 20 cupcakes (I go pretty heavy on frosting).
I’m sure they were delicious, Laura! Glad you like it! It’s one of my favorite frostings! Thanks! xo
Please, I am planning to use this for my granddaughters cake, could you tell me once made and in the cake will it last.
Trish
Would this recipe make enough for 2 of your strawberry cakes?
Hi Alex,
I’m not sure that it would be enough for two of these cakes. Thanks!