Strawberry Buttercream with Fresh or Freeze Dried Strawberries

Learn how to make Strawberry Buttercream with fresh or freeze dried strawberries! Both ways are delicious and create a naturally pink frosting that’s perfect for cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and more!

If you’re looking for more frosting recipes, check out some of my other favorites like Vanilla Bean Buttercream Frosting, Honey Buttercream Frosting, Peanut Butter Caramel Chocolate Ganache Frosting, Simple Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting, Homemade Whipped Cream Frosting, or Easy Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting.

A Quick Look At The Recipe

• Recipe Name: Strawberry Buttercream with Fresh or Freeze Dried Strawberries
• Ready In: 10 minutes
• Makes: 12 servings
• Main Ingredients: butter, powdered sugar, strawberries
• Flavor Profile: sweet and creamy strawberry
• Dietary Info: gluten free, eggless, no seed oils, vegan swap available
• Difficulty: Easy!
• Why You’ll Love It: make strawberry frosting with either fresh or freeze dried strawberries!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Under 10 Minutes: This strawberry buttercream frosting recipe takes less than 10 minutes to mix up!
• 2 Ways: You can make strawberry buttercream two different ways and I’m sharing recipes for both! So if you have fresh strawberries on hand or just have freeze dried strawberries, you can make strawberry buttercream either way.
• Naturally Pink: Organic strawberry frosting is naturally colored with real strawberries, no artificial colors!
• Vegan Option: If you're vegan, you can easily make this strawberry buttercream vegan by using your favorite vegan butter.

I love making organic strawberry buttercream because it is naturally pink, perfectly sweet, and delicious on both chocolate and vanilla cakes! I love using real strawberries to make fresh strawberry buttercream because you get real fruit in the frosting, but sometimes I don’t have fresh strawberries on hand. So, this strawberry frosting recipe can be made with either fresh strawberries or freeze dried strawberry powder.

When I don’t have fresh strawberries, then I love using freeze dried strawberry powder. This is an easy strawberry buttercream option, and it’s just as delicious and even faster to make because you don’t have to chop strawberries! We made this strawberry frosting both ways at my bakery and now you can too at home!

Ingredients

• Butter: I use Organic Valley Salted Butter, you can use unsalted if you prefer but you may want to add a pinch of salt to your liking.
• Powdered Sugar: Be sure to sift powdered sugar to achieve a smooth frosting without lumps.
• Strawberries: If you’re making the fresh strawberry buttercream, you’ll need fresh organic strawberries.
• Strawberry Powder: If you don’t have fresh strawberries, you’ll need organic freeze dried strawberry powder (or freeze dried strawberries if you want to food processor it yourself), either will work. I just think the powder is so much easier!

*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.

Baker’s Tips for Using Fresh Strawberries

• Be sure to chop the strawberries into small pieces so they mix in easier.
• If the frosting is not thick enough, you can add more powdered sugar until it’s the consistency you like. Start with 28 grams and go from there.
• Make sure to store fresh strawberry buttercream or anything made with it in the fridge.
• I love using Fresh Strawberry Buttercream for single layer cakes where you just top it with frosting for a more rustic look. Try it on m Lemon Olive Oil Snack Cake With Lemon Frosting or Small Batch Chocolate Cake With Sourdough Discard.
• Make this vegan by substituting the butter for your favorite vegan butter. My top choice is Miyoko's, it works great!

Baker's Tips for Using Freeze Dried Strawberries

• You can buy organic freeze dried strawberry powder or you can even food processor freeze dried strawberries to create your own strawberry powder, either will work! But, it's ideal to have a powder so you have a smooth texture.
• If frosting is stiff you can add a little liquid, that can be water, milk, or heavy whipping cream. Start with 1 tablespoon of liquid and go from there.
• If you want a more intense strawberry flavor or a darker pink color, just add more strawberry powder. You may need to add more liquid as well to get the right consistency.
• This frosting doesn’t have to be stored in the fridge because it’s made with freeze dried strawberry powder.
• This strawberry frosting recipe is the one I recommended for layer cakes as you can spread it out smoothly without chunks. I use this option on my Strawberry Vanilla Layer Cake.
• I also prefer this recipe for cupcakes if I want to use a cupcake tip, because there are no chunks to get stuck in the decorating tip. Try this also on Simple Vanilla Cupcakes or Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes for a strawberry frosting option!

How to Make Strawberry Buttercream with Fresh Strawberries

1. Add the softened butter and chopped strawberries to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

2. Sift the powdered sugar into the mixing bowl.

3. Mix on low until combined, then speed the mixer up to high and whip for 2 to 3 minutes or until it's light and fluffy and the strawberries have broken into tiny pieces. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl part way through mixing to ensure everything is mixed well and uniform.

4. Use on cakes, cupcakes, brownies and more. Be sure to store anything made with fresh strawberry buttercream in the fridge to it stays fresh.

How to Make Strawberry Buttercream with Freeze Dried Strawberries

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, powdered sugar, and strawberry powder.

2. Mix on low until combined and then speed mixer up to high and mix for 2 to 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add in water or milk as needed to achieve the desired consistency. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl party way through mixing to ensure even mixing.

3. Use on cakes, cupcakes, cookies and more!

Ways to Use

You can use either of these strawberry frosting recipes for cakes, cupcakes, brownies, cookies, or anywhere that you’d use strawberry buttercream. I prefer using the fresh strawberry buttercream for snack cakes, cookies, or brownies. This frosting is a little more rustic with pieces of fresh strawberries in it. This makes it best for more freeform applications.

This option is not great for piping or decorating because the pieces of strawberries can get stuck in decorating tips easily. But, if you're just adding frosting on top of Chocolate Cupcakes Without a Mixer with a butter knife, then this works great. I just avoid piping bags with the fresh strawberry version as the pieces can get stuck.

I prefer using the strawberry buttercream made with freeze dried strawberries for layer cakes when I want a very smooth finish. This option is also great for cupcakes or cakes that you want to frost with a decorating tip. You can also use this for sandwich cookies or in any application you’d use the Fresh Strawberry Buttercream too! 

Both of these strawberry frosting recipes will make enough frosting for any of the following:

• 1 dozen cupcakes
• 6-inch layer cake
• 8-inch snack cake
• 9-inch snack cake, try this on top of Strawberry Snack Cake
• 1 batch of brownies or blondies
• 1 batch of sandwich cookies, try it with Lemon Rosemary Sandwich Cookies or inside Homemade Vanilla Oreo Cookies instead of vanilla for a strawberry Oreo!
• 2 batches of cookies if you're frosting on top (if only making a dozen or so cookies, half the recipe)

Recipe FAQ’s

More Strawberry Dessert

Strawberry Snack Cake

Strawberry Chocolate Bars

Strawberry Cream Drops

Strawberry Vanilla Layer Cake