Perfect Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

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If you love strawberries, you’ll love this strawberry cream cheese frosting! It has a thick, creamy texture and it’s perfect for piping on cakes and cupcakes.

While I love using strawberries in buttercream and whipped cream, the tang of the cream cheese pairs so well with them here.

A group of cupcakes on white topped with strawberry cream cheese frosting topped with a fresh strawberry

Friends request this frosting on both my chocolate cupcakes and vanilla cupcakes, but I think it’s amazing on my strawberry cupcakes. The double dose of berry flavor is always a winner!

Ingredients

The most unique ingredient in this recipe is freeze dried strawberries [paid link].

a stock image of packaged freeze dried strawberries

When I originally created this recipe almost ten years ago, I used fresh strawberries. I got comment after comment about the frosting coming out soupy and not pipeable. Fresh strawberries are too wet for a cream cheese frosting. They can also make the frosting curdle.

The freeze dried berries give the frosting an intense flavor (way more than fresh strawberries) without compromising the frosting’s consistency.

Tip: Although it’s not exactly the same, you can make freeze dried strawberries from scratch by dehydrating berries and freezing them. You can read more about this in my post on fruit powder.

You’ll need a few other ingredients to make this frosting:

  • butter
  • cream cheese (full-fat)
  • salt
  • sugar

How It’s Made

To begin, use the paddle attachment on an electric mixer to mix cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy – the same process you use to make plain cream cheese frosting. This should take about 3 minutes on high speed. If you don’t have an electric mixer, you can mix frosting by hand, but it will require some serious elbow grease – expect to be mixing for at least five minutes.

Tip: It is VERY important that the cream cheese and butter be at room temperature before mixing. If the ingredients are not at room temperature, they will not mix together properly.

a view into an electric stand mixer bowl where cream cheese has been whipped with butter

Mix in salt and strawberry powder (food processed freeze dried berries).

a view into an electric stand mixer bowl where strawberry powder is being added to cream cheese whipped with butter

Then, mix in powdered sugar.

Tip: The more powdered sugar you add, the stiffer the frosting will be. If you add less powdered sugar, it will be spreadable but not pipeable.

a view into an electric stand mixer bowl filled with strawberry cream cheese frosting without powdered sugar added

Pipe or spread onto your favorite dessert!

Expert Tips and FAQs

Many of the common problems with this frosting can be solved by paying attention to the following tips:

  • Use full-fat cream cheese sold in bricks rather than whipped cream cheese. The whipped version often costs more and there is no need to buy it when you will be whipping it yourself.
  • Make sure the cream cheese and butter are at room temperature.
  • Use unsalted butter so that you can control how much salt is in the recipe.
  • Sift the powdered sugar if it clumps together.
a piping tip frosting a strawberry cupcakes with pink strawberry cream cheese frosting
Why doesn’t my frosting have a strong strawberry flavor?

Make sure that you use freeze-dried strawberries rather than dried strawberries. There is a huge difference!

How can I store this frosting?

Food safety experts say that you should always refrigerate cream cheese frosting. I live life on the edge and leave mine out on the counter for up to week and I’ve never gotten sick. But, just in case you try this, don’t say that I didn’t warn you about the expert advice.

If you won’t be using it all right away, the frosting can also be kept in the freezer in an airtight container. Defrost and give it a quick whisk before using.

Can I make this with other fruit powders?

Yes! To switch this recipe up, try making other freeze-dried fruit powders from freeze-dried raspberries [paid link] or freeze-dried blueberries [paid link].

Which piping tip do you recommend for making perfect swirls with this frosting?

For regular cupcakes, I recommend you use a Wilton 1M tip.

Did you make this recipe? Leave a review!
A group of cupcakes on white topped with strawberry cream cheese frosting topped with a fresh strawberry
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4.22 from 41 votes

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Strawberry cream cheese frosting is intensely strawberry-flavored. It has a thick creamy texture and is perfect for piping on cakes and cupcakes!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 8 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 12 servings
Calories 233kcal
Author Stefani

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • 8 ounces full-fat cream cheese room temperature
  • 3/4 cup freeze-dried strawberries
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy – about three minutes on high speed.
  • Food process the freeze-dried strawberries until they form a powder.
  • Mix in powdered strawberries (you should have about 2 1/2 tablespoons) and salt until fully combined.
  • Mix in powdered sugar.
  • Spread or pipe onto your favorite cakes and cupcakes.

Notes

This recipe yields about two cups of frosting. This should be enough to frost twelve cupcakes. Double the recipe to frost a two layer eight-inch cake.
  • Make sure the cream cheese and butter are at room temperature.
  • Use unsalted butter so that you can control how much salt is in the recipe.
  • Sift the powdered sugar if it is clumpy.

Nutrition

Calories: 233kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 30mg | Sodium: 110mg | Potassium: 223mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 370IU | Vitamin C: 180.7mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 3.3mg
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